Race Report: Challenge Roth

Well here we go!!

It is a little late but none the less here it is.  I suppose I can get started with saying that Challenge Roth is easily the biggest and best race I have ever done.  The atmosphere around this event is absolutely incredible. The most amazing thing is that the locals just think that this is how every race is done and don’t realise why everyone wants to come to thier town year after year.  Maybe why its such a successful event peerhaps??  Anyway onto the race.

Race morning was an early start at 4:00 getting the bus out to the swim start.  Everything had already been sorted except for the Nutrition on the bike so there wasn’t much to do, which for me left a good hour before the race start to soak up the atmosphere and take in the size of everything it was easily the biggest transition I have ever seen.   I was lucky enough (well not so much left to luck) to be in the first wave.  It was very interesting to see the quality of athletes in this field. I haven’t been to Kona but I have been told that Roth is the race with the largest Elite field outside of Kona.  It’s a crazy set up they have in Roth with no Elite category meaning everyone start the race in an age group.  Then you have the top 50 ranked men and top 20 women then the guys who nominate to race in the sub 9 category including the rest of the pro guys and fast age groupers which make up the first wave of 300 or so guys, which included me. 
THE SWIM:

Before the start there was a fair bit of push and shove, but while we were waiting I took the chance to have a look around and take in the surrounds.  It was amazing.  The bridge over the canal – packed, the banks – packed, everywhere else – packed.  Everywhere just packed with people.  I was thinking this is amazing.  I’m really here.  I’m racing Roth. WOW!!!

Anyway the wim got going and as expected the first 4-500m was a bit of a washing machine which settled down fairly quickly with a few groups forming.  I felt pretty good and felt like I was swimming through people for well over half the swim before a group swimming my pace formed (or I just slowed).  From there it was just follow the feet and keep a good pace.  At about 400m from the finish all was going well and I was happy until I noticed a group swimming close to the shore.  Thinking to myself, “What are they doing out there?” I then remembered the comment that Shane Smith (tri-travel guy) had made during the bus tour, saying that after a while the swim begins to get a little bit of a whirlpool effect.  2 and 2 together and I realised why they were out there as I swam straight up the guts.  But never mind I was really happy getting out of the water in just over 51 min. 

THE BIKE:

Out of T1 and onto the pedals, I was on a bit of a high from the swim and really looking forward to this. The first 10kms like most races I just tried to settle in, get the HR down and have a bit of fluid. Riding solidly but within my limits I found myself in a group of around 3 or 4, one of which happened to be German Ironman Legend, Jurgen Zack.  What were the chances!!  I thought this was pretty amazing to be in that situation and a little Star struck. I tried to talk to him but I don’t think he really understood or cared all that much. He kept on saying stuff in German but I couldn’t understand a word he was saying. It was pretty cool riding with a legend of the sport, not to mention having a TV camera next to us almost the whole way. 

It is pretty amazing on this course.  While it is nowhere near as easy as everyone thinks, the support you receive all over the course, through villages and towns and up the climbs is phenomenal.  There is one place however that trumps them all – The Solarberg (see photo).  This is the place that all the photos are of and every triathlete wants to experience at sometime in their life.  Just turning the corner as we came into Hipolstien and looking up the road to the Solarberg was amazing, the first time through is euphoric, adrenaline just takes over which sent shivers through my entire body.  It is so hard to describe the feeling – it’s just something that has to be experienced to be understood.  There is something like 50 to 100,000 people lined 4 and 5 rows deep all the way up the climb.  While it is nowhere near the longest or hardest climb of the race it has its difficulties, and the atmosphere just drives you, you don’t want to slow down, if you do you know you’re going to get a mouthful of abuse….. The adrenaline just drives you!!

With the Solarberg at around the 80km mark I was soon through the first lap managing to get through the first lap in around 2:28 and was feeling ok making sure I got my nutrition in as per my plan (thanks Alicia from Compeat Nutrition).  Things did get tough part way through the second lap as the wind changed.  Normally it’s not a problem but when it changes like that leaving you with head winds for the entire lap, it gets tough mentally.  During this final 40km I tried to surge and push a little harder into the wind but the effort v’s reward wasn’t really worth the risk.  I had gone into this one wanting to be sensible and allow myself the best opportunity to allow my run focus to deliver. While I may have eased off a little than I needed I took a lot of learning out of the back end of that bike plus this is only my second IM and I still have so much more to learn.  While my 2^nd lap was a little slower I was happy posting a 5:03 and more importantly leaving myself feeling good out of the saddle.

Before I move on I suppose it’s good to mention a couple of things about the course. Before leaving Aus the consensus of opinion on this course was that it was flat and fast. On its day this bike course has the ability to be a fast, particularly if you can climb and descend well.  It has a good surface plus the atmosphere.  In my opinion it doesn’t get the respect it deserves having almost 1600m of climbing one climb which is 3km @ ~5%,  technical descents and tight corners through towns and villages makes it a lot more difficult than it is given credit.  My take on why the bike is so fast is simply a direct result of the quality of athletes that compete.  If you have 3500 individual competitors in an event that has the best atmosphere in the world it is going to attract a high quality field. Plus the Europeans (Germans specifically) are absolute monsters on the bike.  There is that embedded mentality about doing a super fast bike time or needing to ride super fast to race well.  The result is a large amount of bike times well under the 5 hour mark.

THE RUN:

Making sure I had all my nutrition out of transition and I was out onto the course.  The first 500m of the run is downhill so it gives you a bit of help to get the running legs into motion which I appreciated very much. I’d gone into this run not really knowing what I was capable of.  In training id been able to hold around the 5min/km pc fairly comfortably through the 2.5 – 3 hr mark and given the work I had done I was going to be happy with holding that time.  Anyway I headed out just sort of taking a km at a time.  I bought a GPS watch a few weeks before to allow me to run off pace.  I liked this approach monitoring each km one at a time.  I just thought to myself that every km I run at 4:45 is an extra 15s I have under the 5 min average for later on.  It was hard at first to stay patient as I was feeling good, but I had promised myself id race smart and just had to remember to save a bit for when it gets tough. 

The one loop run course was pretty good; I kind of liked it because there was something new to see every km (except of course as you loop back). It kind of made it feel like it went really fast. With about 60% of the run on dirt trails it slows you a little, but I think that you get that time back late in the race as you don’t get that extra bit of fatigue from the continually pounding on pavement.

Heading through 20km I was feeling pretty good and would even say that I was enjoying the run.  I went through the 21k at about the 1:43 and was well on track to hit the 3.5hr marathon time. While I started to slowly fade I still held around the 5min / km pace.  Until I reached km 28, in training this is when I have hit a bit of a bad patch or around the 2:15 mark.  I’m not sure whether it was the heat as the temperature started to get up near the 30C mark midway through the run, or if it was mental but for a 2km period I had a battle on my hands.  Realistically I only slowed to average 5min 40 for a few kms, but I had to stop, just momentarily. I managed to battle to the next aid station where I grabbed water sponges from everywhere, which felt amazing.  My thoughts is it must have been the heat, because after that aid station at the 30k mark I instantly came good and was back on track running a solid pace. From there it just happened.  It’s a bit of a blur up until the point I hit Roth and running through the city centre. 

Couple with the Solarberg the final 2km of the run (photo left) are the two best points of the race. As you snake your way through the old town centre through the thousands of supporters either cheering, drinking steins or more than likely both you know you’re nearly home. Through here I didn’t really pay much attention to the surrounds as I was looking for one of my uni mates who had the job of handing over the Aussie flag.  It’s hard to concentrate at that time of the race when you pretty much run off nothing but adrenaline and while I was worried he came through with the goods.  Although I do think he was enjoying the steins part a bit more than the cheering, but he came through with the goods.

The last km was pretty amazing entering the packed stadium and all you can hear is the music pumping, cheers and the German commentary.  I crossed the line in just over 9:32 finishing with a very satisfying 3:31 run split.  The most relieving thing is that I didn’t keep the guys who were watching back home in Australia up too late waiting for me to cross the line.  I would be lying if said that thought wasn’t on my mind throughout the run.  I just kept telling myself, I have to finish so the guys can get to bed. Ridiculous; yes, but you tell yourself what you have to.

I don’t think I could be much happier with the result given that I have only really been doing this stuff for 8 months.  Next up - Busselton Ironman in Dec and who knows?  6 months is a long time and there is plenty of work to be done.  So long as I keep progressing. I will be happy.

Id like to thank the people close to me who help me through the day to day battles and the support they give me. I dont need to name them because they know who they. Without them and thier help all these things just don't happen.  I also need to mention Hatch Associates pty ltd, the partners at Bilbie Dan, Zeon Bagnall, Maitland triathlon Club, and Drift Bike for thier financial support in helping me get to Roth without the help from these guys i would never have made it here and finally to my host family Perta and Heiner Zwinkel.  Without you opening your home to me and making me feel lie i was part of the family as soon as i arrived i can not thank you enough.  You were very influential in ensuring my trip and stay in Roth was a happy and successful one.

Well that’s enough from me.   Time for a few weeks of rest.  Until next time.

Cheers

Dan.