What have I done? I've entered the Mainova Ironman in Frankfurt, Germany on 18th August 2024!

I've always got some silly idea or challenge on the go to test myself, but this one has taken the biscuit. A friend said, "I'm doing the Frankfurt Ironman. Do you fancy it?" My answer was, "yeah, why not?"

That was in May 2023. Since then I've worked out many reasons as to why not. Chafing is a good one, but primarily it is a very long way! I've put in some serious training and I feel as ready as I am going to ever be, though it is still a very daunting prospect: 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42km run (that's a marathon tagged on at the end, just to make sure).

It would be remiss of me not to use this opportunity to raise some sponsorship for charity and I would like to raise funds for my local Scout Group. 3rd Esher Scout Group was founded in 2019. My son Ben joined as a Beaver, and I joined as a leader and Assistant Group Scout Leader. Ben is now a Scout and Toby is a Cub, and I am still a Cub Leader. The group has been a real success for the local community. Our HQ is the Lower Green Community Centre, a shared hall, which is a great facility, but it does have one major issue for a growing Scout Group; there is limited storage space. I would like to raise funds to address this issue. There is space on site where we can put storage sheds, but we have no budget to fund it at present, I am hoping to raise enough to fund the supply and build of some decent and secure storage for the group. I hope you can help me reach my target.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Titch

21.08.24:

I wanted to write down my experience of the Ironman Frankfurt to help me get my head around what happened at the weekend.

I know that it was a tough day. Life doesn’t always go to plan and some things are hard to prepare for. There was talk about the lake being too warm for wetsuits ( that doesn’t happen in the UK!) which was a big negative for me. I swim like a brick and the extra buoyancy from the neoprene really helps me. There was heavy rain forecast overnight and for Sunday morning which we really hoped would lower the lake temperature just enough. No point worrying about it, so I went to bed early and tried to get a good night’s rest (which obviously didn’t happen).

My alarm went off at 4am. I needed to eat, have a coffee and get to the bus stop for a shuttlebus to the lake, just a ten-minute walk. The weather was heavy rain, and the traffic was busy with buses, competitors, and other race logistics. The single lane road to the lake couldn’t cope with buses in both directions. After a twenty-minute wait on the bus we were all turfed out in the wet for a twenty-minute trudge up to the athlete’s area. My journey had taken an hour and a half. I got changed and went to the starting pens, my one being the 1:35+ expected finish for the swim so we were at the back. I spent the next 30 minutes standing in the rain dressed in nothing but speedos, a green swim hat and goggles watching all the other athletes start their swim. I was cold.

I got into the water just before 7am and started swimming. It was busy but I was near the back and stayed out of trouble. The first 1500m were ok. With the overcast conditions and the reeds at the bottom of the lake it reminded me of the Harry Potter movie, Goblet of Fire. The second half of the swim I was cold, I was near the back and it seemed I’d been swimming for ages and getting nowhere. I was worried I’d made a wrong turn despite following the buoys as I felt very much on my own. I was just near last. I got out of the lake in a time of 2:07:52, just before the cut off and probably 20 minutes slower than what I had expected, plus I was exhausted. I went through to transition, my bag being one of the last ones, ate some food, tried to sort myself out and get changed - I tried to dry my toes before putting clean socks on (a small luxury I was prepared to reward myself with) but my feet were so soggy and shrivelled I couldn’t get all of the sand off. One of the marshals told me to get a move on as I was near cut off. Over to my bike, one of the last in the rack and through transition in about 18 minutes. Not a great start, but I told myself no need to panic, there is plenty of time left in the day and surely that was my worst part over. I was settling into the bike, trying not to push hard as I didn’t want to blow myself up. Plenty of time left. Then someone whizzed past on a time trial bike and I thought I probably was last so I’d better get a move on. When I got to the main loop the pros were soon whirring past on their slick TT bikes (on their second lap) which was amazing. Slowly but surely I caught people up and overtook them (mainly going up the hills where being lightweight is an advantage). I even overtook Mr Time Trial bike. I was going quite well, interacting with the crowd who were cheering us all on, despite the weather.

At about 34km in I came off the bike in the wet going around a roundabout. It was like I’d hit a patch of ice, and I went down so quickly I don’t even think I got a chance to take my hands off the handlebars to brace myself, with my face and my knee taking most of the impact. I was a bit dazed. My first instinct was to check my cheek wasn’t broken, but it was very tender. I didn’t know if my bike was broken, and I feared I wouldn’t be able to carry on. I must have looked panicked. The spectators helped me up, washed my cuts out with water, picked up my bike, had a look at me, dabbed my wounds with tissues, and told me that it is just a flesh wound. I guess I’m ok to carry on then? It’s what I wanted to do. There was no first aid tent at the roundabout, and I had no idea what my face looked like, so I put my chain back on my bike and carried on.

Actually, my race got a lot better from that point. I felt I was going quick on the bike. I was definitely overtaking people. The rolling hills suited me, and it was a joy to ride on closed roads. No stopping at junctions, no cars and everyone going in the same direction. There were people lining the streets and there was a party theme going through every village and town on route. Maybe because my face was a mess, I felt like I was getting an extra cheer. The atmosphere was brilliant. My second lap felt quicker than the first and I no one overtook me for the whole lap (all the fast people were long gone by then). I was feeling really good when I rolled into transition 2, only to be told I needed to go to the medical tent before my run. I was sprayed with antiseptic and set on my way.

The run is a 4-lap flat course along the River Main in the centre of Frankfurt. The only incline is going over a couple of bridges. The weather had cleared up at this point and crowds were lining the street cheering on all the competitors. It was good having a 4-lap course as you would see the same people each lap and they would cheer you on, high five you, they’d see your name and flag on my race number and shout GO RICHARD. GO GO GO! (I was trying!!). There were lots of funny signs - kids holding “power up” mushrooms etc young lady offering free hugs (I knew my face was a mess then as she was joking that she wouldn’t hug me; “next lap” I kept telling her. A couple of favourites were “smile if you’re not wearing underwear” (I doubt anyone was) and a man holing up a sign that said, “run if you think I’m sexy”. My run was a bit of a shuffle, but I kept up a reasonable pace. I did need a toilet stop on lap 3 - there is a 5km section where my splits were nearly 2 minutes slower, but I finished strongly (as I was lighter and a lot more comfortable) to cross the line in 13:34:08. That is a full day out. I rang the first timers bell, got my medal, and was whisked off to the medical tent for another clean-up, which was more of a check over. I then called Nikki for a quick chat. I didn’t have long as my battery was nearly out - my phone had been pinging all day, but it was really good to speak to her. My phone then died. I showered, ate a snack, and went back to the finish to cheer on the other athletes and wait for my friend Tom. He was announced as the last person on the course (a lot were told at 37km they wouldn’t make the 15-hour cut off - harsh!). After he’d finished and got sorted, we headed back to the finish area in the square, but all restaurants were closed. It was 10:30pm on a Sunday night so we settled for a beer. A group in the bar (who had been drinking all day admittedly) welcomed us as heroes and bought our drinks. We only had time for one though as we had to get our bikes, our 3 transition bags hand in our timers then I had a ten-minute walk back to the hotel trying to carry all my stuff (Tom had paid for an exclusive package and had people to do it for him).

I ditched my bike and stuff in my room, grabbed my phone charger and headed up to the roof top bar for a pizza and a beer. I had 109 messages of good luck and lots of group WhatsApps with friends tracking my progress (18 minutes in transition 1? What is he doing? Having a nap then a cup of tea??). It was actually quite overwhelming. I struggled to eat my pizza so just went to bed. I thought I would sleep well but I was restless. Overall, it was an amazing event and despite the non-wetsuit swim and my bike accident I really enjoyed it.

Things that went badly:

- the warm lake meant no wetsuits. This was a real setback for me and a big cause of concern. Nothing I could do about it though, so I just accepted it was going to be tough (but it was tougher than I thought)

- the wet weather meant walking and standing in the rain, getting cold and damp. Again, nothing you can do about it and it is the same for everyone.

- my fall on the bike. Due to the wet, slippy road, and me going slightly too fast on a bend. Luckily, nothing on me or the bike was broken*

Things that went well:

- the rolling bike course suited me. I could be quick up the hills. Cycling on closed roads was a joy.

- nutrition. I got this right. Salt tablets, electrolytes, carbs in gels, chews, bananas and flapjack. I was well fuelled throughout and still had extras at the end.

- pacing. There were times when I had to remind myself that I still had a marathon to run when I was pushing on the bike so I didn’t go as quick as I felt I could. Same with the run. I maintained a pretty consistent pace throughout and relative to other competitors the run was my strongest section.

- my training. I started about a year ago, entering a half marathon and really buckled down to it in the last three months. I even gave up alcohol. I didn’t follow a programme but tried to do 3 sessions during the week and go long at weekends, with an increase in distance in the last 3 months. I listened to my body and didn’t have any injuries to contend with. Thanks to Mrs Titch for letting me get on with it.

- the crowds. It was a party for the spectators and their support for all the competitors was brilliant! I really soaked it all in and enjoyed all the interactions.

- the weather in the afternoon. I think it is worthwhile to consider that although there was a lot of rain in the morning it had cleared up by the afternoon. The temperature wasn’t hot and there was a pleasant light breeze. It was a good temperature to run in.

Overall it was a really enjoyable experience. The fact that I found the swim so tough and had a setback on the bike probably made my sense of achievement greater. If I could swim and stay upright on the bike, and maybe pushed a bit harder on the bike and run I could have got a better time, but my aim all along was to finish it. I made it. I AM AN IRONMAN!

Thank you for your support.

*Packing my bike away on Monday morning, I realised my front derailleur was broken. I didn’t notice at the time as I did the whole ride in the big ring.