The media was crazy, but in a polite way and let you go about your morning rituals in peace albeit with tv cameras and lights blaring over you (handy though in the dark pumping up tyres).
As the race start was at our hotel, I was able to head back up to the room and chill out before having to head to the start line. Was nice to be warm and lie down for the last time in the day. Great conditions greeted us after the mini typhoon mid week and strong gusting winds over the past few days (100km/hr winds hit the race one year lately).
Swim warm up and all was ready. We lined up for a deep water start and then all the japanese started going crazy with a big chant. The reason, the ex-prime minister was here to start the race. A BIG DEAL here in japan. They love him, and he had graced the race with his presence. Well, he finally was able to start the gun after minutes of applause.
Swim 3km + beach run: I got off to a great start and lead out for a while. Had a japanese guy going schizo on my inside so I let him go off at full speed. Obviously he was there to win the swim prime and nothing else. I slotted into the lead group and worked my way along nicely. The group slowly broke up to leave 4 of us. Tim Hola, myself and two japanese. I slotted in behind Tim for the free ride. The guy next to Tim wanted to play 'bashes' with him. My guy decided he wanted to start the same. My guy learned quickly that was not a good idea and then for the remainder of the swim stayed out of my way and we swam comfortably along at a fast pace. Tim on the other hand had to fight his way the whole time. I looked ahead and the winning guy was only about 30secs ahead, I decided to go around the group but the group all floored it to keep up. This final leg was against the current for the last 1.3km. No point wasting energy when I had two guys willing to do the work for me, as I wanted the overall win, so I let them do their thing.
Out of the water in a comfortable but fast 37.5 mins for 3kms plus a fair bit of a sand run. Good overall swim, crossed the timing mats last of the group in 5th overall swim time, less than 1min down on the winner.
Transition 1: passed two guys in the bag transition grab and headed out, whoops, bag split, u-turn for gear and on my way without much loss. I later learned this was a warning for how my day would progress. Transiton was about 1km long with a run around the hotel grounds to the bike compound.
Bike 155km:
Worked into a good rythym and within 1km found myself nearing the lead. A slight swerve around a drain and all my nutrition bottles popped out and started skidding over the road. Brakes and U-turn head back 100m against bikes with some dodgy WTH looks from the athletes and locals. Anyway, after that little mishap it didn't take long to get back up into the lead. Although for about 15km I didn't know I was in the lead. I was just concentrating on turning over at a hard but sustainable pace for the 155km. I kept thinking that if there is someone up ahead they must be motoring because I was. I had a heap of vehicles and police escorts but thought that I must be in 2nd/3rd place as the way the media was before the race, I expected cars etc for all of the top 3 on the bike and run. There was daylight behind me after doing a lap of an adjacent island with a 1km+ bridge and I couldn't see anyone behind me. It was then that Patrick Legge yelled out I was winning and to go for it mate.
The crowd support on the island was only what can be described as totally inspiring. There was not one part that did not have some person cheering for you. Including workers in the rice paddies who would stop and chant 'waido, waido, waido' translated to 'go for it.....'. Japanese traditional drum groups and dancers littered the course.
The back half of the bike were rolling hills into a wind. I consolidated the lead and tried to get as much water/fluid/gels into the body as possible. I found it hard to get water at the aid stations as me yelling 'miso' (water) somehow kept getting me cola half filled bottles. After a couple of these I ended up stopping at a station to load up on water. I really wanted to go for the win and a few seconds would not make a big difference if I couldn't get energy into the body. And it was really starting to heat up plus the humidity was starting to kick in.
I lead onto the traditional media and bike photo prime position of Higa Road Turnpoint. A beautiful peninsula with a light house at the end that graces all the postcards of the Okinawa region and Miyakojima. It was here I could see my first look at the other guys. I had an ok lead and Clemens and Matsumaru were flooring it to try and catch up.
Some bigger hills started and I had run out of gels and water. I paced myself to not blow up and awaited the special needs station at 100km. I was passed by Clemens and Matsumaru on some hills leading into the bridge taking you to the 95km mark. I sat a little distance back (few hundred metres) to await the special needs and get some more energy before ramping the bike up again to hopefully bring a lead into the run as I felt confident of being able to work the last third of the bike with no problems.
Special needs came and unfortunately they had lost my bag. After dismounting and searching with the whole aid station searching, my bag was not to be found. Hell, that was going to make the rest of the day and bike interesting as I was out of gels/electrolyte and had everything there for the next 60kms (plus the last 10kms where I had run out). I then had to stop at each aid station to get a half filled water and electrolyte/coke bottle and a banana when I could.
I tried this and kept my position (after being passed into 5th/6th at the special needs station fiasco). I could feel the body depleting but kept working within a sustainable pace hoping that I could get some gels or something at one of the aid stations and load up for the rest. I was on good pace and the splits were the same or slightly decreasing to the leaders.
With 30kms to go, I heard the bike chain start to grate. I hoped off and tried to fix the problem. What had occured was the front derailler had come loose from the frame and slipped down into the big chain ring at the bottom bracket and locked into a position I couldnt get it out of. I could peddle for about 1-2mins max before I was unable to turn the cranks over. I was able to slowly grind away (with 2 stops per hill to fix derailleur) to be able to get up the rolling hills, but had to glide downhills, stop at the end of the glide, dismount fix the front derailler and go for the next roller. As there were only two bike mechanics on course at either end of the course and I had passed them both, the closest and only chance was a media/aid station before the finish line. So the slog home continued with no mechanical assistance to be found and me grinding my way home. Needless to say I was not a happy camper. I tried to make the most of a bad situation and limit my losses and get some bananas and fluid in for the marathon.
Coming into transition 2, the bike sounded like those BMX's you ride as a kid and put the paper pieces in the back wheel to make it sound like a motor bike. Geez, did I get some funny looks on this smick tri bike making play motorbike sounds!
The organisers had worked out from the course what had occurred at the special needs and were apologetic. I had gone a bit cold and clammy and the athlete liason guy was a bit worried about me due to the lack of nutrition in the heat and humidity. I said I was still going to go for it and try and get back up there in the top guys. I had still somehow managed to come into transition in 10th place overall nut had dropped 15mins in the last 30kms of the bike. I wanted to go well even though I could feel that the body was empty. With all the tv cameras hovering over me in transition I rushed throught the transition and out to start the marathon and try to get this body going by feeding gels into it asap.
Marathon:
The marathon is an out and back 21.1km of rolling hills and no coverage in baking heat and humidity. To make things more interesting, aid stations are not the norm being at different distances. Some are 1.2km apart, others 2.9km and they vary throughout the course. The crowd support is only what can be described as something like in Roth Germany or the other European iconic races where the whole course is lined. There was only one part of about 100m where I did not see someone who was seated to cheer on the race for the entire duration.
I ran the first few kilometres holding a good pace. At about the 15km mark things started to go a bit with the body running on empty. I tried to get calories in but the damage had already been done on the bike. I slowly dropped back in the field placings. As the marathon progessed and the chants got louder by the supporters, the heat and humidity increased. My body started to slowly pack it in in the speed department. By the last 10km's I was stopping at each aid station for a few minutes and following the ritual of: Ice the head and body, drink some electrolyte/coke and water + gel, ice the body and head again, then spray muscle cramp/numbing spray over the hips, thighs, knees, and anywhere that I could still feel ;) . Then start the run to the next aid station. I tried to limit any damage to the body and get to the finish as quick as possible.
Seeing the finish stadium was a welcome relief. The final 3/4 loop with girls/guys running behind you with banners 12 feet high was amazing with a packed stadium. All finisher recieved immediately when crossing a wreath on your head, a gold finishers medal, and a finishers t-shirt with your overall placing on the arm! Plus a couple of lovely people to guide you to the ground (in my case) followed by a dry retching in a wheelchair to the medical centre for some treatment, 2-3 drips, then some massage with students trying to practice their english after you come back to consciousness!
I was then looking forward to some japanese food, soups, and one of those strongman 2008 beers, but unfortunately we had to head straight back to the hotel.
Well, that was my Strongman experience! I was very disappointed at how the race turned out result wise. It was good to ead for a large portion of the race. I was in a good position to go for the overall win but some mechanical mishaps along the way changed the situation. I was proud to have got to the finish line of this great race albeit a little slower than I had planned. A few good things to take from this race as I know my swim and biking is placing me in a good position to challenge for the wins in these long distance races. I am now going to enjoy the rest of the trip here in Japan and the cultural experiences the race organisers have planned for us.
Bevan.
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