DRAFT OLD VERSION LIVE Edit Create Copy Create Template
{"ID":175,"SpaceID":3,"PageID":76,"HasCommentsThread":false,"SeoTags":{"OpenGraphTags":[{"ID":"og:title","Name":"Anything is Possible - Ironman 70.3 Swansea"},{"ID":"og:type","Name":"website"},{"ID":"og:url","Name":"https://www.petersfieldtriathlonclub.co.uk/Cms/Spaces/CN/Anything+is+Possible++Ironman+703+Swansea"}],"NonOpenGraphTags":[]},"Path":"Anything+is+Possible++Ironman+703+Swansea","Title":"Anything is Possible - Ironman 70.3 Swansea","Author":{"ID":72,"Name":"Joshua Lahiri","CompanyName":null,"HasEmail":true},"Version":1,"IsDraft":false,"IsOldVersion":false,"PublicationDate":"15/07/2025 21:11","VersionDescription":"v1 - Joshua Lahiri","HideHeader":false,"IsFullWidth":false,"ThemeCode":null,"BackgroundColour":"rgb(182, 47, 61)","JumpLinks":[],"Blocks":[{"Columns":[{"Width":8,"WidthClasses":"col-md-8 col-sm-12 col-xs-12","Elements":[{"ID":1047,"Type":"HTML","Content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eNow one of the big things that\u0027s been introduced to the club this year has been the club training plan. Aimed at developing athletes who want a bit more structure to their training without the full commitment of getting a coach! This was initially aimed at building people up towards the club target event at Eton Dorney, also this weekend (more on that in a later report!) However some of our members seem to like to see just how far they can push things with this! In the first of a couple of reports on seeing how far this approach takes them we hand over to Neil Hancock, as he makes his debut over the Middle Distance, racing alongside the pros in the heat of Ironman 70.3 Swansea! Ironman like to say \u0022Anything is Possible\u0022, well lets see how the event lived up to that on the day!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eHaving arrived Friday night, On Saturday, registration and checking out the mandatory merch tent took place, followed by racking up and then understanding the complex racking system, putting all the kit in the different colour bags, remembering that I’m in row R for the bike and bag hangers third from the left at the entrance, it even had benches to sit on how civilised, from the usual grassy field…. Rejoined the family and the atmosphere was amazing loads of excited competitors and families buzzing about taking loads of photos and soaking it all up\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eFast forward to a glorious Sunday Morning and the Swim Area was heaving with 3,000 excited, nervous and fired up triathletes bracing for the race ahead.. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eLooking back to when I first joined the triathlon club about 4 years ago, having been advised that if you can swim 100m you’re okay to join….. I remember the first night after bashing through 600m, I certainly gave our medical members quite some concern with many thinking I was about to collapse..! \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eHere I am now, 7 months of training, including a couple of triathlons, sportives, road races and TT’s, standing in line waiting for the 1,900m first leg of the Swansea 70.3 Ironman. It truly is possible…!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eThe Welsh National Anthem rang out and the Pro’s are off, many finishing the swim after 20mins whilst I’m walking down the gangplank to the sea..! In position and the 5 sec countdown starting, then a beep and you’re off.. I dived in and went for it, so much so, the first 400m probably too quick and swam into quite a tight pack of swimmers, got sandwiched, I was thrown off stroke…! Following a strong word with myself to overcome my usual 400m wobble I resumed.. Rhythm restored, the battling for position continued pretty much for the whole 700m straight section. Using other arms and legs and green caps to sight on I’m making good ground, counting small jellyfish to pass the time.. Oops, so much so, I overshot the turning and nearly swam into the wall!. Chuckling, I turned back on the right line and headed for the finish.. Giving chase to the groups in front, finishing strongly around 42mins, delighted! Anything around 45mins would have been a result.. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eOut of the water and running up the gangplank for 700m to T1, the crowds here were amazing it was like the Tour de France with supporters stepping out cheering and waving everyone on.. High fiving Team Hancock, heading into T1. Found bags, got changed and off.. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eWith the roads clear, heading out towards the Mumbles a chance for the legs to warm up before the first climb and start 57mile tour of the Gower.. The first hill climb was good leg tester through the streets of the Mumbles, lots of supporters keenly watching with their deckchairs and tables laden with pots of tea..! Once out of the Mumbles I made good time over the rolling course towards Southgate. In and out of Southgate and the hills came… Up and up and up and up..! Happy I’d scaled the first couple of hills, I’d discover later that these big climbs wouldn’t be the only time we scaled them. Fortunately, again, the support at the top of the hill climbs was incredible! Loads of people cheering and partying, again, had a real Tour feel to it, helping enormously to forget about that effort on the climb. At 40miles, I’m thinking I should ease off and save energy for the run, but hey, I’m in the moment and I’m on the run into the Mumbles nearly there!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eA last and brutal climb up and over the Mumbles awaited though, digging deep for a final time hill conquered and having a joke with another rider we dropped down into Swansea, now awake and lined with loads of supporters and quite a few runners looking hot…! Finishing the ride was an epic feeling with sponsored barriers and loads of cheering supporters, I head into transition and start the run.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eA quick mile through the Marina and all is good, then wow, out of the shade and into the wall of heat hit on the seafront and I needed to ease off the gas… digging deep and finding a good Z2 pace, I get to 5k. When I’m needing a lift, I see the Swansea triathlon club supporters in full glory speedos, inflatable snail suits, cheering, having a great time, with music pumping, lots of water pistols, mist sprays and loads of encouragement, I laugh and push on. Mercifully through a treelined section giving some respite.. Reaching 10k I’m nearing the second lap, reading the signs, banners, listening to the banter and cheering, gives me another lift in this incredible heat. The feeling of seeing 10mile marker and third gel down, couldn’t come soon enough and now it’s the run home… Grinding the last 3 miles out, I can hear the compare cheering everyone by name home, the banners, flags and noise of supporters gave me a massive lift and I even managed a short sprint for home, turning the last bend onto the Red Carpet…. WOW. Is all I can say.. what an experience… one that I’ll never forget…!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","ContentConfig":{"Caption":null,"Icon":null,"IconColour":null,"CaptionColour":null,"UnderlineColour":null,"TextColour":null,"FontSize":null,"LineHeight":null,"RequiresLoggedInUser":false,"BottomMargin":0,"PaddingLeft":"0px","PaddingTop":"0px","PaddingRight":"0px","PaddingBottom":"0px","PhoneVisible":true,"TabletVisible":true,"DesktopVisible":true,"CssClass":null,"PageLinkName":null,"PageLinkCaption":null},"ComponentCode":null,"ComponentError":null,"BottomMargin":"0px","PaddingLeft":"0px","PaddingTop":"0px","PaddingRight":"0px","PaddingBottom":"0px","CssClass":null,"ResponsiveClasses":"","PageLinkName":null,"PageLinkCaption":null,"Background":{"Colour":null,"ImageURL":null,"Filter":null,"IsParallax":false,"Image":"","Tint":""},"ImageConfig":{"ImageURL":null,"ObjectFit":"contain","ImageHeight":null,"FrameStyle":null,"BorderRadius":null,"Caption":{"IsActive":false,"Text":null,"SubText":null,"Font":{"Size":null,"Colour":null},"SubFont":{"Size":null,"Colour":null},"Alignment":null,"Position":null,"Margin":null,"BackgroundColour":null,"Blur":false,"Hover":false},"AltText":null,"LinkURL":null,"BottomMargin":0,"PaddingLeft":"10px","PaddingTop":"10px","PaddingRight":"10px","PaddingBottom":"10px","PhoneVisible":true,"TabletVisible":true,"DesktopVisible":true,"CssClass":null,"PageLinkName":null,"PageLinkCaption":null},"IgnoreCache":false}]},{"Width":4,"WidthClasses":"col-md-4 col-sm-6 col-xs-12","Elements":[{"ID":1048,"Type":"IMAGE","Content":null,"ContentConfig":{"Caption":null,"Icon":null,"IconColour":null,"CaptionColour":null,"UnderlineColour":null,"TextColour":null,"FontSize":null,"LineHeight":null,"RequiresLoggedInUser":false,"BottomMargin":0,"PaddingLeft":"10px","PaddingTop":"10px","PaddingRight":"10px","PaddingBottom":"10px","PhoneVisible":true,"TabletVisible":true,"DesktopVisible":true,"CssClass":null,"PageLinkName":null,"PageLinkCaption":null},"ComponentCode":null,"ComponentError":null,"BottomMargin":"0px","PaddingLeft":"0px","PaddingTop":"0px","PaddingRight":"0px","PaddingBottom":"0px","CssClass":null,"ResponsiveClasses":"","PageLinkName":null,"PageLinkCaption":null,"Background":{"Colour":null,"ImageURL":null,"Filter":null,"IsParallax":false,"Image":"","Tint":""},"ImageConfig":{"ImageURL":"https://www.petersfieldtriathlonclub.co.uk/Client/Images/Cms/1000027099.jpg","ObjectFit":"contain","ImageHeight":null,"FrameStyle":null,"BorderRadius":null,"Caption":{"IsActive":false,"Text":null,"SubText":null,"Font":{"Size":null,"Colour":"white"},"SubFont":{"Size":null,"Colour":"white"},"Alignment":"centre","Position":"bottom","Margin":null,"BackgroundColour":"black","Blur":false,"Hover":false},"AltText":null,"LinkURL":null,"BottomMargin":0,"PaddingLeft":"0px","PaddingTop":"0px","PaddingRight":"0px","PaddingBottom":"0px","PhoneVisible":true,"TabletVisible":true,"DesktopVisible":true,"CssClass":null,"PageLinkName":null,"PageLinkCaption":null},"IgnoreCache":false},{"ID":1049,"Type":"IMAGE","Content":null,"ContentConfig":{"Caption":null,"Icon":null,"IconColour":null,"CaptionColour":null,"UnderlineColour":null,"TextColour":null,"FontSize":null,"LineHeight":null,"RequiresLoggedInUser":false,"BottomMargin":0,"PaddingLeft":"10px","PaddingTop":"10px","PaddingRight":"10px","PaddingBottom":"10px","PhoneVisible":true,"TabletVisible":true,"DesktopVisible":true,"CssClass":null,"PageLinkName":null,"PageLinkCaption":null},"ComponentCode":null,"ComponentError":null,"BottomMargin":"0px","PaddingLeft":"0px","PaddingTop":"0px","PaddingRight":"0px","PaddingBottom":"0px","CssClass":null,"ResponsiveClasses":"","PageLinkName":null,"PageLinkCaption":null,"Background":{"Colour":null,"ImageURL":null,"Filter":null,"IsParallax":false,"Image":"","Tint":""},"ImageConfig":{"ImageURL":"https://www.petersfieldtriathlonclub.co.uk/Client/Images/Cms/1000026989.jpg","ObjectFit":"contain","ImageHeight":null,"FrameStyle":null,"BorderRadius":null,"Caption":{"IsActive":false,"Text":null,"SubText":null,"Font":{"Size":null,"Colour":"white"},"SubFont":{"Size":null,"Colour":"white"},"Alignment":"centre","Position":"bottom","Margin":null,"BackgroundColour":"black","Blur":false,"Hover":false},"AltText":null,"LinkURL":null,"BottomMargin":0,"PaddingLeft":"0px","PaddingTop":"0px","PaddingRight":"0px","PaddingBottom":"0px","PhoneVisible":true,"TabletVisible":true,"DesktopVisible":true,"CssClass":null,"PageLinkName":null,"PageLinkCaption":null},"IgnoreCache":false},{"ID":1050,"Type":"IMAGE","Content":null,"ContentConfig":{"Caption":null,"Icon":null,"IconColour":null,"CaptionColour":null,"UnderlineColour":null,"TextColour":null,"FontSize":null,"LineHeight":null,"RequiresLoggedInUser":false,"BottomMargin":0,"PaddingLeft":"10px","PaddingTop":"10px","PaddingRight":"10px","PaddingBottom":"10px","PhoneVisible":true,"TabletVisible":true,"DesktopVisible":true,"CssClass":null,"PageLinkName":null,"PageLinkCaption":null},"ComponentCode":null,"ComponentError":null,"BottomMargin":"0px","PaddingLeft":"0px","PaddingTop":"0px","PaddingRight":"0px","PaddingBottom":"0px","CssClass":null,"ResponsiveClasses":"","PageLinkName":null,"PageLinkCaption":null,"Background":{"Colour":null,"ImageURL":null,"Filter":null,"IsParallax":false,"Image":"","Tint":""},"ImageConfig":{"ImageURL":"https://www.petersfieldtriathlonclub.co.uk/Client/Images/Cms/1000026988.jpg","ObjectFit":"contain","ImageHeight":null,"FrameStyle":null,"BorderRadius":null,"Caption":{"IsActive":false,"Text":null,"SubText":null,"Font":{"Size":null,"Colour":"white"},"SubFont":{"Size":null,"Colour":"white"},"Alignment":"centre","Position":"bottom","Margin":null,"BackgroundColour":"black","Blur":false,"Hover":false},"AltText":null,"LinkURL":null,"BottomMargin":0,"PaddingLeft":"0px","PaddingTop":"0px","PaddingRight":"0px","PaddingBottom":"0px","PhoneVisible":true,"TabletVisible":true,"DesktopVisible":true,"CssClass":null,"PageLinkName":null,"PageLinkCaption":null},"IgnoreCache":false}]}],"ColumnSpacing":"5px","BottomMargin":"0px","TopPadding":"0px","IsFullWidth":false,"IsBackgroundFullWidth":false,"Background":{"Colour":null,"ImageURL":null,"Filter":null,"IsParallax":false,"Image":"","Tint":""}}],"PageURL":"https://www.petersfieldtriathlonclub.co.uk/Cms/Spaces/CN/Anything+is+Possible++Ironman+703+Swansea?version=1","AllVersions":[],"Comments":[],"UpdatedComments":[],"Spaces":[],"IsWatching":false,"LastViewTime":null,"CanEdit":false,"CanPublish":false,"CanCopy":false,"CanCreateTemplate":false,"CanComment":false,"CanReadComments":false,"CanModerateComments":false,"CanLike":false,"CanWatch":false}
{"HeaderName":"RequestVerificationToken","RequestToken":"CfDJ8MljcUAytMJOkynrZd8yvT3NFdqy7BAvw-6mTFAFlMHyI3Ruii09lPEZQlnS1rhHhFaYdjF-rdrjlQ-PW08JqxAHCOk4ykmzpAYE7aQT4Jkfw78jn1iSYQG1z-Ws6Hf9y_Pz2OoiTWdF_b5x0qfpEU4"}