Race Report - Ironman Switzerland - 2 Aug 98
Executive Summary
About 900 athletes competed in Zurich under favorable weather
conditions. The race coverage, photos, and winners can be viewed at the
Official Tri-Suisse Web Site: http://www.trisuisse.ch/1998/results/Ironman/ironman
Switzerland.htm or Extreme tri at: http://www.extremetri.com/live/sw98/home.html.
This is the narrative of my preparation and first-time experiences at an
Ironman-distance triathlon. I completed the course in 14 1/2 hours.
Background
I am a 41-year-old male in my 4th triathlon season. Prior to
this year, I have competed in only sprint-distance races because I am a weak
swimmer. While I rarely place in local running races, my poor swimming
guaranteed my role as a BOP triathlete. With this in mind, I set my goal in
January to improve my swimming and complete an Ironman-distance
triathlon. My military assignment to Germany made it easy to enter
Ironman Switzerland. I applied for the race on 10 Jan 98, before I
started training for the swim. After several months reading about Total
Immersion and having limited success on my own at the local pool, I was
fortunate enough to join the SV- Nikar swim/triathlon club here in Heidelberg,
Germany. It was the coaching and motivation of this group that eventually gave
me the ability and confidence to complete the Ironman swim.
Goals
My goals for the race were to:
A. Complete the swim
B. Complete the difficult bike course (hopefully not having to walk up the
hills)
C. Complete the Ironman.
Training Strategy
Through March, I focused on swimming 3 or 4 days per week and
running whenever the weather permitted. My typical week included 4000 meters
swimming and 20 miles of running. Cold and wet weather discouraged most
cycling. I began swimming with the SV-Nikar club in March and saw steady
improvement in my swimming. In other words, I was faster and could comfortably
swim more than 200 meters without stopping. This was the result of improved
stroke technique and group motivation. During the same period, I emphasized
running by increasing weekly mileage to 30 miles per week. I competed in
several local half-marathons and peaked with the Vienna Marathon in May. I
included a marathon in my training plan because I had a bad experience in my
only previous marathon attempt. Nineteen years ago, with unforgiving running
shoes, I had joint pains for several months after a 3:40 Marine Corps Marathon.
In Vienna, I used a 70% target HR to run a 4:20 marathon and had very little
residual soreness. I was swimming and running comfortably again within a couple
days. My best half marathon training run was 1:41, but I settled for the slower
marathon pace to reduce the chance of an injury that would derail my Ironman
training plans. I planned a cycling emphasis for the last 6 weeks of my
training program. This included an overnight trip to Zurich to practice on the
IM course. The Zurich trip emphasized the importance of gearing and pacing to
survive the hilly IM Switzerland bike course. Each week in June and the first
two weeks of July included 200 miles on the bike and finished with a hilly 140-
mile bike ride on the 5th of July. I capped my training with a near
half-ironman in Belgium, 6 weeks before the Ironman. During this race, I
completed my longest training swim (2500m) in 47 minutes, followed by an 80 km
bike and 20 km run for a total time of 5:48. I tapered for the last 3 weeks and
remained healthy and injury-free for race day. I competed in several local
races during the months preceding the Ironman race, but focused on long slow
distance rather than interval training.
Pre-race Activities
I arrived in Zurich several days before the Sunday Ironman.
Wednesday, I attended the scheduled swim training and bike doctor programs.
About 30 people attended the swim training program, which was primarily an
opportunity to get used to the large, clear lake. The bike doctor program
offered little new information to athletes with the bike experience already
gained while training for the Ironman. The afternoon included an opportunity to
ride the bike course with Heather Fuhr. Thursday included a train trip to the
Olympic Museum at Lusanne, Switzerland. Very few people took advantage of this
opportunity, but it provided an interesting athletic backdrop to this sports
week. The Olympic museum is very modern with multi-media features and
interesting exhibits. Exhibits of note include representative torches for each
Olympic torch run; gold, silver, and bronze medals for each Olympics;
Indurain's 1994 TdF bicycle; and Pascal Richard's 1996 Olympic Road Race
bicycle. Friday included another swim practice, race briefing, and practice
run. The pasta party Friday evening was well attended and included videos of
last year's Ironman. My family joined me in Zurich on Friday evening. Ironman
bike check-in was Saturday morning, while the remainder of the day saw an assortment
of sprint and olympic distance races for individuals, youth, relay, and family
groups. My wife and kids competed in the family race, and I was pleasantly
surprised to see the Race Director and his family show up to compete in the
same race. My family had a great time and they now also have happy memories of
competing in Zurich. This brings us to Saturday night, Swiss Independence Day,
and plenty of late night fireworks. However, I dutifully went to bed early and
actually slept for 4 or 5 hours.
Race Day - Swim
Race day was overcast with cool temperatures and a light
breeze. The lake surface was calm as 900 of us donned our wetsuits and (in most
cases) yellow swim caps. The IM Switzerland swim is a mass start with 2 loops
separated by a short run across a small island (where your electronic time is
recorded -- everyone is wearing a chip for the race). I never swam this far,
but knew that I would be fine if I could settle into a comfortable pace. At
0700 the horns blew and cowbells rang to start the race. It was white water as
the large mass of black-suited figures started the swim. I stayed to the back,
but quickly found myself among a large group swimming to the big orange buoy at
the other side of the lake. Given the large starting group, I was surprised how
little fighting and kicking I found. Perhaps anticipating the long day ahead,
many folks were realistic about their swimming times. Usually I think about my
stroke or lap count on long swims, but today I focused on one thing: here I am
in the Ironman. As I finished my first loop and crossed the island, I knew I
would finish the swim. Despite swimming straight for the first hour, I found
that I kept turning left for the last 800 meters. With many small corrections,
I finally passed under the bridge and up to the exit ramp. There were spotters
in the water to help us out and onto the shore. One of the volunteers was kind
enough to unzip my wetsuit and pull it down off my arms. Swim Time: 1:32.
I elected to wear cycling shorts for the bike and run, but worried that the
soggy pad would be uncomfortable if I wore them for the swim. I decided to wear
a Speedo for the swim and took the extra time in T1 to use the bathroom and
change to cycling shorts. I also selected a long-sleeve Coolmax cycling jersey
that was perfect for the 60-degree, overcast bike ride. T1: 8:16.
Bike
Perhaps the most famous (infamous) characteristic of IM
Switzerland is the difficult bike course. It involves 3 turns of a 60 k loop
with several hills. The named hills are Heartbreak Hill and "the
Beast," but I also came to respect the long hill at the first right turn
about 5 km into the course. This one hurt my quads and my average speed. The
first loop took about 2 hours and hinted at a 6-hour bike time. However, I've
learned that hills get taller and legs get weaker with each turn of this bike
course. With the traffic stopped, it was time to cruise the downhills.
OK, I'm timid when it comes to fast downhills, but this day I saw speeds in
excess of 40 mph on several of the downhills - not bad for city driving! By the
end of the second loop, the crowds were building on the hills and the clamor
rose as each bike ascended the hills. With each rider struggling up Heartbreak
hill, an announcer would call out your name and the crowd added their cheers --
Hopp Hopp -- Go James! Finally, the third loop of the bike course.
Could I climb the hills one more time? In preparation for IM Switzerland, I
planned a secret weapon to help me in my hour of need -- Jaws! Jaws was the 26-tooth
cog that combined with my 39-tooth chainring to get me home. All I had to do
was keep weight on the front tire and stay upright as I slowly pedaled up the
hills. I honestly expected to walk the bike up Heartbreak hill on the third
circuit, but the crowd would have none of this. As I rounded the corner and
started up the hill, the roar of the crowd lifted me up. The "Bells of
Switzerland" were here. My legs were jelly, but somewhere they found
something to meet the demands of the crowd. The last hill was crested and I
settled in for the long straight finish of the bike course. I knew my time was
not competitive, but I smiled. I was coming off the bike course with 8 hours
remaining for the marathon. Legs don't fail me now. I pulled into the
transition area and changed to my ORCA singlet with pockets full of Powergel.
As I parked, a light mist began to fall. Cycle time: 7:25, T2: 5:10.
Run
The run also involves 3 circuits of a course that winds along
the Zurich lakefront. Each loop includes number spotters or timing mats to
insure no one does less than the prescribed distance. As you complete each
loop, volunteers place a large sticker on your number. Three stickers get you a
pass into the finish line area. I took inventory as I left the transition area.
The legs felt pretty good, but the nerves and blood flow were slow to realize
that cycling was finished and I wanted them to do something else. I kept the
pace very slow for the first 4 km. Uh Oh -- something is wrong. I usually run
by picking a target heart rate and setting the pace. Today I can't get my heart
rate above 130 without becoming short of breath. My legs feel great, but it's a
lot of work to take a deep breath. It's time for plan B. I start by walking at
the aid stations and running until I'm short of breath -- usually about 200
yards. Here comes the end of loop 1, one hour and 40 minutes. As I begin the
second loop, I check the pace at each kilometer mark and each of the run
segments gets shorter as I become tired. Wait, I can walk a kilometer in less
than 8 minutes. In fact, when I walk I'm faster than some of the runners on the
course. It's not pretty, but I settle into a routine of run -- walk for the
next 4 hours. The rain picks up and there is a light breeze, but the synthetic
fiber singlet does a masterful job in keeping me warm. As I begin the final
loop, my wife cheers and the kids ring our souvenir "IM Switzerland
Cowbell." Finally I reach the far side of the lake and earn my third color
dot -- the ticket to the finish area. As I start the final 6 kilometers, I come
upon another runner at the same pace. He's from Zurich and we strike up a
conversation -- reliving the joys of this most wonderful day. Despite our slow
pace the time passes quickly. A kilometer from the finish, I remember the RST advice
to spread out and cross the line with arms raised in triumph. I discussed
this with my new friend and offer to have him run ahead. He would have none of
this. He insisted I run ahead and we shook hands in celebration -- the first
congratulations for new iron people. The last 200 yards go too quickly. I
soaked-up the music, cheers, and encouraging words of the announcer. As I
crossed the finish line, my wife and kids were there to snap a picture. A
volunteer stepped forward and placed the IM Switzerland medal around my neck.
The rain picked-up, but nothing would dampen the mood of this moment. My
new friend came in right behind me and we greeted each other in celebration.
Run time: 5:23, Overall: 14:34:46.
Conclusion
As I collected my equipment from the transition area I
reflected on my first Ironman experience. I learned a lot about triathlon and
myself. I reached new heights with swimming and have plenty of room to improve
on this performance. I was lucky -- good weather, equipment worked, my family
supported me. This was a super race with top-notch organization, challenging
course, and a friendly atmosphere. Overall, it was a great day.
Jim Bruckart, M.D.
