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A Software Engineer's IRONMAN PENGHU 226 Journal - Part 1: The Preparation
Two days before the race - Early morning, off to Penghu with my luggage
Once at the Penghu hotel, I quickly assembled my bike and went for a spin. About 200m in I got a flat, so I took it to the IRONMAN venue mechanics for inspection. Turned out I'd run over a very thin nail. Honestly, lucky! Glad it surfaced before the race. In the afternoon we did a 30km bike course familiarization ride.
A month before the race I'd noticed bruising on the inside of my right ankle and had been applying ointment. Walking and easy running were fine, but bending the foot at certain angles hurt — I was scared the old injury was flaring up. So in Penghu I hit several drugstores and finally found an L-size ankle brace.
One day before the race - To keep nerves from affecting performance, I went with Kevin to Shili Beach for a test swim. Facing a bottomless ocean, I wasn't fearless, but training had made me brave! That day the waves were small and easy to swim.
Race Day - D-Day
The wait before getting in the water is always the hardest — I was beyond nervous, having never swum this long an open water distance in my life.
(Because I'd loaded up on dinner the night before and lots of bread for breakfast, I forgot to suck my stomach in for the photo — the puffy dolphins waiting to enter the water - The Puffy Dolfins)
Swim 3.8 km
Just as dawn broke, the gun went off at 6:00 and athletes entered the water in waves. About 1000m in, my goggles fogged up — I could barely see anything. I flagged down a lifeguard for direction, and he told me to swim toward the sun. I felt increasingly off-course, then found another lifeguard who let me grab onto a SUP and tread water while I rinsed my goggles in the sea. Only then could I continue. With the tide rising, by the time I rounded the third buoy heading back to shore, I was hit by a strong counter-current — really tough swimming. Eventually I found a guy with a similar pace and drafted off him, finally exiting the water at 2:11.
Bike 180 km (1200m elevation)
As the sun rose and around 11am, the Penghu course got blazing hot. I started pouring water over myself, holding wattage around 120W. The wind in Penghu was strong, with both tail and headwinds — I rested on the tailwinds and put down steady output on uphill headwinds, while taking in at least 80g of carbs per hour and topping up water. I finished the bike segment cleanly and entered the run.
Run (42 km)
Surprisingly, after the bike, I didn't cramp up like in past triathlons. The sun was scorching, so I held an 8-9 min/km pace, jogging steadily until around 20km, when the outside of my right thigh started seizing. I couldn't keep running, so I walked nearly 10km, eating at aid stations to recover. Then the announcer called out that there was only 1 hour 20 minutes until the cutoff. I felt time was tight and didn't want to walk away with regret. With the last 10km loop ahead, my right outer thigh was still seizing, but I told my right leg, "We've trained for half a year — just hang on for one more hour and twenty minutes!" Strangely enough, it stopped hurting. I crossed the finish arch with arms raised, 13 minutes before the cutoff, and heard "You're an IRONMAN!" — yes, I'd taken on myself once again and won.
(The official race clock broke and stopped at 13:77:17)
Final Thoughts
Triathlon has given me far more than I ever expected — and I couldn't have gotten here alone. Thanks to everyone who's helped me along the way.
Over the years I've been looked after by two bosses / triathlon partners. From Kevin Yeo I learned team management and grit; from Harry Chen, crisis handling and leadership.
Most of all, thanks to my girlfriend LALA, who flew over from Taiwan to be there for the race, document this important moment, and even prepared a special restaurant celebration.
Finally, thanks to my brother for training with me at the open water year after year. This time, when my goggles fogged up mid-swim and I could barely see anything, I stayed calm, found someone on a SUP, and treaded water to clean my goggles.
Going forward, on the racetrack of life, we all face our own challenges. Find your balance, keep moving forward steadily — go for it!
Reflection
That night is etched into my memory. I almost didn't make it back, and it gave me a new understanding of what IRONMAN means.
"What is an IRONMAN? It's when you've been through everything, your body is exhausted, your legs are trembling, and you're still running toward your goal!" Run video
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