(photos to come later)

My first long-distance triathlon was supposed to be Ironman Japan back in June. But due to foot and mouth disease plaguing certain parts of western Japan, illogical government officials from the hosts, Goto Island, decided to cancel the event. In some ways, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Thanks to a brilliant move by Reza in signing up Cozumel, I shortly followed in hopes of completing the challenge I had set for myself about a year ago. It turned out to be a great choice and the race was nothing short of amazing. It was my first triathlon over the standard olympic distance and I had no idea how I would fare in a half-Ironman distance let alone a Ironman-distance so I was extremely pleased to finish the event with a finishing time better than I was expecting. A big thanks to family and friends for their support. Also a special thanks to Namban: the triathletes for expert advice, the trail runners for endurance survival tips, the expert runners for helping me improve speed and everyone who for all those fun events/training sessions.
Here’s my report:

Stats
3.8 km swim: 1:09
180 km bike: 5:52
42.2 km run: 5:08
Total: 12:22 (76/191 age category, 738/2300 overall)
Official stats

Pre-race
After a longish flight and then a speedy taxi ride to catch that last ferry of the day, I arrived in Cozumel, Mexico just three nights before the race. After a bit of sleep, I awoke to blue skies, lush landscapes, crystal clear water, warmish temperatures and a place that truly lived up to its motto: “Heaven on Earth”. Friday and Saturday was spent checking out the swim course and parts of the bike course, chilling out with some of the 2300 nervous participants, loading up on nutrients and getting mentally prepared for the big race. The weather on the morning of race day turned out to be perfect. Water was calm, there was a gentle breeze and it’s sunny with clouds in the horizon. One last check of the bike and everything was fine except my sunglasses. I had clearly put then on my helmet during the bike check-in the night before but they aren’t around my bike (this will come back to haunt me). Shortly later and after the pros start, it’s time to get into the water. Waiting in the middle of the pack, the organizers put on a mini dolphin show. It’s 7am and the horn sounds. My Ironman race begins…

Swim
The swim course was one closed loop. During the orientation, the officials proclaimed how the course would be a fast course (average time was fastest out of all the IM in 2009) and that it would be a great swim. They couldn’t have been more correct! With crystal clear warm water and aquatic sea life visible from all angles, it was the most pleasant outdoor swim I’ve ever done. It ended up also being the fastest. My plan was to relax from the start and take it easy until the first turn. I had no issues with other swimmers aside from the usual jostling of swimmers vying for position near the start. I felt very calm and zoned out. After the first turn, I had positioned myself in the outer lane. With no one in front of me, I started swimming faster and was able to maintain a good swimming stroke. With the help of the speed suit I was wearing (no wet suits were allowed), I was able to finish the swim with a 1:09 time (6-11minutes faster than what I was hoping for).

Bike
Taking my time at T1, I consumed two SoyJoy nutrition bars, one Wieder gel and about 250ml of water to get that nasty salty ocean taste out of my mouth. The bike course was roughly three loops around a super-flat beautiful course. Though it was flat, the officials were saying that there would be very strong cross/head winds on the other side of the island. Months leading up to the race, I had focused my training primarily on cycling. But thank goodness for all that training on the Arakawa river as it was the perfect place to simulate race conditions. My plan was to take it easy for about 20-25mins in order for my stomach to digest and to transition into my cycling mode. I would go into a steady cadence, try to ride at least 30km/hr and stop every 30km (there was an aid station at every 10km). At each 30km point there was an aid station where I dismounted, refilled my water bottles, briefly stretched my legs/back, consumed solid foods (ate M&M-like chocolate/coffee beans), power gel, sports drink (Shotz electrolyte Tablets + pre-mixed Aquarius/BCAA powder) and if necessary, went to pee in the designated areas (Reza, one day I’ll learn how to pee while cycling..=P). I didn’t lose that much time at the aid stations as I found a way to catch up to whoever I was following within 4-5mins. My plan worked nicely as I was able to do the first loop in about 2hrs. After the first loop, my plan also consisted of taking some salt tablets to make sure I’m well fueled. I reach behind my tri-tops and uh-oh! They are nowhere to be found. Turns out I had left them in my T1 bag. This would come back to haunt me dearly. Anyways, my speed remained constant. Interestingly enough, I stayed in a 52-11 gear combination the entire race and never felt the need to shift at all. Also, I wasn’t using a speedometer nor heart monitor so I was relying on muscle memory and my instincts to guide me. My effort for the second lap was roughly the same and it ended up being just slightly faster. Things got a bit scary shortly after the 3rd lap when a fly flew into the corner of my left eye. Luckily, it was only the corner of my eye so I was unscathed. I still wasted a minute or two making sure I was ok. This is why you wear glasses when cycling! Things also got a bit tough during that last cross-wind section. Not sure if the wind had picked up or I was starting to feel bonked after 125 km of cycling but I eventually got through it and was able to pass a few people along the way. Shortly after with the wind on my side and an enthusiastic TdF-ish crowd, I flew the rest of the way to T2 on that last section of the course. I cross the line with a 5:52 time and I’m super happy I had no mechanical problems and was able to meet my goal time. I was NOT looking forward to what waited ahead of me.

Run
After fueling up at T2 with a Wider gel, one SoyJoy bar, two bananas and 250ml of Gatorade, I take a deep groan of despair as I proceed to start a full marathon. The time was 2:15pm and it was HOT (wasn’t as bad as Obuse HM and Aizu triathlon but I simply cannot tolerate heat). My initial goal was 4:45, which is a full hour slower than my best marathon time or 30 mins slower than my worse marathon. I would first start off by fast walking/slow jogging the first 25-30mins to get my stomach to settle and to get my legs working. The run course was 3 laps up and down the main road with one turn around point and aid stations at every mile or so. At mile 3, I’m mentally ready to start running but I still can’t seem to take off yet. I’m carrying way too much. I have my cycling gloves that I forgot to take off, 4 power gels, a Soyjoy bar and a can of RedBull. I ditch everything except the RedBull and I’m still unable to pick up the pace. My legs feel ok but my body just isn’t ready. I decide to down the Red Bull and it works. I’m finally able to run properly but my fortunes would only last until after the first checkpoint. After the turn-around, the intense sun is shining in my face. Despite stuffing myself with ice, I’m still overheating. I try to run it off but I get a bit dizzy shortly and decide to stop and rest/cool-down in the shade. I devise a new plan to walk/slow jog when it’s sunny and run when it’s cloudy. More importantly, drink lots of fluids, try to consume more sodium and take advantage of all aid stations. It was essential I try to survive as much as I can until the half-way point when I would have access to my special needs bag and the sun would be less intense. With a time of 2:26, my HM splits were terrible but my legs were still feeling ok so there was hope I could try for negative splits and still manage a 4:45 time. I retrieve my special needs bag and down a Red Bull and 4,000mg of BCAA. It kicks in a short time later and I’m finally running properly again. That is until the “stomach” issues hit (sodium deficiency??). GI problems would plague me for the rest of the race so there was virtually no chance of 4:45. It was pretty much survival mode. I would relieve myself at an aid station, feel strong enough to run for a bit until my stomach would hurt, walk until the next aid station and then repeat. This would be my running pattern until the last 2 km where I was able to use the crowds to muster one last track-like sprint. Strangely enough, my legs felt fine so perhaps this was just a mental barrier? Overall, I was well off my expected run time with 5:08 but near the finish line, it didn’t matter one bit. I knew I would finish. When I heard the words “Stanley, you are an Ironman”, it was nothing but sheer joy!

Post-race
It was amazing to see the entire island support such a wonderful event. The cheering from the people, live music, superb organization at the aid stations all made my first Ironman experience that much better. I finished at 7:22 pm and after taking all my gear back to my hotel, Reza and I spent the rest of the evening eating Mexican food and cheering on the rest of the Ironman participants finishing their race. At about 11:58 pm, there were still a quite a number of people at the finish line cheering on one last person finishing the race. It wasn’t just that day. I stayed on the island for another three days and even on my last day there, the locals were still giving me 10% discounts at certain restaurants and asking me about my experience. I can see myself doing this race again in the future and I would definitely recommend IM Cozumel for those interested in doing an Ironman-distance event overseas.