On 7th July 2013 Steve Childerley, 'Carbon' Phil Laycock and I (Steve 'The Goat' Hughes a.k.a. Hughsey) did the Outlaw iron distance triathlon in Nottingham. The weather was an excruciating 28-30 degrees, so nutrition and hydration was all important. So, here it is in a nutshell:The swim: 1200 nutters churning up the water for more than an hour was an experience.
The cycle: long and hard! I finished in 6hrs 15mins with 2 punctures and 30miles on semi-flats (fast time out the window, just need to finish!).
The run: this was long and flat. Your own rhythm is important here too.
I finished in 12hrs 7mins, working out that without cycle problems it would have been 11hrs 45mins (ish). Steve finished soon afterwards, and then Phil. I learned that you need to stick to and trust your training plan and it’ll be fine. You need to take in 60-90g of carbs per hour so I set my watch on a 20min rotation to remind me to take in what I needed. Happy days.
Top tips
- the swim– start fast, eventually get a rhythm going and just concentrate on good form. I managed 1hr 5mins (ish), and drafting is allowed, so why not use it.
– the cycle - get a bike service done the week before, take 2 spare tubes (or my race would have been over), buy bike bags to put gels and food in, you don’t have to spend a fortune on gadgets and enhancements if you train enough with what you have. Original ironmen did it on basic bikes in denim shorts and stopped at MacDonalds when they got hungry. Don’t over-think it.
-the run -Get changed into new clothes for this, you’ll feel fresher, do it at your own pace that you know you can manage and you’ll eventually overtake loads of others. Drink, drink, drink, eat, eat, eat.