„It’s hammer time…!“ VOLCANO Triathlon 2011 Lanzarote

Here are the facts…:

Transition Zone

1.5K swim in 21:30 / 40K bike in 1:04:47 (incl. 410 Hm) / 10K run in 36:20. Overall position 9^th and winner age group. Find the result list at http://www.clublasanta.com/Volcano%20Triathlon-10259.aspx

All alone...

And here is the story…:

The Volcano Triathlon is the oldest Triathlon in Spain and is definitely one of my favorite Olympic distance races.

The swim is in a lagoon and very cool for spectators to watch the race. I think there were over 350 participants sent on their way to race against a hard wind and a hilly bike course followed by a hot run.

The heat is on...!

When Kenneth Gasque (race director of the IRONMAN Lanzarote) cracked the gun I tried hardest to find a good position straight from the beginning but everybody starts the swim at full power.

 The first 400m were a nightmare. I was more under water than swimming and I felt very slow. It took to the far end turning buoy to find myself swimming normal. I had no idea on how fast I was swimming and thought I’d be really slow but when charging out of the water I saw some familiar faces.

The run up to the transition zone was long… very long with a steep climb which I hate having for a start. I snatched my bike and ran out of transition.

Hammering the 40 Ks...

Now it was time to put down the hammer. I had trained the bike course three days before the race and new I could bike something like 1:06 for the 40Ks keeping in mind we had to climb 410 m of height on the way. The good thing about the bike course is that there are no steep climbs and lots of wind. I put my head down and took profit of my new and more aggressive position on my GIANT Trinity. I was flying past other triathletes and counted only 10 in front of me at the turn point… good news! The way back to transition was just pushing “all in” and defending my position. Do you know how it is to wreck yourself on 40 Ks bike and have pain all over your legs (especially because I had biked 220Ks two days before as training…) and not knowing if and how fast you can run 10 Ks because your last Olympic distance triathlon you did was two years ago….!?!

Back to earth...

Well… now you know with which doubt I pushed my bike into transition. We were four athletes coming in more or less at the same time…

...dirt track to start off...!

I ran out of transition with “no legs”…! I had absolutely no clue how fast I was running. I could just see the two guys in front of me even running away from me… guaaah…! On the piece of dirt track outside the stadium my feeling for my legs got even worse! I pulled my cap deep into my face to not have to see how the boys in front of me ran away!

Flying towards the finish line!

But hey….just after one more K the first of the two blew… bang… gone… and after the turn point (2,5 K) the other one blew… bang…! I got company from someone a little later and he just ran past me… too fast! On the second lap I felt my legs and started running hard. No one behind me and no one to catch… Cool…!

I ran into the finish and already saw my finishing time… only half a minute slower than 2009 when I came 21nd at the IRONMAN Lanzarote overall and became Spanish Campion on the long distance age group 40-44 and 6^th overall). When I saw my run split I was very surprised as I had not thought running that pace.

DONE...!!!

My build up for IRONMAN Frankfurt (24^th July) is working well and I still have the declared goal of becoming IRONMAN European Champion in the age group 45-49 because I say I will never be “so young so old”…! The Hamburg Vierlander Triathlon (2-80-20) is my next goal and it will be my “coming out” in Hamburg. No one has ever seen me race there and I am looking forward racing the people of the city in which I live.

HAMBURG…: I am prepared… are you too…?!?

Thanks for the support to OAKLEY (in particular the Store in Hamburg… you rock and are the best Team I know!!!), to GIANT (you made me fly on the bike) and to SKINFIT Hamburg (Gunther… wir müssen mal zusammen nach ZA…!).

Never forget: I started at zero after my accident 2008 and was given no chance but I believe in my friends and myself and am on my way to achieve my set goals… I wish and hope I can inspire you just a little to do the same in your life…!

Respect to you all out there….

Foli