We arrived in Hamburg on the Thursday before the race. Staying at the Ibis which was about a mile from the race village and transition. Room was basic but okay and importantly it had aircon, which given the heat wave that has been engulfing Europe was crucial.
The heat wave however lead to another major issue. On the Friday before the race the local officials prohibited any swimming in the area due to algae levels going through the roof. Anyone who saw the foul smelling water we were meant to swim in would understand. It really was vile and green! The 3.8km swim was to be replaced with a rolling start 6km run.
I must admit I was shocked at the social media response to the swim cancellations. Nobody was at fault for the weather and it was a bit demoralising to read that we didn't deserve an ironman medal after six months hard training, not to mention the time and cost to travel half way across Europe, all because freak weather had lead to disruption. Never mind, I for one still enjoyed my ironman duathlon.
The race was actually pretty uneventful.
First run was a steady 30min plod, after waiting almost an hour to start.
Bike I found tedious. The course was pancake flat out and back alongside a river. 28mile one way into a head wind, turn round and come back. Repeat. With no reason to get out of aero, my backside wasn't happy! I paced it to plan but didn't enjoy it at all. I also struggled with the Enervit race nutrition. I used it for the first lap and it might be coincidence but it made me feel sleepy and lethargic. Switched to coke and water for lap two and I felt much better. Anyone else ever suffered with this?
The marathon was fun. Great support with people partying all through the park sections. I had a steady evenly paced run and I enjoyed every minute of it. With all the out and back sections it was great seeing fellow TA competitors.
All in all I had a good day.
Would I do it again? No. Bike course wasn't enjoyable although run was great.
Splits (from my Garmin):
Run 1 - 30:34
Bike - 5:44:59
Run 2 - 4:15:53
Overall time 10:43:51
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