Friday, March 30, 2007

What makes a race an adventure? By Simon Thomas.

The North Face River Kwai Challenge - March 2007

This was the question on many people’s minds as they gathered from around the region for the pre-race briefing of the 2nd North Face River Kwai Trophy in Sai Yok area of Kanchanaburi, 140km North West of Bangkok.

To me one of the big aspects of any adventure race is really having no idea about what may be around the next corner, so this pre-race briefing gives a good chance to try and glean any information that may serve as a physiological crutch while on the course – Having completed a couple of these races before knowing when the finish line might appear is a very important factor to getting to the end!

I left the briefing none the wiser to the actual course – apparently it was going to be hot and some parts of the course were hazardous so we should be careful….not exactly illuminating!

The rest of the evening was spent with my team mate, Khun Chai, sorting out kit, convincing ourselves that it would all be OK, second guessing the course and hydrating like camels that have chanced upon an oasis. My own proprietary adventure racing tip, if you want to sleep, don’t drink 2 litres of water before bed.

Race Day - As we walked to breakfast, the best news was the sun was no where to be seen, the longer it could stay behind the clouds the more chance of survival out on the course. The shared apprehension before any event like this always leads to easier conversation with strangers and breakfast was great as racers freely mingled and looked forward to the day ahead and whatever challenges it would bring. Much to most peoples surprise this event is not iron legs and steely gazes all around, all competitors are strictly ‘weekend warriors’ of greatly varying shapes, sizes and abilities. There is no need to be a super fit athlete to attempt this type of event – a can do attitude and a love of a personal challenge is all that is required. Serge, the race director had catered for this motley crew with the provision of 2 distances, a shorter ‘adventure’ category for those confident in themselves and a longer ‘extreme’ distance for those with more testosterone than sense. We had signed up for the extreme….

After we all gathered at the start line the first bit of information was revealed, we would start the race with a run, good for us as a team as we can run but have a surprising lack of ability at anything else! The flag dropped and we were off, distance, duration and activities unknown..

The first run leg was great, a winding cross country route, taking in roads, tracks, a rickety old bridge and even the odd temple, the course was marked every 100m or so with orange tape but somehow we still managed to get lost, when we finally emerged from the bushes, a stream of panting, jangling, sweating men and women was hustling past, we had gone from 1st to 6th place. Not the best start! We slowly worked our way back up the field much to the delight of all those teams that had seen us disappear over the horizon like frightened gazelles earlier in the race.

After around 11Km the run course stopped abruptly at the river bank where a pile of Kayaks were waiting – the race marshal pointed first at the kayaks and then down the river and mumbled something in Thai. We got the idea and dragged the massive plastic boat down into the water. It soon became clear that Feel Free Kyaks are built for comfort not speed, the plus side of this is that they are impossible to capsize but the down side is that they don’t seem to go very fast. The first 5 teams hit the water almost together but with no one making any significant ground on each other after 10 minutes of hard paddling, there seemed to be a universal relaxing of effort and we leapfrogged each other for the duration of the section depending on who could find the fastest bit of river at that moment and taking the time to add a fair amount of good natured ‘encouragement’ with every overtaking manoeuvre.

For me and my spindly arms and tired back, the kayak section could not have been over soon enough, after around 5Km of paddling we finally saw the finish point ahead and the paddling became frantic as we all tried to manoeuvre into a better position for the check point. We ditched the kayaks at the side of the river only to be told to jump back into the river and continue the journey downstream minus the kayak!!

Have you ever tried to swim in a fast flowing river with a lifejacket on? Well the simple answer is you can’t! I tried front crawl, back stoke and a breast stroke version that is not shown in any text books, all to no avail as I adopted a lying position and drifted down the river with 5 other rival teams. Around 2 km later one of the safety kayakers pointed to a large muddy bank as the exit point and we all tried to fight against the current and get over to it. That must have made a good spectator sport as many drifted helplessly past the bank!

After emerging from the water, we were directed up a hill and to my surprise, the hotel that we had left that morning, emerged into view, running past my hotel room, wet, tired and covered in mud, it was a tempting sight!

We ended up back at the race start point where our mountain bikes were waiting like stabled ponies. We were less than 2 hours into the race and judging from past experience we could have at least 5 hours left to go!

The mountain bike route was a hugely varied, predominantly cross country route; it traversed tracks, forests, fields and the occasional stream. No real navigation necessary, just follow the orange tape and ride as fast as you can! For the occasional mountain bike rider like me, this section was a great novelty and in between scaring myself silly charging down hills with very little control, it was a great way to see the countryside and remind yourself of the great scenery Thailand has to offer.

50 minutes later we pulled into the checkpoint and dumped our faithful steeds at the side of the road, a quick set of instructions confirmed the next adventure was inappropriately termed the ‘Jungle run’, after the we had clambered up and down the 6th ridiculously steep slope of the day, I had conjured up a few more apt names for this section.

The ‘Jungle run’ started quite innocuously with a short road section before a sharp right hand turn off any discernable tracks and into the jungle. 20 minutes after the start of the first hands and knees scramble through the trees and up a steep hill I came to realise why it was called a jungle as I came face to face with a large snake, I couldn’t tell you what type it was as we both decided to go our separate ways pretty fast, I am not sure who was more surprised. Me or the snake! The novelty of running through the jungle quickly wore off; it is not a welcoming environment for humans with spiky plants and too many animals that nibble! The jungle run soon turned into a jungle trek, the hills being too steep to run ether up or down effectively. On a way down a particular steep section we were in for a surprise, the slope dropped off down a cliff and the only way down was via a 10 m improvised ladder, if the body wasn’t shaking from exertion, this was certainly something to get the heart rate up. Finally we emerged into the open and on to the edge of a rather unpleasant looking lake – I have never been so glad to chuck myself in semi stagnant water – what a relief! We worked ourselves across this large puddle reluctantly placing our feet on the bottom when the water became too shallow, on emerging from the pool I was asked how long we had been in the jungle, I looked at my watch, noticed water pouring out of the cracked casing and made my best guess – 3 hours, I answered. The check point official quickly corrected me to the actual time - 1 hour 45 minutes! Time flies when you are having fun!

The lake swim brought us back to our bikes and we fired plenty of questions at the spectators to try and work out if there was light at the end of this tunnel! Somewhere in the middle of the jungle it had become less of a race and more a survival exercise and although we emerged pretty much neck and neck with the leading team, we were in no state to race! In a vane show of bravado we tried to bluff our level of fatigue and both teams took turns in the lead before the masters team of Khun Jongsak and Khun Kriattisak pulled away and disappeared down the jungle tracks that we were riding.

Not knowing how far we still had to race, we could still hold out some hope that they would tire and we would pass them somewhere along the way. This bike section was different to the first, with plenty of swooping down hill sections to challenge tired limbs and a great road sections that gave those same limbs a bit of a break – An hour later the finish line was in sight! We put in a final burst to please the mingling crowds only to be redirected some 15 metres short of the finish line to a bike drop off zone and another cross country run – so this was why it was called an adventure ! We ran around the hotel grounds for a km or so, before coming to a lake that could only be crossed by means of a couple of improvised bridges- One for each team member, I elected to take the wire bridge as it looked quite straight forward, clinging on for dear life half way across as it flopped from side to side, I was contemplating just falling into the water and swimming the rest. Thankfully we both made it across and headed back cautiously towards the finish line, wondering if we would be allowed to finish or cruelly sent back into the wilderness. It turned out that this was the final challenge and we crossed the line in 5:48 minutes, 4 minutes off the leaders but thankful to have finished!

The finish line is a great place to be, competitors are strewn around like broken pinatas after a kid’s birthday party, all swapping tales of hardship, adversity and personal goals achieved. With the first and last teams separated by some 4 hours you can be sure that every team had an adventure and are all look forward to the next one!




Wednesday, February 28, 2007

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?

Ironman Malaysia – Langkawi Island – February 2007 – Simon Thomas –
sith@patana.ac.th

Even after experiencing 4 hours in the medical tent after my first attempt at this event in 2006, the transition from “ I will never do this again “ to signing up for another long day in the sun had come even before the pain in my legs had subsided. For those unfamiliar with the actual distances involved in the Ironman Triathlon, it consists of a 2.4 mile (3.86 kilometre) swim, followed by a 112 mile (180.2 kilometre) bike ride and a 26 7/32 mile (42.195 kilometre) run – All in the same day!
With so few real challenges in day to day life, for me an Ironman presents an event that is both achievable within the boundaries of a normal 9-5 life and is significant once achieved.

Getting to the startline of any Ironman competition in a decent state to complete the event is a journey in itself. Unfortunately with the all the advancements in modern technology no one has invented a magic pill to prepare the body and mind for long distance events such as these – if you want to complete the swim, bike, run combination without any permanent damage, then you better be prepared to do a lot of all three to prepare. It takes a lot of determination but also long hours, 1000’s of kilometres of swimming, running and biking get you this far, coupled with plenty of 5am starts to avoid the exercise unfriendly heat here in Bangkok. It is not a very social undertaking!

Ironman Malaysia is situated on the tropical island of Langkawi which lies some 30 km off the mainland coast of northwestern Malaysia. Of the 21 Ironman events in the world – this one is billed as ‘the toughest show on earth’ thanks mainly to the tourist friendly but horribly consistent sunny weather which means the temperature hovers around the 100 degree Fahrenheit mark. When this heat is coupled with the high humidity it makes one feel that they are competing in a sauna!

The preliminaries for an event like this are long – Briefings and inspections all day – you have to have your bike inspected by the race mechanic and your body checked by the race doctor, it’s as if they know that these are the 2 most likely things to fail causing permanent injury! After signing a coverall indemnity waiver that left no stone unturned, I was pronounced ready to race (at my own risk) and given a number, timing chip and some goodies. No turning back now.

Like a condemned man I allowed myself my first real fast food meal for 6 months at McDs (strictly for the calories!), and got an early night, knowing that the combination of nerves and cautious over hydration would mean more time in the bathroom than the bed!
RACE DAY - The drama started early in the day for me as I arrived in the dark at 6:30am to check over the bike that I had left in the transition area the night before and found a flat tire!! This was a potential disaster as my spares were earmarked for the race itself, after 20mins of struggling to patch the precious inner tube and with the start time fast approaching I thrust a spare tube into the hands of one of volunteer mechanics and managed to extract his promise that the bike would be ready to go by the time I got out of the swim – I could of kissed him but a hug had to suffice!

Around 550 competitors from 33 countries made it to the start line in Langkawi, unfortunately I did not have time to see them all as I rushed into the Porta loo next to the swim start - My body always knows when it’s going to race and was preparing itself for a long day…
THE SWIM: The swim was a 3.8 km one loop swim in the tranquil waters of the Kuah town harbour. Ironman swim starts are not for the faint hearted – everyone hits the water at the same time and in this mass of bodies, every few strokes an arm or legs invades your space and seemingly tries to drown you but after a minute or so the field stretched out and I found myself in relatively empty water.
One of my major conclusions from last years suffering was that although technically it is a race, the event should not be treated as such – last years racing tactic got me a great swim and bike time but had me walking, almost crawling the final 35 Km of the run. In this event, the tortoise can really overtake the hare... with this very much in mind I had to keep resisting the urge to do battle with those going past me but after around 45 mins I started to feel increasing nausea and had to stop and try regain some composure – 5 mins of retching later, I pulled off my race swim cap and continued, instantly I felt better, I must have been overheating in the bath tub temperature waters. After 1hour and 13 mins of thrashing about I pulled myself from the water and into the ‘swim to bike’ transition. I was almost 10 mins slower than last year, but feeling so good it was like I had done the whole thing in a boat - it was all going to plan.

THE BIKE: On shorter distance events the transition between events is a speedy affair; with some athletes hopping on their bike in still dripping Speedos. For me the Ironman gives a chance to do things in a more civilised fashion. A full change of clothes, a drink and some food later and kitted out in my well padded shorts with Vaseline and sun cream plastered all over most parts of the body I jumped on my thankfully fixed bike and headed out on the bike course.
The bike route is a new 3 loop course that could best be described as hilly and undulating with some significant gradients to wear down participants. The problem with this sort of course layout is that you know that every long downhill becomes a long uphill a few hours later!

The Ironman bike ride requires as much mental discipline as physical stamina. Apart from the occasional word or two exchanged whilst passing or being passed, it's a quiet conversation-less 6 hour part of the day. With the draft marshals buzzing back and forth on their motorbikes ensuring everyone rides their own race my usual shorter race tactics of hiding away from the wind behind a real cyclist was just a day dream.

Keeping hydrated and well fed was my number one priority all day, another lesson painfully learnt from past experience. Lack of energy and dehydration creeps slowly up until it’s too late, so with aid stations every 10K I made sure that I took food and water onboard at everyone. How do you go to the toilet and continue riding at 35k/mh, I had a few not very successful answers by the end of the bike section. It was around 2:30 in the afternoon when I finally placed the faithful stead back onto the rack where I had taken it from over 6 hours earlier. Steady bike ride for me as I averaged just over 30Km/h for the entire 180 KM course.

THE RUN: Take all the things that make a marathon difficult; hills, heat, humidity, and combine them with an already drained body, mind and spirit and you might be able to begin to imagine what it's like to start the final Ironman marathon late in the hot afternoon sun. It’s the run that makes the race in Langkawi so tough.

Actually my spirit was not broken yet and as I jumped off the bike my legs seemed to want to cooperate but even so the work ahead was certainly cut out for me. 42 K is a long way. After a flat start the 4 loop run course turns into a gradual 5km climb along a road that just kills any idea of running a really fast time. At the top the course retraces its steps only to turn around and climb the shadeless torture test back up again. Aliens landing on the Ironman run course would quickly come to the conclusion that humans were perhaps a masochistic lot; the course looks more like Napoleons retreat from Moscow than a voluntary race. Cups, sponges and even conked out runners littering the road, by this time of the day most runners had adopted a sort of forward shuffle more than a run and concentrated on getting from aid station to aid station which are placed at 1km intervals along the course. Thankfully nothing lasts for ever and the race finishes alongside a giant eagle statue which dominates the Jetty Point port area from which everyone is taken directly to the medical tent to be weighted and assessed – I lost almost 5 KG – (its all back now with interest) – Dieting the Ironman way…


THE CONCLUSION: Amid the suffering, I had some very peaceful, enjoyable moments with myself during the race; perhaps it is true and what doesn’t kill you can indeed make you stronger - mentally if not physically! Hanging around at the finish until late into the night you can see the personal battles that people have to finish this race – including athletes with significant disabilities – Ironman Ironkawi had a blind athlete and an above knee amputee amongst the finishers this year. It is very moving.

Ironman is a lifetime experience that I will cherish and remember for a good while to come. I am happy to have finished (alive!) and now am dreaming of my ultimate Ironman goal – The World Championships situated in the spiritual home of Ironman – Kona, Hawaii, but with my finishing time some 2 hours from qualifying I have a long way to go!

The race statistics: 551 athletes started Ironman Malaysia and 460 finished the race within the 17 hours cut off time – Luckily I was one of them in 12 hours and 9 mins – the winner professional Triathlete Frenchman Xavier Le Floch from France managed 8:43.

More information http://www.ironmanlangkawi.com.my/



SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!

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