Race Day - Aviva Ironman 70.3 2009

Arrived at the race site around 6.15 a.m. and got myself numbered. The transition area was already packed with all the competitors, some were stretching, some were fixing their bikes and some were just sitting down relaxing and chatting.

As always, I was rushing to prepare all my stuff, making sure my bike was ok and trying to do a bit of stretching as well, before being called to go down to the beach.

Since this is a long distance event, I decided not to use a tri suit and just wear something that I’m comfortable with. A few seconds or minutes lost at the transitions would be better than the pain I would suffer from chafing from using a tri suit. I also felt the last time I race that it affected my run.

Before the start of the swim - don't know who this mat salleh is, the cameraman just asked the two of us to pose for the camera.

Now I really understand the term “the human washing machine” – the swim was so crowded, especially at the start and at every turn. Got smack on the face a couple of times, body and legs being pulled and other swimmers swim over me (literally). Picture taken from Reuters.

Swim Time - 51 mins 58 secs

T1 - 3 mins 47 secs

My aim was to do it under 1 hr. I was really satisfied with my swim time and thought I could have done it faster if I pushed myself a bit harder. I was being a bit cautious not to go all out. When i reached T1, noticed that a lot of bike was out already. Had to play catch-up.

By the time I hit the road, a lot of the racers were already on the bike. But surprisingly, I was able to overtake them one by one. We had to do 3 laps of the bike course and there were a number of steep, high and long bridges. The bridges were a nightmare but it was a good place to overtake the other cyclists.

Bike Time - 2 hrs 47 mins 34 secs

T2 - 2 mins 30 secs

There were lots of cyclists by the side of the road with punctured tyres, some were trying to get them changed, and some just stood still and watched the race goes by. I think this leg is the most risky part of triathlon, mechanical problems especially punctured tyres can happen anytime. For e.g. my friend Keeran’s handle bar came loose at the end of his second lap, he lost valuable time, but was lucky to get it fixed and finished his bike leg.

I was really praying on the bike to finish without any problem.

Run Time - 1 hrs 40 mins 34 secs

The run leg was the most painful, especially on the last lap of the 3 lap course. I think I might have taken in 5 power gels on the run, just to keep myself going and to give some boost. However, I was really satisfied with my performance on the run; I kept on overtaking the people in front of me and only a handful of people passed me on the run. The course was flat and fast, with only 1 walkway bridge we had to go up and down.

Total Time - 5 hrs 26 mins 26 secs

By the time the missus and ‘aaesyah arrived at the beach, they were too late. I was already packing my stuff to go home.


Overall, the race was just awesome / excellent. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It was fun. I enjoyed doing this distance more than the Olympic Distance.

Less rushed, more relaxed and more time to recover. And being a runner, there’s more time for me to chase others on the run. Will surely do this event again in the future.

As for the full Ironman, I respect and salute all the Ironman finisher; I can’t imagine doing double what I did, not yet….

Will need to train more, harder and smarter, but bring it on…. :) (next year lah)

a well deserved bath for my baby - she did good