My family and I headed back home to Tenby on the Friday night, excited about the weekend ahead; not only about Ironman itself but also the fact that my eldest son, Madoc, was taking part in Ironkids on the Saturday. He had been registered for this race way back before the summer and had gradually become more and more excited the closer it got to race day.
Saturday morning, we headed down into the town to pick up Madoc's race number and soak up the event atmosphere. I knew it was going to be buzzing around the town but I wasn't prepared for just how much it was. The town was rammed with athletes; supporters; holiday makers just down for the hell of it; volunteers; kids in their Ironkids T-shirts and bikes! Oh so many stunning bikes. I had a severe case of bike envy.
We headed to the main event village to pick up the race number. The place was awash with bike maintenance tents, massage tents, food stalls and one massive tent full of merchandise and kit.
I was in awe of everything that was going on around us. The range of kit and clothing for sale was amazing (some of which was damn expensive as you can imagine). I invested the princely sum of £7 for a nice T-shirt then went collecting freebies including some decent tyre leavers and a buff/bandana type thing. I was after a new pair of cycling shorts, but after deciding not to re-mortgage my house to cover the cost of them I stuck with the free stuff (I love free stuff).
As the morning went on, I was getting more and more excited for next year. So much so, I was actually starting to envy the athletes taking part, wishing I was one of them.
Madoc's race was due to start at 3:30pm, so after a bit of lunch, he put on his kit, including a very smart Ironkids T-shirt given to him, and I took him to the start line. Being in Year 1 meant that adults had to run with their children and I remember thinking "Brilliant, I'll get a chance to cross the Ironman finish line at least once in my life!"
The hooter went and we were off. Madoc was amazing. The distance for his age group was 500m, and he didn't stop once. The crowds were out in force all showing their support for the kids. I was worried he might have been overwhelmed by it all, but he took it all in his stride. Literally! We rounded the last corner and before we new it we were on the red carpet heading to the finish. Madoc had a huge smile on his face all the way round and it became even bigger when he crossed the line and was presented his medal by the Mayor of Tenby (I found out later, that minutes after Madoc finished, Shane Williams, welsh rugby legend starting handing out the medals. Gutted)
Lucie and I couldn't have been more proud of Madoc, he was absolutely amazing. A true Ironkid.
On to race day.
Sunday morning, we were up at the crack of dawn in order to watch the swim (Its not often we have to wake the kids up). We left the house by 6:15 am and headed to the beach. We arrived and there were thousands of people already there lining the streets and the beach. It was an unbelievable sight and again, the atmosphere was electric. Only problem was, there was no where left with a decent view. Cue my Dad. My dad is chairman of Tenby Male Voice choir (A fantastic choir I must add) and it just so happens that the building they rehearse in over looks the race beach. So, he unlocked the door and we headed up to the top floor which has huge windows. Perfect. We could see everything. Nice call pops!
The Swim
After a passionate rendition of the welsh national anthem, the athletes prepared for the start. The pros set off at 6:55am sharp. The course looked so much bigger seeing it for real. The first of many worries arrived. This year, the organisers decided to implement a rolling start rather than a mass start. This meant that the athletes lined up in and entered the water in predicted swim time order. I liked the look of this start and hope they stick with it for next year.
The thousands of amateurs set of at 7am and so began the swim and what a sight to behold it was. Thousands of people swimming in fairly close proximity; front crawl carnage!
Within 10 minutes people were pulling out and being taken to shore by the rescue team. Some with cramp, some being sick and some who had clearly been kicked in the face. The second of many worries arrived. All that training and money only to pull out in discipline one. I felt so sorry for them and I can't imagine how they must have been feeling.
As the second lap of the swim began, we left the building to find a spot by the road to watch the swimmers coming out. We found a great spot with a perfect view and at a time of just over 51minutes, the first of the pros immerged. 51 minutes! The words: "you're having a laugh" came to mind. I'd probably still be on my first lap after 51 minutes. Anyway, as the clock ticked on, more and more competitors came by on their 1km journey to T1. The support was fantastic and must give you a real boost when running through the crowds. The swim was amazing to watch, what its like to compete in remains to be seen.
The cycle
This section will be brief as we didn't see much of the cycling, seeing as it spans 112 miles through the Pembrokeshire countryside. We watched some leaving T1 for their long journey and watched some returning many hours later. What was a nice touch was the ability to track an athlete online. After heading home after the swim, I opened up the tracker to see how people were doing. I knew many of the local competitors and it was interesting to see how they were getting on.
At about 3 o'clock we headed back out to see what was happening. At the bottom of the hill where my house is, was part of the running route and part of the cycling route. The pros were already on the run, and the cyclists were coming in thick and fast. It was the poor buggers going past at 5:25pm and had to be at transition by 5:30, who I felt bad for. Going all that way, making it around the gruelling 112 mile course only to miss the 5:30 cut off by seconds. More worries now developing.
The run
The marathon was great to watch. We took a stroll all around the town, following the route round the cobbled streets where the support and atmosphere continued to be second to none. We finally settled down on a grassy verge at the bottom of my hill and watched hundreds of runners pass by, then half hour later pass again going the other way with an extra band on their arm showing how many laps they had done. Music was playing, beer was flowing and every runner I saw went past with a smile on their face (especially the locals). Fair play to them!
I knew this was an amazing event and had seen it on the telly many times, but nothing quite prepared me for how awesome a spectacle it was. The buzz around town, the atmosphere, the sense of achievement, the heartache and the pride all crammed into one weekend makes for an unforgettable experience.
So what do I take from this? Well, firstly 99% of me can't wait until 18th September 2016. To be part of Ironman Wales as a competitor will be proud moment for me and I'm sure for Rhys as well. That leaves 1%. 1% filled to the brim with worries! Will I be prepared enough? Can I complete the swim? Will I make the cut off times? Will I finish? This last one is the biggest worry of them all. With people already starting to donate money, I would hate to let them down. Also, with a lot of family and friends already planning their trip to Tenby, I would hate for them to have a wasted trip. But mainly, I really want to this to prove to myself that I can. I can't speak for Rhys, but our texts over the last few days suggest he may be feeling the same. But with all these worries has come a reinvigorated sense of determination. The inspiration gained from watching Ironman Wales 2015 has brought me to one conclusion: failure is not an option.
