Ironman Western Australia 2005 - by Will Blackshaw

My Ironman journey began a long time before the event and was stopped in its tracks even before it was started. I was training for the 2004 event when riding to work I got hit by a car. Luckily I only broke ribs, but couldn’t ride or run for way to long to make it a going concern and despite this I was still waiting for a bike from the insurance company. With this all settled by mid November it was way too late and the plan was shelved. Sometime in the new year I had those thoughts again and decided to start small and try the Pt Walter Olympic first.I hadn’t done a triathlon in over a year and was pleasantly surprised to finish in 2:26, Next was onto half ironman and then on to see Andrew Budge for a real program as opposed to the ones I had been hashing together. Andrew suggested another half in Tinaroo Queensland as a warm up and away we went into the program. The plan took a battering when I aggravated my Achilles and many trips to the Physio Jonathon Bell and to the Podiatrist Darryn Sargant for orthotics and lots of patience from Andrew with me moaning about how my plans were stuffed up again I was back on track some 5 weeks down the road.

Tinaroo came and went even if it was just a training run as I hadn’t really done anything for a month before it and before I knew it Busselton was looming.

Here is my account of the race week

Thursday I headed down to Busselton to make sure I was well and truly settled for the biggest sporting day of my life. Experience from racing the Lake Tinaroo half Ironman in September had taught me to plan my traveling better, and not arrive the day before a big race.
The next two days passed reasonably calmly with the “on the couch” session with the pros, registration and packing gear bags. Then unpacking the gear bags to make sure nothing was forgotten and repacking them again. This process was repeated a lot with the time I had available. Pre race massage was great, thanks Kate, and then the athlete parade through town. This was great too and finished at the Carbo party. I ate what I felt I should and didn’t go too overboard for a change.

Last few taper sessions completed it was time to check in all my gear. This went really quickly and I was quite surprised to be in and out so quickly well done to all the volunteers. I made my way back to Mandalay caravan park where I was staying and decided it was time to relax. This is pretty much what I did until my support crew arrived and kindly cooked me dinner. At this point something in my head snapped and all of the nervous energy I had been trying to control for the last few days all burst out in one hit. They couldn’t stop me talking for ages, about all sorts of rubbish, some to do with the race other just general rubbish. I was rested, recovered as Budgie said I would be and feeling on top of the world. Just try and stop me. Well someone must have heard that, because then it started to rain. All I could think was my poor bike. You have barely spent a night outside the bedroom let alone out in that! I guess we all thought that though.
I slept surprisingly well and only checked on the weather once or twice.

3.45am I am awake before the alarm and out of bed. I really hate alarms there is nothing worse than waking up to the alarm. I felt fine as I had my traditional muffin breakfast and started on my hydration for the day. Get changed into race gear and head on down to the start. I must add at this point Christine (my Fiancé and most admiring supporter) had not yet mentioned that I had got her out of bed too to accompany on this somewhat crazy journey of mine. I fairly sure that until this lunacy started she wasn’t even sure there was a three in the morning! She quietly reassured me that I had done everything humanly possible to get to where I was and that was all that could be done. I remained calm until after check in for the swim.

This is where all the emotion of the day began to unfold. I went into transistion to pump up tyres and promptly removed a valve from the front tube. Then lost the valve extender. Don’t panic this is just part of the journey, quietly looked for the extender and found it. Retired to the tent to change the tube and reinflated, put the wheel back in the bike and got ready for the swim. This did however leave me with only one tube for the race and I was a little worried.

The swim looked awful and I was glad I had done the ocean swims in my training. However swimming had been overlooked in preference to getting running done instead and I felt horribly under prepared. After several reassuring hugs and a good luck kiss I was entering the start area. I went in and did a warm up swim and timed everything perfectly. Watched the RAAF do the flyover which was very cool and before I knew it we were off and I was on my way to being and Ironman or crashing and burning horribly along the way.

The plan for the swim had been to start wide and go hard for the first 100m to get some clear water, this changed even before the start as it seemed everyone had the same idea. I rethought and moved to the middle where it appeared there was no-one. I was right for a change and swam the first few hundred with pretty much clear water for a triathlon. At about the bend in the jetty the field started to compress to make the turn and I got my first kick in the head. Not to worry I didn’t need that eye anyway. Feeling surprisingly good at the turn at the end of the jetty and got here in 34mins. Was a lonely part of the swim as all the spectators couldn’t get out that last bit. One the way back in this is all good. Then the realization of the swim course hit. The second half was tougher. Trying to stop swimming into the jetty became a real concern as with an early lapse on concentration I hit a pylon. No damage to me lets keep going. Second kick in the head same eye too. Like my race report the swim in seemed to take forever. I am sure I was looking the same pylons and not moving though wildly waving my arms around in a swimming like manner. Eventually the turn east along the beach and back south to head up to transition. Through the shower and picked up bike bag. 1hr 28min. Bit longer than I had hoped for but not to worry quick transition and out to grab the bike.

My first question was after a swim like that how can there still be this many bikes? The headwind was back just like it had been in the half and I selected a gear that sat me on about 28km/hr and spun out into the forest. Passing a lot of bikes now and starting to move up a gear or two. First turnaround came along quicker than anticipated and decided to wind it up a bit with the downwind leg. That felt great big ring and lets go. Was aware of the fact that I didn’t want to blow up so I was careful not to overcook it too much. Out onto Bussell Highway for the first time and down to turn 2. Back into the wind did a bit more damage to bikes in front and enjoyed the leg back into town and the crowd support was great. Lost a rear bottle cage on the way back into town, I will have to source something new as this happened at the half in Queensland too. Saw Christine and she had now been joined by my neighbors Carlos and Lisa who were yelling and screaming the whole time. First split 1hr 58 min I think. Heaps others called out too but may have just been reading the program. Another mate Wade yelled out as I turned to head back out for round two.

This went pretty much the same as lap one. Spin into the wind slightly quicker this lap and hammer down breeze (Skiff sailing had prepared me well). Picked up special needs at the 100km mark and found a gel had been squashed in my bag. Couldn’t work out which one so took all 5 and headed off with new bottles. Henk Vogels caught me at the 110km mark and I was well pleased with myself as I had expected to be lapped by pros too and there was no sign of them yet. Back into town again and now working ou that the leaking carbo shot is sticking me to the seat. Hmmmm. Had a pee stop and washed myself and the seat and off again. Second split slightly quicker than the first. No pros passing me yet and onto the final lap. Pretty uneventful other than taking lots of water to wash the sticky carbo shot off me every now and again. Saw some more friends helping at an aid station out on tuart drive which was a great pick me up. Last time to the windy end of the course though it didn’t seem as bad this time and top speeds a bit down too. Nothing to report on the final trip back into town but started to realize this was definatley going to happen. The bike leg seemed to go really quickly and being my strongest leg I really enjoyed it. After a poor swim I had picked up over 200 places on the bike with a 5:49.

I was starting to feel a bit warm on the shoulders as it would appear a lot of the sunscreen was washing off me. Into transition, fresh socks more sunscreen and the usual and off we go. One marathon coming right up.

Felt pretty good but realised that this could be a false indication of how I really was and settled into a rhythm that felt comfortable. The wind had gone altogether now and the water we had ordered for the swim had arrived also. Better late than never. Started getting pretty hot too. Having issued my support crew with a box of chalk the night before and explaining the need for messages of encouragement and having a less than desired response about feeling silly writing them I hadn’t expected anything. So imagine my surprise when I found the carpark on the far side of the jetty covered with messages. This was a huge boost to me and encourage everyone to get this done for you it really helped. So yes I am the Will Blackshaw that all those messages referred to and no I won’t be standing for prime minister. Found my support crew sitting in the shade on the grass out the front of the caravan park which I had said might be a good spot to watch. They ran along the grass and chatted to me before I left them and headed out to the turn. Back again and they cheered all the way again. About the time I got back into town I got really hungry. I normally can’t stomach anything when I m running so I topped up with a biscuit and a banana and judging by the peeing at every aid station I had the hydration spot on too. The run/walks started after passing transition and heading out for the 3.5km loop to the east. I saw Andrew Budge out there on the first lap and his words of one foot in font of the other rang though my head for the rest of the course.

Back in and get that scruchie that I had been waiting for. More friends I didn’t know were down in Busselton received a high 5 as I went through. Really started to hurt after this. I am convinced we would all run a 3 hr marathon if the whole thing had been run in the park with people cheering the whole way. It was the stretches of road where there was no one that hurt the most back through mandalay and support crew again more running for them and I think they could see I was suffering by now. My pace had gone right off and I was very sunburnt on my shoulders despite the amount of sunscreen I was having put on. On the way back into town I met a lady called Kathryn and she accompanied me to the finish from about the 30km mark. We both pushed each other through neither of us wanting to be the first to stop and walk and I made up a couple of age group places courtesy of this push along. We walked aid stations and ran most of the rest. This was the first person I had spoken more than 5 words too since 6am and the company was great to have thankyou Kathryn. Turned out she was second in her age group and was a Hawaii finisher so I guessed she kinda knew what she was doing. At the final turn we had a short walk and decided we had to run the rest. It looked like we might just get a daylight finish. I was hoping I would get by without getting a glowstick and this was the case. All that remained to do was to neaten myself up a bit and run down that finish chute. This was a fantastic feeling and it doesn’t even go into words. Seeing all my friends again and high fives for all the kids who seem to get as much out of this as we get out of the event was just awesome. I was there 8 months of training had finally come to something. This was not something I could go and buy I had to earn it and I did. 12hours and 18 mins was my time finishing 293rd. I was very happy and while a fair way off what I would have liked to have run this was fine for an opener. My mum called me on the mobile from the UK to congratulated me and to say my sister had watched me finish on the internet. Dad had been up half the night watching my splits and I am sure I could here him from time to time while I was out on the bike. The aftermath was somewhat of a blur, I remember being in and out of the recovery tent pretty quickly seeing my supporters off back to perth and then heading in for a massage and feed. I stayed at the finish line until I just couldn’t stay awake and then retired for the night

Thankyou to everyone involved in my first Ironman. Mum, Dad, Emma and Henry in the UK, Hans, Kath, Jono, Monike and Oma watching from Perth.
Thankyou to Carlos, Lisa and Wade for coming down to see me race and all the other spectators.
Thankyou to Andrew Budge for setting me a great program and supporting me when times got tough. Thankyou also for putting me in touch with excellent medical care in the form of Podiatrist Darryn Sargant and Physio Jonathon Bell, thankyou also to both of you.
Thankyou to all the helpers, event staff and the town of Busselton.
Mostly Thankyou to my Fiancé Christine who has tolerated my long training hours, early mornings and supported me throughout. Missed out on seeing me when she would rather we had been doing things together. Been a shoulder to cry on when things looked too hard and someone to celebrate with when it all turned out fantastic. I couldn’t do this without you.

After a month off now it is time to start the hard yards for Port Macquarie see you there.