As I swam through a bright orange wave of vomit, I thought \u201cThis is quite different to any race I\u2019ve done before!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We were half-way through the roughest swim in a New Zealand Ironman for 20 years and a fellow competitor had just thrown up over me. I\u2019ve no idea whether he made it back to shore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More than 120 people had to be rescued from the waves, battered by the storm which broke over Taupo, the normally placid lake town in New Zealand\u2019s North Island early on Saturday morning, as we prepared for action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some of the time it was scary, sometimes frustrating and slow, other times I just thought \u201cWow this is exciting! It\u2019s really adventure sport!\u201d as another massive wave smashed over me. And as we met the full force of the storm at the turnaround point I thought \u201cThis is like Deadliest Catch!\u201d (the TV show about crab-fishing trawlers in Alaska).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were swimmers fighting one another, others treading water and looking lost and afraid. Certainly very little of the calm, clear, clean waters which the organisers had promised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ironman racing is about dealing with the unexpected. So we 1,270 triathletes duly re-set our expectations amid this wave-tossed 3,800 metres and ran up the hill to transition. My swim time was 1 hour 29 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Out on the bike course, the plus side of the storm emerged: we had the wind at our back for the 45km mainly downhill ride to Reporoa. What fun! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I completed this bit in 1 hour 13 minutes, so if I could ride this fast for the rest of the bike leg, my split time would be under 5 hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
No chance. Getting back up the hill against the fierce wind took much longer. But I passed other competitors consistently throughout the ride. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact having finished the swim in 636th place overall (exactly half way through the field) I rose 249 places to 387th by the end of the bike. It\u2019s always encouraging to overtake people, especially tough-looking younger guys in aero helmets\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were some gruesome sights out here too. People grinding slowly and noisily up hills in the wrong gear. Others standing around at the side of the road, pale and exhausted. Larger riders hauling themselves up the road, pain distorting their faces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the absence of war, Ironman races provide some of the most extraordinary scenes of human suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Flush with energy gels, coke, coffee, Powerade and Ensure Plus (a liquid food designed for terminally ill people - works miracles in these races), I plugged away for 180km in 6 hours 12 minutes and made it back to transition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The race had been going for just under 8 hours, so I was an hour behind my hoped-for schedule. The goal of beating my previous time of 13 hours 1 minute (Ironman Austria 2016) was looking very distant. It would mean setting a new Ironman marathon PB by at least 20 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the remarkably efficient and cheerful help of the Taupo volunteers, sorting out my kit, lathering on sunscreen and generally doing everything to make me feel great, I ran out of T2 in excellent spirits, so full of caffeine, sugar and energy-producing chemicals that I was bounding like a springbok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Much to my pleasure, the first couple of kilometres of the run were downhill, next to the lake, which by this time was a bright, luminous blue, with sun glistening off its gentle waves, now the wind had subsided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And for the next 4 and a half hours I had the most delightful time, running at a brisk 5 minutes 30 seconds per km, then 6 per km, then 6.30 but never quite 7. And then speeding up for the final few kilometres to the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Along the way were men in grass skirts, women in pink and purple tee shirts, men with a giant stack of beer cans, families with children, women with garden hoses, picnickers, walkers, cyclists and crowds of well-wishers, all shouting and whooping and calling my name and saying \u201cawesome running!\u201d and \u201cgreat pace David, keep it up!\u201d and \u201cyou\u2019ve got this!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are always crowds at Ironman events but I really felt that here in Taupo they meant it more. They just love this event. The man in the butchers asked me about it, the physiotherapist told me her husband had done it, the waitress in the restaurant wished me good luck. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The event\u2019s been held in New Zealand since 1985 (in Taupo since 1999), longer than anywhere except Kona in Hawaii (1978). And the love affair is mutual. Ironman competitors voted this their favourite event of 2016, above 39 rivals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We met Meredith Kessler, the woman\u2019s winner for five straight years from 2012 to 2016, training at a local pool before the event. She was incredibly friendly and just bubbled over about how much she loved the town and the event. \u201cIt\u2019s my favourite place in the world,\u201d she told us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then, during the run, Clare spotted her and cheered. \u201cHow\u2019s David getting on?\u201d asked Meredith as she went past. That kind of sums up the warmth of the atmosphere. Multiple Ironman champion concerned about an age grouper\u2019s progress! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Never before have I contemplated a run and thought \u201ccan\u2019t wait to go down that stretch again, it\u2019s so beautiful.\u201d The combination of elation and enthusiasm from the crowd and the stunning scenery definitely help to overcome pain and exhaustion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n