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{"ID":95,"SpaceID":5,"PageID":42,"HasCommentsThread":false,"SeoTags":{"OpenGraphTags":[{"ID":"og:title","Name":"Going Long Pt4 - Ironman Kalmar"},{"ID":"og:type","Name":"website"},{"ID":"og:url","Name":"https://www.petersfieldtriathlonclub.co.uk/Cms/Spaces/NA2/Going+Long+Pt4++Ironman+Kalmar"}],"NonOpenGraphTags":[]},"Path":"Going+Long+Pt4++Ironman+Kalmar","Title":"Going Long Pt4 - Ironman Kalmar","Author":{"ID":4,"Name":"Fred McCaig","CompanyName":null,"HasEmail":true},"Version":1,"IsDraft":false,"IsOldVersion":false,"PublicationDate":"25/02/2024 14:16","VersionDescription":"v1 - Fred McCaig","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":535,"Type":"HTML","Content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eWell well well, we are gettting down to the business end of the season now, A-race and Championship season is upon us! As such expect plenty more race reports to come over the next few weeks! Our report for this time comes from Jenny Phillips, with contributions from Kim King and Nicki Plewes, aka the Iron Ladies as we return to the going long series,\u0026nbsp;on their adventures in Sweden!\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eRide of the Iron Ladies\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eIt all started, one balmy evening, in a crowded bar in Mallorca. Two women, old enough to know better but with their judgement impeded by copious cocktails, declared their intention to take on an Ironman in 2023. Soon they had persuaded a 3rd friend to join them and, thus, the Three Musketeers of Kalmar were born. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eFast forward ten months. After countless hours of training in the water, in the saddle and on their feet, Kim, Nicky and I arrived in Kalmar, ready to take on the challenge. All first timers, our nervousness was palpable but all the essential faffing of registering, racking bikes and sorting out kit bags helped us to forget our fear for a while. The day before the race was sunny but not too warm and the forecast suggested that race day would be similar. Unfortunately it was foggy and drizzly which made me feel a bit anxious about the swim – it was quite a complicated course and I hoped I’d be able to see the buoys.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eThe swim started in the docks – a self-seeded rolling start which meant you lined up in order of your predicted time, shuffled to the start with the neoprene clad hordes and jumped in when told to. I have done a lot of sea swim triathlons but have to say that this was one of the roughest – not just the sea state but the unnecessary ( I felt) argy bargy from fellow competitors. I was thumped, kicked and grabbed by the ankles too many times. The visibility was so poor that the rescue boats had headlights. However, as everywhere else in Kalmar, the support from the crowd was amazing. A section of the swim was alongside the sea wall and the noise from supporters was phenomenal and just the boost I needed after all the ‘wrestling’ out at sea!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eOnce out of the sea, it was a short jog into transition to grab my blue bike kit bag and scurry to the women’s changing tent to get ready for the long ride. I was delighted to see Nicky in the tent and we had a quick chat before she set out on her bike. We had both opted to change into cycling gear, thinking that the chamois in our trisuits were not thick enough for the 180km ride\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eThe first section of the bike route took us eastwards out of Kalmar and over the iconic Oland Bridge to the island of Oland. Unfortunately, we were unable to appreciate its elegance and beauty as it was shrouded in fog. The fog theme continued on and off throughout the first section of ride but this problem paled into insignificance when we met the headwind. I’d been rolling along very nicely for about 30km thinking I had a chance of doing a decent bike split but then I met the wind. It was horrendous and, at times, I was grinding through the fog at 20km/hr wishing that I could draft like the pros! After 120km we were back on the mainland which was slightly less windy and foggy. Our faithful band of supporters were there to cheer us on as we started the second section which took us out into the countryside north of Kalmar. There were some lovely sections of quiet rural riding and , once again, amazing support all along the route. The bike route took me nearly seven hours and by the end I was desperate to get out of the saddle, even with the knowledge that I had a marathon to run/jog/walk/crawl!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eOnce back in transition, I grabbed my red run kit bag and retired, once again, to the changing tent. There was no way I was running a marathon in a nappyesque chamois so I put on my running shorts. I also changed into dry socks as I wanted my feet to suffer as little as possible over the next several hours. My legs felt great as I ran out of transition and I had to deliberately slow down as I knew there was no way I’d be able to maintain that pace over 42km. The 3 lap run started in the town centre which was great for spotting our supporters. The whole of Kalmar seemed to be having a party that afternoon and the support was phenomenal – both in the old town centre, as we ‘cruised’ over the cobbles, and in the suburbs where there was music booming out of huge speakers, live bands, dancing and just so many people shouting ‘Heja, heja Yenny!’ (no J sound in Swedish I discovered!). Towards the end of each lap, the route entered a sports stadium where you had to collect a coloured band to show which lap you had just completed. After that the route, rather cruelly, took you right past the finish so you had to go past it twice before actually finishing. It did give me a boost, however, to see people finishing and to know that, at some point, I would be too. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eI was really impressed by the feed stations both on the bike and run routes but particularly the latter where they were placed every 2km. This really helped with breaking up the run into manageable chunks which helped me to stay motivated. Each feed station was well stocked with water, Gatorade, gels, crisps, bananas, watermelon and, bizarrely, gherkins! I had been a little concerned about GI issues on the run but, apart from a quick loo stop on the first lap, I was fine. I steered clear of the gherkins however! The volunteers were great at keeping everything topped up and I always felt confident that each aid station would have what I needed – on the last lap, this was crisps which suggests my body was craving salt at that point. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eAfter nearly 5 hours’ running I stepped onto the red carpet in the town square, rang the first timer’s bell and then sprinted to the finish. I have no idea how or why I did that - perhaps, after a long day, I just needed to get to the finish line and hear the longed-for words: “ Jenny Philips, you are an Ironman!” \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eI can honestly say that 19/08/2023 was one of the best days of my life so far. I’d always said that I would never take on an Ironman because I thought it would break me physically. We have proved that if you train sensibly and consistently you CAN do an Ironman, no matter how old you are. 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