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Forster : The Ironman Triathlon

by Gary Leahy

Sunday April 21 1996, The Australian Sport Plus IRONMAN Ultra Distance Triathlon arrives for its 11th outing and 1,008 competitors are about to start a very long day. The élite athletes will finish in less than eight and half hours - the clock shuts down at fifteen hours, nine o'clock Sunday night.

Some say what else is there to do in April? Murray Town includes the IRONMAN on his annual calendar; will 1996 be his 5th Forster finish or will Murray become the innocent victim of a first timer stopping for refreshments at an aid station on the bike course. Sarah completed IRONMAN in 1993, when she won her age group; she is now at the end of the 40-44 age group and the competition is stiff with Jo-Anne Danne beating the younger girls in all distances.

Jonathan, I think more as part of a dare, submitted his entry and was accepted after being quizzed by the race director as to his experience over this distance and now "Welcome to reality". For me it will be number four, two in consecutive years and when I always said it was a biennial event; well I forgot! Must be a softening of the grey matter.

It is 3.00 am and an early breakfast; back to bed for 40 minutes and then the household is on alert. The loo gets a work out, all ready and off to the start. We need to be at Forster Keys at least one hour before the swim start. The ankle timing strap is attached, arms and legs are tattooed with race numbers. The bike transition area is bustling with 1000 competitors checking tyres, applying Vaseline and baby oil to avoid the wet suit rash. The loo queues are long. It is cold, but for the long john wet suit and the two swim caps. The swim course always looks very forbidding at this time of the day. The spot lights cast their shadows across the water, as we like lemmings start to move looking for a space in the waters.

The quiet time is over, the gun goes off, the mullet run has started. By the first turning buoy the thrashing has almost ceased. It is necessary to assert yourself and not allow the surrounding swimmers to upset your rhythm. You remember the training, and concentrate on your stroke, remain calm, and do not react to the constant battering. It is almost over, two laps of the 1.9 k course and the second turning buoy is rounded. It is now a straight line to the finishing gate. The water runs out quickly and we run through soft rotting mud. Thanks for the shower. The bike gear bag is visible. It is now the start of the second leg, and only 222.4 kilometres to go.

Modesty is not an issue, just drop your gear and redress in bike knicks as quickly as you can. The shirt sticks to your wet upper body as you frantically attempt to don bike shoes and helmet. The food tables are laden with biscuits, drinks, bananas and yes I will take that too. Run, run find the bike run, run....no, no you can't jump on till the white line, quick and we are away. Up to the roundabout, the crowd is cheering you hear your name this is your 4th IRONMAN and wonder why am I doing it !!!!!

The bike is fast, the adrenalin is flowing, whilst it is all down hill to Tarbuck Bay some 30 kilometres away. The lead bikes are returning, and swing on to the Coomba Park Road and flying, Yurgen Zack, Holger Lorenze and Bruce Thomas are setting a fast pace closely followed by likely contenders for the crown. My computer fails at about 2 kilometres. Must be water on the contacts from the jetstream. I have no idea what speed or average, so I ask the rider alongside. It's about 37 - 38 kph average; can I keep this up? Coomba Park comes and goes and we are approaching town after 2 hours 30 minutes , 90k's down and only another 90 to go. The north-easterly wind is not as strong as past years. The second half is slower after cramps to my quads. I cannot stand and ride the hills, so I sit and push. Have I eaten enough? I pick up extra biddons at each of the aid stations and pour in the water. More drink, Squeezys and no I cannot eat another Thunder Bar. One more Squeezy as I approach town shaking off the Thunder Bars that have melted and now stuck to every thing in my pocket. The crowd is cheering, the last roundabout and half a kilometer to the line and only 42.2 k's to go.

Will I be able to stand when the bike stops? The handlers support the bike, I lift my leg and land on the carpet. I can walk; well almost, I am bent over, I hobble; is it the shoes or my quads? The run gear bag is still in the transition, I have not been busted for drafting, unlike Murray and have to serve a three minute sentence. Or was that a welcome rest?

The change tent is frantic. Drop your gear, dress in run shorts and singlet, don't forget the Vaseline, the bum bag and more Squeezys. A hat and sunglasses and we are away. Down the hill, the legs are screaming; can I run ? What a start to the marathon, cramping quads! I stretch when I round the corner and again across the bridge in Tuncurry. They changed the course this year to run along the water front, after passing the Tuncurry Hotel. The footpath is lined with drinkers offering suggestions on tactics. One woman is quietly eating fish and chips oblivious to her surrounds. Now back through town and I have settled into a steady pace - 22 minutes for 5k. This feels OK.

I had settled on the run tactics long before the start. I needed to run a sub 4 hour marathon. My PW marathon was 3:48 after I had badly misjudged the pace of the first half of the Combination in 1990. I should be able to run at least a 3.45 at Forster or so I thought. I need to run at a minimum every second aid station, which are spaced every 2k's; and run all the hills including the big hill near the Primary School.

In the weeks and days leading to Forster, Jonathon said I would have to put time into him on the bike. I had seen him on the bike course at Coomba Park Road and estimated he was some 30 minutes behind. With 30 kilometers to go maybe I can build up a 40 minute lead. I see him again at 17 kilometers; he is seven and half k's behind.

He is a specialist runner, with a third place in this year's Six Foot Track six weeks earlier and looking very comfortable. I do not talk, but concentrate on myself. I'm feeling comfortable and lift the pace on the run back to town. At the last corner Bruce Thomas catches me, he is on his last lap and about to finish with the fastest run of the day at 2 hours 51 minutes, third place and first Australian for the fourth consecutive time.

To identify the runners on the second lap, a much cherished wrist band is distributed at half way. Across the bridge I falter at the turn around. Had I gone too hard in the first half - 1 hour 52 minutes. I walk through the station eating, drinking one diluted Coke and back through town for the last time. The Coke wasn't successful, repeating all the way to the top of the big hill where I left it.

Now, concentrate, it is only another 14 k's. On entering Cape Hawk Drive it is now 10 k's and let's get serious. To the turn around I lift the pace, climb the hill and grab a drink, I can't stop it is not far. Just think of the STAR runs, we are racing now. If only I could have run like this for the other 32 k's.

I see Jonathon at the corner, 4 k's behind, I have only 6 to the line. I would have to break a leg !!! The run into town goes on and on and on, ask Chris Gunns. Haven't time to stop, grab a drink, half over the head and the rest consumed. Feeling OK, can't run much faster or can I?

Look at the watch and it is still sub 10.30 can I make it around the last corner, it is 4.30 pm the sun is low, the crowd are calling, the last hill!!! merely a rise, a bump normally but now a hill,.it is fantastic, the right hand chute is all mine as I pick up another 2 runners. It is 10 hours 27 minutes and 38 seconds a PB by 20 minutes achieved five years ago with Murray Town.

It is the best feeling !!!!!

Jonathon in his first IRONMAN finishes in a fantastic 10 hours 44 minutes after running 3 hours 28 minutes, the 43rd fastest run of the day.

Murray finishes his fifth Forster and his sixth IRONMAN in 11 hours 25 minutes. He obviously did not run fast enough because the following week he and Jonathon both ran Brisbane Waters Bush Bash.

Sarah, on a big comeback, has finished in the top three in all the NSW State Championship Races over Sprint, Olympic and Long Course and had trained very consistently all summer. Unfortunately some bad water on the bike course slowed her down to finish in 11 hours 51 minutes.

Striders' results at Forster :

Name	Swim 3.8km	Bike 180.2km	Run 42.2km	Overall
GARY LEAHEY (Age 40-44)	1.06.28	5.30.46	3.50.24	10.27.38
JONATHON WORSWICK (Age 30-34)	1.11.36	6.04.11	3.28.32	10.44.19
MURRAY TOWN (Age 50-54)	1.14.52	5.58.39	4.11.45	11.25.16
SARAH ENTWISTLE (Age 40-44)	1.16.29	6.10.49	4.24.24	11.51.42