Lanzarote Half-Ironman Wow. It was windy, it was sunny and it was hot. Can you think of better conditions to race for 6 hours? Thursday afternoon, Dad and I arrived in Lanzarote and made our way straight out to Club La Santa, ‘the greatest sporting resort in the world’. This was our 4th time staying at the resort and we knew exactly what to expect and how great it would be. Travelling and staying with us was a good family friend, Alan, who would be our courier and happy face throughout the week. Very gratefully we had booked an all you can eat buffet for both breakfast and dinner every day which meant we were very well fuelled throughout the day! Friday morning and I took part in the daily 5km group run done at a 5 minute km pace. I took advantage of it by giving my legs some action before the big race the next day. Throughout the run I got chatting to an English man from south London who was staying to watch the race with his family and then heading home on the Sunday. We spent the whole 25 minutes chatting about Parkrun (he has completed a mere 230, incredible!) The rest of the day was spent organising, setting up our hire bikes, preparing transition and attending the race briefing. We also squeezed in a recce of the bike route by car! 702 entries - 50 professionals, 649 age groupers and 3 physically challenged (no arm) competitors. With that many competitors you would expect everything to be perfect, and it sure was. The organisation was absolutely perfect, all athletes were cared for individually and received 2 pre race and post race free meals with free drinks, a t-shirt, hat, 70.3 transition bag and wristband. Although the race hadn’t started yet, it was looking completely flawless and for an official Ironman event, I wouldn’t have expected anything less. Saturday morning (24th September 2016) Breakfast was open from 0530, so Dad and I went for some eggs and bacon followed by yoghurt and my favourite Pedal Bites muesli. Before the event we were surprised to see the race wasn’t set to start until 8am (quite late) however the reason for this soon became clear because it really was dark even at 0730. Numerous competitors also had to travel from other parts of the island so I guess this gave them some time to get to the start line. It soon brightened up and with our wetsuits on, we made our way down to the saltwater lagoon with the water reportedly 22 degrees! The professionals started at 8am and us ‘age groupers’ soon followed at 8:05am, with over 600 people swimming within 50m, it was bound to be carnage. I was kicked, punched and swam over all within the first 5 minutes and I was loving it! It was the complete ‘washing machine’ effect, (if you are unaware of the term then find a washing machine, get in it and get a friend to turn it on!). The crowd barely thinned out throughout the whole 1.9km course. At one point I even think my toe made its way into someone’s mouth?! After 31.30 minutes I exited the water and started the fairly short jog to transition, grateful for a cup of water to clear out the salt water taste in my mouth. I was gladly cheered on by Alan before continuing up into the changing tent already rammed with over 100 people. I grabbed my transition bag and found a spot in the tent, completely emptying the bag and ensuring I was prepared for the next 3:47 hours I would be spending sat on a bike. Finding it to be financially and mechanically easier, Dad and I both hired Cannondale TT bikes from the resort which were substantially better than the bikes we have at home. Knowing it was a hilly course I set off slow and just stayed continuous, relaxing up the hills and pushing on the straights. Being a strong swimmer, I find myself being over taken by what seemed like hundreds of other competitors throughout the first half of the cycle. This was very demoralising but I just kept to my race and continued to enjoy it. I knew Lanzarote was ‘famous’ for its wind but during the first 30 km it was completely relentless and horrible. Having a bike not perfectly fitted to me did help either but I soldiered on and tried to keep the pace. I made great use of the last aid station before the infamous Tabayesco 10k climb, dropped into the lowest gear and just span my legs out, all the way to the top. It was simply incredible, the view was gorgeous and I was having the time of my life. I wasn’t worried about a time and I had no expectations on me so I made sure to make the most of this part of the race. 40 minutes of climbing, I passed 53 competitors, I drunk 500ml of flat coca cola and I was at the summit, wow! And now for the breathtaking descent, undoubtedly my favourite part of the race, holding speeds over 70kmph and I was flying. With 20km to go I was starting to become cautious of my legs, questioning how well they would be able to run the following 21 km. I was hydrated and very well fuelled so didn’t worry too much about this. Taking a right turn to change direction at a roundabout – ‘Bang’ the wind hit me with force, was relentless and I hated it. Sand was blowing at me from the scrub areas, blowing in my face and creating a continuous wail that was battering my ears. There wasn’t far to go but it felt like an age to battle through this stage. The sight of T2 was very welcome. Cycle done, bike racked, cap on and it was time to smash my target. 5km in and it was feeling great, legs were good and I wasn’t struggling from the heat. I didn’t want to risk upping the pace anymore and burn out so I kept plodding on in roughly 5 minute kilometres. First of 3 laps finished, wow this was easy and I was loving it, there were constantly people clapping and cheering me on, the atmosphere was pulling me through. There were 6 feed stations on the out and back run lap which totalled 18 stations throughout the run stage. It was great to never be far from a chilled sponge or an energy gels to keep me going. I had reaching the turnaround point for lap 2 and suddenly remembered dad. I hadn’t seen him yet which quickly resulted in a lot of worry, hoping he wasn’t taken victim to the hard ascents and conditions on the bike course. Luckily I came across him when I only had around 9km to go, we high fived and I was happy to know he would finish! Throughout my last lap I was starting to re-overtake a lot of the people who had gone past me throughout my first lap. It gave me great joy to effortlessly jog past them with a smile on my face but with a little sympathy for the pain they were going through. Cramp. Only 2km to go and my calf was locking up after every step, I had come so far feeling so good but now I had something to seriously worry about. There was no way I could walk through the finish!!! I had to stop, stretch and massage out the muscles before continuing along the road knowing each step was getting a little closer to the roaring crowds in the finish stadium. Until now I was on for sub 6 hours, remarkable considering I was aiming for under 6:30, but this challenge was getting harder and harder, the cramp made it worse and I would have to force out two four minute kilometres to beat the time and smash all expectations. Sadly that didn’t happen, I met the cheering crowds and ran around the track for a final time (this time with a spring in my step) and lunged over the finish line. 6 hours and 3 minutes to complete ‘the hardest half-ironman in the world’. Not bad Luke. Especially to finish with a 1:47 half marathon, I was overjoyed with the time but not so happy with my tired legs and searing sunburn (which would later affect me). I had just enough time to sit in the very welcome cold water and ice paddling pool and grab a quick massage before dad came in. It was clear he was struggling but he kept going none the less, 7 hours and 33 minutes I think. He finished with a smile and took full advantage of the opportunity to sit down and not move (he later said he had no choice about moving anyway!). Without a doubt the best race I have ever taken part in. Everything was perfect, the organisation was first class and we were treated like superstars. I have the upmost respect for the athletes finishing the race in under 4 ½ hours, even if I had their bike, training and perfect conditions I wouldn’t be close to achieving their time. The race was over and now it was time to relax. We thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the holiday - windsurfing, playing tennis and golf, I even competed in the sprint triathlon the following Wednesday and came 2nd overall to an elite French athlete. There is no better place in the world than Club La Santa. I would like to thank Kurio Compression for supplying me with garments to help my recovery, Pedal Bites for supplying me with the fuel needed for not only races but everyday life and finally my parents for supporting me financially (!) and mentally every step of the way. This has been the best birthday I could have asked for and I will never forget it. The race season for 2016 is finished and now I’m planning for 2017. One arrangement we’ve made is for regular coaching from Swim Smooth coach Jason Tait at South West Swim. I’ve improved in 2016 with help from Jason and with a really focussed plan we hope to see the times drop quite substantially over winter. I have also recently become sponsored by personal trainer, nutritionist and masseuse Nick Jones of NDJ Fitness, check him out on Facebook. He’s based in North Wiltshire and is very knowledgeable in all things health and fitness and has the skills to help you set goals, give individual attention and address needs. I look forward to working with both Nick and Jason throughout the winter. Massive well done to both Ben Sommerville (http://bsommervilletri.blogspot.co.uk/) and Sam Mileham (http://www.sammileham.com/blog) on competing at the world championships in the tough conditions of Mexico this year, I look forward to competing against both of them throughout next year. Also go check out TomSvenssonFitness on youtube, he's got great videos with a lot of knowledgeable content. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-evABsFKzrtlD6weQ1exw
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