SIX Guernsey triathletes have successfully completed one of the toughest challenges in sport - the Ironman. The six - Tim Johns, Colin Ozanne, Paul Cherry, Mark Naftel, Helen Tucker and Shanine Wray - joined more than 1,300 others who tackled the Ironman Switzerland 2004.
All members of the Ogier & Le Masurier Guernsey Triathlon Club, they were novices at this distance, which comprised a 2.4-mile swim in the 23C water of Lake Zurich, a 112-mile cycle ride and a 26.2-mile marathon. But all got around in very creditable times, reward for months of preparation and hard training.
‘The only unknowns were what the race would throw up for us all on a personal level; we were all pushing ourselves to somewhere our bodies had not been before,’ said Naftel, club president.
More than 10,000 spectators were present for the starting shot at 7am at the lake, and an estimated 80,000 watched the event along the courses, cheering on the competitors on the bike and run sections.
The swim section had a mass start, with the competitors heading out into the lake to a turn buoy about 300m offshore.
‘It was something akin to being tossed into a fast-wash cycle in a washing machine. All competitors seemed to be trying to find a bit of clear water, which wasn’t easy.
‘Over here we were used to about 25-30 and even the biggest we have been in was only 200.
‘Even when you are swimming, people are swimming over you. I was punched in the face on the last lap and we mostly had a spare pair of goggles around our neck in case those we were wearing got damaged.
‘All the local competitors had close brushes with other competitors, the worst of which was Shanine, whose wetsuit zip was pulled halfway down: she was forced to stop and tread water whilst pulling the rear zip back up.’
The swim followed a two-triangle course, around bouys and under a bridge which links a small island with the shore.
In an Ironman-distance event, athletes tend to swim at a fairly conservative pace, not wishing to tire themselves too much ahead of the other two disciplines.
‘Tucker had the fastest swim split of the locals, exiting the water in 1hr 5min.’
She was followed by Naftel some six minutes later but he immediately was in trouble when his wetsuit zip stuck firmly on his cycling top worn underneath and he lost valuable minutes struggling to get out of it.
Ozanne entered the transition area before Naftel could free himself, with Wray out of the water only half-a-minute behind.
The bike course consisted of a hilly three laps. Competitors headed out on the flat road alongside the lake, known as The Beauty, for about 15 kilometres before the climbing began.
Most had had the chance to pre-ride and inspect the course in the days before the event. They had been advised that the ride was no harder than most Guernsey hills, and rideable in large gears.
‘There were two main hills, one called Heartbreak and the other The Beast, which was a half-hour of solid climbing, steeper than L’Eree hill but not quite the Terres,’ said Naftel.
Ozanne and Naftel had the advantage of a triple chainset, allowing them a wider selection of low gears for the hills.
On the first ascent of The Beast, Naftel passed Tucker. After the first long and fast descent, during which some athletes exceeded 50mph, Ozanne passed Naftel to take the lead in the locals’ race.
Then followed another flat section before the short but brutal Heartbreak Hill.
As feared, this section of climb was like a scene from a mountain stage of the Tour de France, the route lined with spectators forming a tunnel and cheering the competitors upwards.
‘If the swim is about pacing, then the bike section is all about nutrition.
‘Athletes need to ride a steady pace and feed and drink consistently throughout, in order to have enough fuel to carry them through the marathon run,’ said Naftel.
‘I had eaten a big breakfast, had two energy bars while I was on the bike and had a banana at each of the three feed stations. I also got through eight three-quarter-litre bottles of fluid, either Coke or a carbohydrate drink.
‘Coke was excellent: it goes down well and it’s full of caffeine and high in sugar. That lasts only a short time so I was taking it in a little at a time every two to three kilometres.’
Both Johns and Wray struggled to ride at a sustainable pace and at the same time take on enough food and drink to maintain the one they had planned.
Cherry was moving at a slower but steady pace ahead of his strongest discipline, the run.
By the third lap of the bike course, all six locals were beginning to slow, with the hills being climbed in progressively smaller gears than on the previous laps.
Ozanne was first local into transition two, with the fastest bike split of them at 5hr 46min. Wray was first Guernsey woman into the run section after 6hr 22min. of cycling.
The marathon consisted of four laps of just over 10 kilometres each on a mostly flat course through the parks and paths alongside the lake. By this time the temperature in the city was up into the mid-20s and the shade of the lakeside trees was a welcome relief when it came. All the Guernsey athletes were beginning to suffer bad spells.
Ozanne set out at a good pace on the run, setting himself up for lap times of around an hour each. Naftel set out at a similar pace for the first lap, but was unable to maintain it.
By this time Johns was starting to suffer badly. Tucker and Cherry were both pleased with their steady rides.
Cherry set himself a storming pace as he came out of transition to start his first run lap, Naftel was just starting his second as Cherry went by. Because the run was over four laps the locals were all able to keep tabs on one another during the final discipline.
Naftel began to enter a bad patch at the start of lap two as Johns recovered himself. The latter caught and passed Naftel on lap two; however, club president recovered and Johns soon began to suffer again and was passed and left behind.
‘There really is nowhere to hide in a race of this distance when you are feeling less than your best,’ said Naftel.
‘Spectators at the roadside, through the parks, at the lakeside and over the bridges were cheering us all on. At times I wanted to stop, sit down and pack in the whole thing, but the crowds kept me going.’
Ozanne showed that his long winter of training really paid off: he finished in an excellent time. Naftel was probably closest to his predicted 12 hours, as he crossed the line four minutes outside that.
‘Everyone was a bit stiff at the end of the day and the next, but we were all able to have a massage and sit in the jacuzzi at the hotel where we were staying.
‘It was also great to have had a pasta party before the race. Just about all the competitors were in what looked like a big bierkeller.
Article posted on 5th August, 2004 - 12.00am
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