Roger Qualified for the Ironman World Championship's in Kona, Hawaii, for the 7th time. Not an easy feat, as the competition for places is very competitive and
worldwide.
The organisers had to clear the water during the practice
swim on Thursday as there were Tiger Sharks by the pier!
Roger writes:
"It was an early start to the season but I have a lot of racing planned
so I needed to have a crack at bagging an Ironman world champs slot
early. I did Ironman South Africa in 2009 and won my first age group
title there so I have fond memories. The course had changed this year
and the race was now the African continental championships. The course
was tougher and the field bigger and deeper but it was my best shot
outside of the later European season.
Working away from home less this year meant I could have a more
predictable build of fitness during the winter months but peaking so
early in the year had meant a lot of long, wet and cold training
sessions. I know what is required to compete at the highest level so I
have no complaints, just get the work done and then express the hard
earned fitness out on the race track.
A beach start always adds a bit of extra excitement and as the cannon
boomed we hurtled towards the surf, diving head long into the waves as
they poised to break. I had placed myself at the front and centre of
the start, an aggressive plan probably beyond my swimming ability but I
was here to compete. As we rounded the first turn buoy I had some open
water to cleanly start to hit some rhythm (and no sign of the tiger
sharks that had cleared us from the water earlier in the week!). The
big swell made navigation problematic with sighting the next buoy only
possible at the crest of each wave. Soon enough though, I had the 2.4m
under my belt and I was exiting through the showers and to my bike.
Within a mile of starting the bike ride I knew it was going to be a
very challenging day. I ride to power wattage to measure out my effort
over the day combined with my heart rate. The combination of the two
means I know the numbers I can hit and still run a strong marathon at
the end. The malfunctioning bike computer showed neither, I was riding
blind, not knowing if I was riding too hard or too easy, I was fumbling
my way through the 112m of bike racing. I latched on to the wheel of
some of my competitors that came past me, figuring they would be pacing
their output and if it felt manageable, then ride with it. By the end
of the first 56m lap I felt exhausted, I let them go and at the time I
felt I had let the race ride up the road away from me. Still a full 56
miles of riding left and then a marathon to complete, I was on the cusp
of throwing the towel in and registering a DNF for the first time.
I pedalled out the next 56m at an easy pace whilst wrestling with the
notion of quitting and the relentless head wind. I resolved to finish
the bike, switch to my run kit and try a couple of miles before finally
deciding to hand my timing chip in. I knew I needed to find a spark
again and it came from an unexpected quarter. I took some coke at the
first aid start, it was cool, the sugar gave me a little energy and the
caffeine perked me up. The 1.25 mile mark was actually the lap
turnaround point and they gave out a green wrist band to help tick off
the three laps. Now I had one and only needed two more to be finish
line bound. I convinced myself to jog through this one and if the
wheels didn’t fall off, grab another. 9m later I picked up an orange
wrist band, one more to go. On this lap I had started to pass one or
two of the strong bikers who had left me standing on the first lap of
the bike, the race was no longer up the road, it was coming back to me.
I kept the pace going, firm enough to nail a competitive time. Lap 3
and the final yellow wrist band, full house and time to start racing
for the line. We were competing in the height of the day’s heat but I
was eating and drinking well and running confidently by now. I started
to really believe I was in the race for a podium and a Kona slot so I
kept pushing. Down the red carpet of the finishing chute, I crossed the
line and the announcer declared me the age group champion. I had no
idea, I was stunned. I had been in a very dark place physically and
emotionally just a few hours earlier and I had turned it around to win.
My place at the Ironman World Champs booked and I can start to dream a
little."
74th. Roger Canham Swim 01:05:28 - T1 04:50 - Bike 05:36:38 - T2 03:54
- Run 03:14:41 Total Time 10:05:31 Age Group 1st.
African Age Group Champion 50-54, 74th Overall. The temperature reached 31oC.
