A Teacher by Day, a Triathlete by Determination
Jan 11, 2018
Every year, Nexus holds a triathlon event during the Summer term. Now, although I love teaching Mathematics, I get equally excited at the challenge posed by this up-and-coming sport. As the name suggests, it combines three disciplines- swimming, cycling and running. It is becoming more and more popular in Malaysia and until recently there was even an Ironman event in Putrajaya. You may have heard about Ironman triathlons, which are considered the pinnacle of the sport because of the mind-boggling distances involved. Over the Summer, I completed the Ironman UK event, which involved a 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42.2km bike in 10 hours 42 minutes- a very long day at the office!
Back in May, I also completed an event in Danang, Vietnam, that was (only!) half as long. After many hours of training I was in good shape and, as a result, I managed to qualify for the Half Ironman World Championships. These take place annually during September and this year would be in the USA. After months of preparation, it was finally time to travel to Chattanooga, Tennessee, in order to challenge myself against the best in the world.
After a 28-hour journey via Tokyo and Chicago, I spent the days prior to the event carb-loading on waffles, overcoming the jetlag and checking out the course and the opposition.
I woke up at 4am on Sunday morning ready for action. I was most worried about the first discipline; the 2km swim in the Tennessee River, which was to be mostly against the current. We are spoilt in South-East Asia to be able to swim in warm pools and clear seas, but with Hurricane Irma heading towards the area from Florida, the water had become cold enough for wetsuits. Unfortunately I had left mine in the UK, and so my bright yellow tri-suit stood out in the crowd of black wetsuits on the start line. The former Formula One driver Jenson Button was one of the 400 or so rivals I was racing in my category and he looked at me very oddly on the start line!
The swim began with me receiving the customary kicks to the face and punches to the legs as the field jostled for space. Accompanied by the early morning sun shining in my eyes, I was finding it pretty difficult to see the buoys marking out the route. It was at this point that I reminded myself of the tale of the tortoise and the hare- slow and steady wins the race! I managed to remain calm and maintain a steady rhythm for the remainder of the swim, and was hugely relieved to make my way up the steps at the exit. However, a glance at my watch told me it had taken me around 40 minutes, which was 5 minutes slower than in Vietnam and I knew would place me towards the back of the field heading onto the bike section.
The course designers had outdone themselves when conceiving the route for the bike. After heading out of Chattanooga for the first couple of miles, the road led up towards the infamous Lookout Mountain. This meant that the first 20 miles would involve almost 3000 feet of climbing steep hills! My training in the humidity of Malaysia had prepared me for this though, as I spend many weekends in the hills around Hulu Langat. Slowly but surely I began to pass people on bikes worth many thousands of dollars more than mine. Towards the top of the climb, the locals had come out in force dressed in wrestling outfits and holding signs of encouragement, which gave it a Tour de France vibe. I couldn’t help but smile, wave at them and thank them for their support.
I was delighted to reach the halfway mark when the downhill section gave my legs a chance to rest, although I had to maintain my concentration travelling fast at over 80kmph. The rest of the route was relatively flat, which suited the competitors on the more aerodynamic time-trial bikes compared with my road bike. Once again, I felt as though I was slipping towards the back of the field and I was happy to return to transition after 2 hours 46 minutes of cycling.
The third discipline is the run and it is usually when I make up ground. I began running four years ago as a means of getting myself into shape after years of laying around playing too much Xbox. Despite the long time in the saddle, my legs felt great and I soon found myself overtaking those who had passed me on the bike. I quickly found a pace of 4 minutes per km that felt comfortable, as the midday temperatures rose above 30oC. There were drinks stations every mile that provided water and nutrition but also wet sponges and ice. I made sure that I picked up sponges to place under my tri-suit and ice to put down my back to stay cool. However, they had made the run course similarly challenging, with downhill sections immediately followed by steep climbs which started to take their toll on me.
The final 5km of the race felt like the longest of my life. My soggy shoes had begun to blister my toes and my old knees were beginning to feel painful. Despite this, I remained focused on my goal and determined to finish strongly. Seeing my parents cheering me on as I crossed the final bridge spurred me on further and I even managed a smile at the end. I made my way over the finishing line in just over 5 hours, completing the half marathon run in around 1 hour 30 minutes.
Although this was a long way short of my personal best performance, I was delighted to complete a highly challenging course and have the opportunity to compete against the best triathletes in the world. I ended up placing 257th of the 400 athletes in my age category.
I hope this little review inspires some learners from Nexus to take on the challenge of a triathlon in the future. A great place to begin will be the Nexus triathlon- I started out doing a similar event in the UK less than 3 years ago! In the second term, I am offering a triathlon CCA, where you will have the opportunity to practise each of the three disciplines and to receive coaching from myself. I hope to see some of you there! If you have any questions in the meantime, feel free to ask: wright.c@nexus.edu.my.
Back in May, I also completed an event in Danang, Vietnam, that was (only!) half as long. After many hours of training I was in good shape and, as a result, I managed to qualify for the Half Ironman World Championships. These take place annually during September and this year would be in the USA. After months of preparation, it was finally time to travel to Chattanooga, Tennessee, in order to challenge myself against the best in the world.
After a 28-hour journey via Tokyo and Chicago, I spent the days prior to the event carb-loading on waffles, overcoming the jetlag and checking out the course and the opposition.
I woke up at 4am on Sunday morning ready for action. I was most worried about the first discipline; the 2km swim in the Tennessee River, which was to be mostly against the current. We are spoilt in South-East Asia to be able to swim in warm pools and clear seas, but with Hurricane Irma heading towards the area from Florida, the water had become cold enough for wetsuits. Unfortunately I had left mine in the UK, and so my bright yellow tri-suit stood out in the crowd of black wetsuits on the start line. The former Formula One driver Jenson Button was one of the 400 or so rivals I was racing in my category and he looked at me very oddly on the start line!
The swim began with me receiving the customary kicks to the face and punches to the legs as the field jostled for space. Accompanied by the early morning sun shining in my eyes, I was finding it pretty difficult to see the buoys marking out the route. It was at this point that I reminded myself of the tale of the tortoise and the hare- slow and steady wins the race! I managed to remain calm and maintain a steady rhythm for the remainder of the swim, and was hugely relieved to make my way up the steps at the exit. However, a glance at my watch told me it had taken me around 40 minutes, which was 5 minutes slower than in Vietnam and I knew would place me towards the back of the field heading onto the bike section.
The course designers had outdone themselves when conceiving the route for the bike. After heading out of Chattanooga for the first couple of miles, the road led up towards the infamous Lookout Mountain. This meant that the first 20 miles would involve almost 3000 feet of climbing steep hills! My training in the humidity of Malaysia had prepared me for this though, as I spend many weekends in the hills around Hulu Langat. Slowly but surely I began to pass people on bikes worth many thousands of dollars more than mine. Towards the top of the climb, the locals had come out in force dressed in wrestling outfits and holding signs of encouragement, which gave it a Tour de France vibe. I couldn’t help but smile, wave at them and thank them for their support.
I was delighted to reach the halfway mark when the downhill section gave my legs a chance to rest, although I had to maintain my concentration travelling fast at over 80kmph. The rest of the route was relatively flat, which suited the competitors on the more aerodynamic time-trial bikes compared with my road bike. Once again, I felt as though I was slipping towards the back of the field and I was happy to return to transition after 2 hours 46 minutes of cycling.
The third discipline is the run and it is usually when I make up ground. I began running four years ago as a means of getting myself into shape after years of laying around playing too much Xbox. Despite the long time in the saddle, my legs felt great and I soon found myself overtaking those who had passed me on the bike. I quickly found a pace of 4 minutes per km that felt comfortable, as the midday temperatures rose above 30oC. There were drinks stations every mile that provided water and nutrition but also wet sponges and ice. I made sure that I picked up sponges to place under my tri-suit and ice to put down my back to stay cool. However, they had made the run course similarly challenging, with downhill sections immediately followed by steep climbs which started to take their toll on me.
The final 5km of the race felt like the longest of my life. My soggy shoes had begun to blister my toes and my old knees were beginning to feel painful. Despite this, I remained focused on my goal and determined to finish strongly. Seeing my parents cheering me on as I crossed the final bridge spurred me on further and I even managed a smile at the end. I made my way over the finishing line in just over 5 hours, completing the half marathon run in around 1 hour 30 minutes.
Although this was a long way short of my personal best performance, I was delighted to complete a highly challenging course and have the opportunity to compete against the best triathletes in the world. I ended up placing 257th of the 400 athletes in my age category.
I hope this little review inspires some learners from Nexus to take on the challenge of a triathlon in the future. A great place to begin will be the Nexus triathlon- I started out doing a similar event in the UK less than 3 years ago! In the second term, I am offering a triathlon CCA, where you will have the opportunity to practise each of the three disciplines and to receive coaching from myself. I hope to see some of you there! If you have any questions in the meantime, feel free to ask: wright.c@nexus.edu.my.
