Lessons Learnt From A Weather Bomb

Last Saturday, a ‘weather bomb’ befell the town of Taupo shattering all windows of opportunity for 1,600 participants to do Ironman New Zealand. Winds of about 120-140kph and punishing rain compromised the safety of participants, volunteers and spectators. Although painful, race-officials made the right call to cancel the race on Saturday, but instead held an alternative half-Ironman race on Sunday. These are lessons I learnt from racing in the inaugural, 70.3, triathlon format.

1)    Despite the use of a wetsuit, I found it too cold to swim well in 15-degrees Celcius water. The cold knocked the wind out of me. Hypothermia is a serious threat to weaker swimmers, as over-exposure can drain your body of heat or fatigue you prematurely.

2)    I took about 10 minutes to complete Transition 1 yet think it was worth the delay. A 400m run up the slope to T1, removing my wetsuit with cold hands, putting on two layers of clothes, and using socks during my ride. Still cold during the ride, but bearable.

3)    I took only Hammer Nutrition ‘Perpeteum’ powder as my main source of nutrition. Suffice to say, it met my energy needs and filled my stomach without gastro-intestinal (GI) issues. Just add water, sip the ‘paste’ and chase it with water.

4)    If you got to pee, you got to pee. System check: I was well hydrated. My body responds to the cold air (low 10’s) and headwinds the same way it does to caffeine, by seeking refuge at a porta-loo.

5)    No caffeine on this race, except for the last 5K with flat Coca-Cola. I did it as Macca suggested in his biography. Sweet as hell, but beats the ‘bonk’.

6)    I suffered cold cramps on the 70K mark of the ride, and thereafter during my run. Imagine getting cramps about 300m away from the finishing-line! I did my best Crowie impression by stretching my hamstrings – did not do much except to irk the spectators to cheer me on – I gritted my teeth and pushed on, painfully. Four days of sore thighs suggested the extent of damage from the cramps. (Note to self: take more Endurolytes, like 3-4 per hour on hard rides)

Race or Training Day?

Yesterday, I completed my 12th Ironman event at Lake Taupo, New Zealand. Our 226K-triathlon was cancelled, and in its place we had a contingent half-Ironman triathlon. 
Due to a 'weather bomb' that hit New Zealand, Lake Taupo suffered strong overnight winds and rain. As race organisers judged it dangerous for all 1,600 participants and more than 2,000 volunteers the race was scrapped for the first time in 28 years of the event's history. 


About 1,400 decided to race yesterday morning at 7.55am. The professionals, comprising multiple-Ironman NZ winners Cameron Brown and Joanna Lawn took off from a 'wet start' at 7.45am for the single-loop 3.8K swim. At 15 degrees Celcius, the lake swim was cold for many, especially equator-dwelling participants like us. Most of the Team Singapore raced in what looked like the original event.


It was, nonetheless, a tough day. Call it a race or label it a training day, it was still a hard hit for us. The swim took the breath out of me, and being swam over by strong and competitive swimmers was troubling and anxiety-building. The 90L ride was smooth and uneventful for the first-half, yet the headwinds on the return leg made it harder to attack the ride with the same relentlessness as found earlier. I cramped a little at the 70K mark, and I attributed it to cold cramps - which was to plague me later during the 21K. I found good success in my nutrition with Hammer Nutrition Perpeteum (a soya-protein based energy drink) which caused no stomach distress, and gave a sense of fullness. I wore adequately to keep warn, although this extended my usual transition time in T1: I had to use socks, arm-warmers and gloves.


I enjoyed myself on the run, focusing on recovering my lost time on my race-buddies. I started with a 5:45min/K pace for the first 5.25K, and then throttled it up to a 4:43min/K for the last 6K. I made up some ground, but ran out of real-estate to earn more time. No PB for me this time, and more like a PW; however, I was pleased that many of friends did well and they deserved their personal victory. In the end, for a shorter format race, the strong swimmers and riders determined the race. I learnt many lessons from this alternate race, and will use it to prepare for my next full-format race in July. I am not a cold-weather athlete, and excel in hot climates. I will decide how to handle such chilly races in future.

Going Long

Long-distance athletes appreciate the term ‘going long’. It describes the extended mileage of runners and triathletes who need to train at/near the duration of their intended races. Going long requires a string aerobic base so completing double-digits (on the run) and triple-digits (on the ride) in kilometres is not unusual.

Firstly, a big shout out to the Singaporean team doing the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon tomorrow. Special mention goes out to Uncle Kor (who turned 80 this week), ultra-marathoner Winston Koh, run coach Ben Swee, and running couple Rachel and Zhi Li. I still reminisce over my Boston Qualifying time I earned there last year, on a rolling course with bridges, tunnels, fly-overs and cool weather.

This morning, as per Coach’s prescription I completed six hours worth of controlled riding on the first road-bike I earned, followed with 45 minutes of race-pace running on a new route (including an open-air track). It began as a cool morning then morphed into a scorcher. Fortunately, my naked skin did not get roasted. Nicholas Khaw was kind enough to ride with me for four loops of Selarang (which routes past the old Changi prison). Tomorrow, I have another 2 hours of tempo runs to do. I hope to do this soon after I complete my volunteer work at the TriFam (Triathlon Family) Sprint. One more week of enduring workouts and I can taper systematically, and nail this triathlon that ended in disappointment twice.

Having experimented with my new nutrition aid by Hammer Nutrition, I have opted to use Perpeteum – which are long-chain carbohydrates with soya protein. Why not whey protein? Whey protein has glutamine that converts into more ammonia in the bloodstream of an already catabolic (breakdown) state, and it is more useful after a workout to use whey protein as the glutamine will scavenge the ammonia and detoxify it. I found the mixture thick (choice of making into a paste or gel or drink), but it saved me space and I needed to chase it down with water only. Based on my bodyweight, I need two measured scoops per hour of activity. By the way, Perpeteum works best with an empty stomach, and after three hours into the activity. I stored the powder into a bidon, then mixed it up with water and shook it into frenzy. My energy was sustained throughout both my ride and run. Three more weeks of calculated use should yield me my best results.

Thanks to Coach 'Fox', Conrad Yeo, and the other Ironman triathletes for sharing their experience with sports nutrition that enhances sustained energy while reducing the incidence of gastrointestinal (GI) distress.