Ironman Australia from the sidelines

Spectating at an IM is a long and tiring day on your feet, where you become part of the day each athlete is having around the course. Here's what I saw and learned from my day on the sidelines.

Pre-Race

• A lot people spend a lot of time standing around, and walking to/from the expo, coffee shops, accommodation, etc. This should be a time to keep off your feet as much as possible.
• Analysis paralysis is crippling. People - especially first-timers - over think, over worry, over analyse, over psych, and mentally wear themselves out instead of saving it for race day. The race and the course is what it is. Plan for it, understand it and then do it.
• First-timers tend to believe everything they hear and read. Use a grain of salt and apply the common sense filter. For example, a nutrition company at the expo had a sign stuck to their product saying "Prevents cramps. Increases VO2 max." I'll call bull*hit on that one...not to mention a lot of gimmicks currently invading the sport.
• Many bikes were loaded up with too much equipment, adding unnecessary weight. Keep it simple. Don't strap things to your bike "just in case" - there's enough support out on course to get you through.
• Non-competing spouses, most commonly women with a handful of kids deserve the biggest prize for the weekend, no make that the last 12 months, to support their competing spouse. They are amazing, and also bring the wonderful warmth and support that makes IM a true achievement of the whole family.
• Club and team spirit was enormous and really brings atmosphere to the whole race weekend. The value of being in a club uniform was immeasurable, with the associated support and camaraderie between team mates. Team PIS were fantastic, and their enthusiasm pervasive.

 Race Day

• A huge range of super-aero bikes and equipment were on display, and an equally wide range of bike positions and riding styles. Aero helmets are (finally) catching on as a cheap performance benefit. However, numerous athletes negated the aero benefits of their equipment by frequently sitting up on their bars.
• Although many athletes spend $thousands on reducing the weight of their bike, some seem to ignore the impact of their own body weight...which is cheaper and easier to reduce than any bike component!!!
• Almost everyone in the race rode too hard, especially over the hills in the first lap, pushing big gears. The drop off in intensity from the first to third laps was markedly noticeable, although this did coincide with a general improvement in the smoothness of gearing and pedalling.
• Smart pacing in the bike was notably absent, particularly in the sub-6 hour riders. The head wind in the second half of the bike didn't help, but nonetheless a more conservative pacing strategy may have helped. Interestingly, some of the BOP'ers perhaps had the best pacing of all.
• Although there was a lot of drafting packs, it didn't seem quite as bad as last year...perhaps because the Technical Officials were reportedly doing a better job.
• Many athletes just coasted downhills rather pedalling to gain a little more advantage from what gravity already provided.
• Many athletes wore a dark coloured race outfit, which might look "cool" but in reality is not...especially given the beating sun on race day.
• On the run course a lot of people had wet, squelching shoes from tipping water on themselves. While water on skin is great for cooling, taking care so it doesn't run into your shoes can save a lot of discomfort later on.
• While the sun was quite intense, the air temperature was quite OK at mid-20's. Many people crumbled in these conditions - perhaps mentally more so - which lead to an inevitable crumbling in their running form to a "survival mode". Athletes who maintained their composure during the run stood out as their body language was positive, reflecting their mental attitude.
• The white arm coolers / sleeves are a great idea and something I'd highly recommend. They aid evaporation, prevent sunburn (a performance inhibitor) and are just smart.
• Nutrition problems seemed very prevalent, with athletes commenting on not being able to consume anything during the run leg. This may have been due to over hydration as instinctive reaction to the perception of the hot day. Even on hot days there's a limit to how much liquid you can absorb - the rest just sloshes around in your stomach. On race day, the greater issue was sunburn, not necessarily hot air temperature.
• Everyone had ups and downs during the run. You've just got to "roll with the punches" and keep moving forwards at the quickest rate you can. Walking through aid stations rather than stopping still multiplied out through the day adds up to quite a difference in the end.
• Even if everything goes bad, there's huge respect in toughing it out to finish (as long as it's not detrimental to your health / wellbeing). Watching pro athlete Desiree Ficker (a 2:39 marathoner) tough it out with a 5hr+ marathon was impressive.
• Spectators have a ability to lift and encourage athletes through tough times. It's wonderful to see athletes lift when they get a cheer, and rewarding as a spectator to get even the smallest acknowledgement of their cheer...even just a raised eyebrow!!
• In cheering, there's fantastic, enthusiastic and encouraging support...and there's also annoying and ear splitting support. The former is far more welcome to athletes than the latter.
• I've never seen so many young kids at a race, who all had long days but added a wonderful family atmosphere to the event. It was the sum of many things that made the spectacle and occasion of IM a great place to be.
• Finally, the accomplishment of the slower athletes is something to be admired. Even as they struggle through the run leg, they're still moving after so many hours. It's dark and lonely out there, but their achievement has equal merit with anyone else in the race.

The main memory I've taken from this year's event is how great the whole IM occasion is, the positive environment, support and comraderie amongst competitors and spectators alike. Triathlon may be a minor sport, but in the lives of the people out there on race day, IM is about as big as it gets.