Campbell Maffett: 2011 New Zealand Ironman

New Zealand Ironman, Taupo, Saturday 5th March

Apparently they’ve had a good summer over here with warm weather and dry conditions (unlike Melbourne)…until yesterday, race day. It rained, poured, rained, poured and rained some more. From Friday night until this morning (Sunday) there was only perhaps 30mins that didn’t rain. And not just rain, but heavy, heavy rain times. Fortunately, however, it was fairly mild and calm in town (Taupo), although there was some was wind on course. I’ve never seen a triathlon with such rain…

Anyway, the race went ahead regardless and everyone dealt with the conditions as best they could, to their credit. I was particularly following 5 athletes – 3 from our group (Shaun, Rhiannon & Dave) and 2 other guys I’ve been coaching (David & Mark) – plus a number of others in the race I know and was cheering also. The whole field had about 1500 athletes and sold out about 9 months ago.

It was barely light when the swim started, but offered great viewing from high on the lake shore before the first transition leading into 2 bike laps, and then 2 run laps…which meant some downtime during the race. I was staying with Wes & Rhiannon and so chilled out with Wes in the motel room watching really crap NZ TV to pass time. I had also hired a bike which allowed me to ride the run course to keep track of everyone and ride with them for periods of time. We kept track with the on-line updates on the IM web-site.

Suffice to say, EVERONE got soaked – athletes and spectators alike – and unfortunately meant the crowds were a little down. But this race still has a great atmosphere. Here’s a little summary for each of the 5 people I was following…

Rhiannon Snipe – had a great swim and surprised me with how soon she was out onto the bike, with a full “race face” on! She rode sensibly and well, and paced the bike leg well…although quite distance behind her age group leaders. Onto the run and she reported feeling average, but this was her strength and was still running well. I caught up with her again with 10km to go, up a long hill on the run to the finish. If anything, she picked the pace up as she chased a girl in her age group just ahead, and was running with amazing strength and determination…this was a seriously great performance and pulled herself into 4th place in the her age group (15th female overall) with a time that would have won her age group almost every other year.

Dave Symonds – unfortunately had a cold in the lead-up to the race which didn’t help motivation or preparation. However he improved for race day and had a better swim than expected, and rode very consistently and well. Onto the run – also his strength – his turnover was typically good, although like everyone he got tired. However he maintained his form and cadence and ran strongly to the finish, his first IM, and was really pleased with his day.

Shaun Stenson – arrived feeling great and relaxed, and looking forward to a good race. He swam well and like Dave, rode very consistently and strongly with a negative split for the two lap ride. Onto the run and he was still looking relaxed and smooth and maintaining good pace through the first lap, and into the second lap. Things got tough in last 15km and he changed strategy to walk the hills and run the flats…and still running very smoothly when he did. He was all concentration and was doing a fantastic job of keeping going, gaining time on everyone as he ran. He finished with a 38min PB and a fantastic result he is very happy with.

David Green – came here after some fantastic results over summer and hopes of continuing this during the IM, the big end of season goal. He swam solidly, and well for the first lap of the ride but faded a little in the second lap but still off the bike within the time range we had hoped. Onto the run he looked good and ran the first lap well, and well into the second lap. He tired a bit in the second lap but still finished with an 9min PB, which was pleasing but missing the goal of a Hawaii spot.

Mark Harrison – hadn’t raced much but his training was excellent leading into the race. We spent quite some time working out a race plan which started on track with a good swim. He rode a controlled and good bike leg, making a tactical adjustment to ease off in the last 40km to ensure his strength, the run, would still be there. Onto the run and he went really well, and kept his pace and form to the end. While he missed goal A (a Hawaii spot), he got goal B (sub-10hrs) with a 20min PB.

Summary
David Green - 9:37hr (PB), 16th in M30-34
Mark Harrison – 9:51hr (PB), 21st in M35-39
Rhiannon Snipe – 10:14hr (debut), 4th in F25-29, 15th female overall
Dave Symonds – 11:25hr (debut), 67th in M45-49
Shaun Stenson – 11:40 (PB), 119th in M30-34