“Remember that guy who gave up? Neither does anyone else" 18/6/2016 The big day has arrived. I got a good sleep before waking up at 5am to start the day off. Friday was spent travelling and registering before dad and I pitched the tent and turned in for the night. I felt fresh, cool air, little wind and minimal clouds meant it was the perfect morning to complete the Half-Ironman distance of 1.9km swim, 100km cycle and 21.1km run. The short walk to the café in the morning ended with disappointment when finding that, although promised, there was no porridge. Stupidly dad and I had relied on the porridge as our main fuel for the morning and were left with a single banana each to energise us before the start of the race. Bikes racked and briefing completed, we were now in the water and ready to start the ‘hardest half-ironman in the UK’ as I was told by many fellow participants upon reaching the finishing line. The horn sounded and we were off, for 200+ competitors, I didn’t find the start to be too violent. However there was a BIG problem...weeds. I have never swam with weeds to close to the surface which impaired my stroke and got caught in my goggles. But still, I took it nice and steadily focusing on the long strokes and gliding through the water trying to expend as little energy as possible while still making ground. An Aussie exit (after 950m) signified the end of the first lap before diving back in to finish the swim which was a first for me and broke my breathing pattern but I soon got it under control and attempted to increase the speed a notch. The only competitor problem was someone attempting to undertake me before a buoy and accidentally hitting my goggles which compressed onto my eye and was ridiculously uncomfortable. Luckily, after sorting my goggles out, that individual was the perfect speed to receive a tow from for the final 500m. Straight out of the water and on my way to the transition, my wetsuit was off in seconds, literally couldn’t have been faster. I heard my name called over the tannoy “Luke Campbell arriving at transition after a strong 31 minute swim.” I was happy with this! Obviously being a long race, spending an extra 5 minutes in transition would be more beneficial than rushing and making a mistake. Feet dried, compression socks on, helmet and glasses ready I exited transition and started the feared 100km cycle. The first 5km was all downhill so I got on some calories in form of a bounce ball (I would highly recommend) and then the real race started. Pre-race tactics involved me focusing on making the most time in the cycle and then sailing through the run. This worked without fault throughout the longest discipline only finding an issue when spilling an energy gel (big mistake) which make my handlebars sticky and some spilling onto my tri suit. The final 20km involved a notoriously feared climb named ‘the iron mountain’ which was no lie. Over 6km of a solid grade 2 hill which involved the individual split race of ‘fastest climb’ (I was in no contention). A few weeks prior to this race, dad and I attended the course familiarisation day which involved cycling the whole 100km. This meant I was prepared for the hill and kept a consistent pace all the way up, unsurprisingly in the lowest gear! Reaching the dismount line, I hopped off the bike and made my way into transition with my legs feeling surprisingly fresh. Cycle completed in 3 hours 45 minutes, I was very happy with this so I completed a quick transition which included running into the changing tent, removing my tri suit and putting on my running shorts and vest. Again I heard the tannoy, “Luke Campbell heading out for the 13 mile run after an impressive cycle, where’s his dad?” Unbeknown to me, my dad had experienced severe cramps heading up ‘the iron mountain’ and fell victim to the demanding challenge. This became clear when I saw him cheering me on from the finish line when starting my second 7.5km lap. I started the first of three laps at a strong pace, I felt brilliant and sure that I was going to keep this up for the next 19 kilometres. However within less than 10 metres it all fell apart, both quads cramped and I was stuck, I couldn’t bend nor straighten my legs, I was left standing with my knees at a 170° angle. What felt like 5 minutes of hard massaging of my legs, I eased myself back into a very slow run, I must’ve looked comical, my whole lower body had to be at a specific angle or I would completely cramp up. Many competitors came past and I repeatedly heard “just stretch it out mate” and “drink a lot at the next station” and that is exactly what I did, eating a banana, jelly beans, salted crisps and drinking at least 1 litre of water, I carried on with the tediously slow jog. Never have I been so close to quitting and giving up, I was in agony and struggled to even walk. Not only were my quads cramping but also my hamstrings meaning I wasn’t able to stretch either out, I collapsed on the floor and was quickly surrounded by marshals telling me to stop and rest. All I could think about was how disappointed everyone would be if I had failed. In my mind I repeated ‘suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.' However I was more than suffering. I managed to make it back to my feet, accepted a bottle of water and encouraged my shaking legs back to a slow jog. 7.5km done, 15km to go. I collapsed twice more during the run, drank over 4 litres of fluid and walked almost all of it, not willing to give in! I was greeted with cheers as I ran past the marshals for the last time, I was almost done. My pathetic performance was almost over and I would be able to rest! Stumbling over the finishing line my groin cramped up instantly and for roughly the 7th time that day, I was unable to walk. I had nothing left, my body has been completely abused throughout the whole race and I was finally finished, thank god. The run, supposedly my strongest discipline, finished me off with a disappointing time of 7 hours and 5 minutes. Yes, it took me 2 hours and 45 minutes to run 20 kilometres, averaging less than 8kmph, simply embarrassing. Looking back on the event, it was incredibly well ran and the marshals were brilliant, an amazing experience that has taught me a lot and proved that it really is all psychological. I was so physically tired and fatigued that my body had nothing left to give but I pushed through and made it to the end. I’m very glad I received the finisher medal however if I ever was to complete the event again, there are a lot of aspects to improve on. I hold great thanks to my dad who basically sorted out the whole event for me and although sadly not finishing, giving himself a big goal that will undoubtedly one day be completed (but we’re not going to tell mum) The week ahead will consist only of resting and stretching as my gold Duke of Edinburgh expedition will be taking place in Snowdonia on Monday the 27th June. Upon returning, dad and I will compete in the Cotswold Big 2 mile swim on Saturday 2nd July and hopefully nail some good times. I will be proudly swimming with team #SSW http://southwestswim.co.uk/
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