I had entered Roth Ironman distance race as a pre- Ultraman brick session. I decided to enter this taper free and treat it as a long training day. This didn’t quite go to plan picking up some stomach troubles the night before the race and beginning the event in a dehydrated state. Still I exited the water in an OK time for me and hit the bike bang on my predicted schedule. After my first swig from my drinks bottle I realised I’d mixed my drink too strong. Basics. As a result the first two hours were spent on the bike trying to dilute the mix in my stomach and get my hydration back on track. Didn’t happen. Got off the bike with a new pb but wasn’t happy with how I’d ridden it. Exited transition feeling strong and on for a pb overall, never a goal but well on the cards. About 5k into the run my world imploded, poor hydration on the bike having caught up with me. A very, very slow and painful marathon followed. Felt really despondent and depressed by the time I crossed the finish line. If I couldn’t cope with an Ironman run then how was I going to cope with a double marathon.I returned from Roth and due to work did no training for about 10 days. I then had one 210k audax ride to go before my planned taper to Ultraman. I spent the evening prior to this on my girlfriend’s sofa and woke with a very very sore, stiff back. Great. Against my better judgement rode the ride, to see how much it would hurt, lost my sense of humour part way round the route and finished even more depressed than I had been in the aftermath of Roth. This was not how I had planned my run into Ultraman. I was now very concerned I wouldn’t be able to start let alone finish. Had the event been more local or I knew my support crew I would have withdrawn from the event at this stage. But it wasn’t and I didn’t. I therefore boarded my plane and spent the whole journey wondering why I was bothering.

I spent the first few days of my time in Canada with Mike and Sandy. I’d met Mike on a cycle mechanics course in the USA in 2003. He and Sandy were perfect hosts and helped me relax as the big weekend approached. I also met one of my crew Darin for the first time, what a great bloke.

On Wednesday I travelled to Penticton and met up with Doc, another friend I had met in 2003. Doc was kindly letting me stay in his apartment. I met up with Darin again in Penticton and on Friday 29th July we attended the pre- race breakfast/ race briefing. I was among some very experienced ultra racing athletes. I felt very humble and out of my depth. Later in the day I picked my other crew-member Gary up from Kelowna airport. Gary was a seasoned Ultraman racer. I was so out of my depth.

Gary and I went out for an early diner. Gary had located a pasta restaurant. My food arrived and I spent the best part of an hour just pushing the fodd around my plate and visiting the toilet. I felt awful. We left the restaurant with my food in a take out box. Three steps beyond the restaurant I threw up, super. I repeated this feat twice more, I then managed to cross the road before being sick again. This was not good. Gary left me in the car and went to find Darin. When they returned to the car I was asleep. Our planned pre- race discussions were less detailed than originally planned but the familiarity of sitting in a Starbucks and a coffee appeared to help settle my nerves and by late evening I had eaten my food.

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