On your bike
“The atmosphere was electric: screaming crowds and banging music. My heart rate was higher than it should have been; I tried to chill out and settle into a rhythm as soon as I could.”
Following the swim came a 112-mile bike course around Lake Worthersee, which proved incredibly scenic and beautiful. “I found the first 56-mile loop straightforwards,” Chettleburgh remembers. “I ate salty rice cakes and bananas just like I’d planned and focused on being efficient and consistent with my energy expenditure. Then, suddenly during the second loop, I thought disaster had struck and my heart sank. My back wheel was making a whistling noise and I knew I had mechanical problems. I couldn’t work out what was wrong and luckily I seemed to be maintaining speed, but after a while my gears stopped working properly and I was unable to change from the small chainring (which I use to climb hills) to the big one (which I use for flat and downhill).”
Conquering Rupertiberg
“The bike course was a true test of my nerves and I was pretty scared. I didn’t want to think about the possibility of not finishing the race I’d spent almost a year training for.”
For much of the second loop, Chettleburgh forfeited some speed by staying in her small chainring and occasionally dismounted to move the chain back into the big ring by hand. She recalls, “As I reached the top of the final climb (a monster called Rupertiberg) I dismounted for a final time and manually moved the chain back onto the big ring, in order to make the most of the 20-mile descent back into Klagenfurt. I finished the bike ride in 5hr 55mins and felt a huge energy surge and sense of relief from overcoming difficulties that I had feared could have ended my Ironman race. Phew!”
An Ironman finish
“I felt I could trust my body far more than my bike.”
Chettleburgh exclaimed that she felt “great” when she embarked on the final leg of the journey – the 26.2-mile run. However, the athlete was convinced that this spelled danger and didn’t wish to shoot out of the blocks too quickly. The feeling of celebration encapsulated Chettleburgh, who felt as if she had already claimed victory. With the heat rising, the athlete grabbed water and sponges to control her intensifying body heat.
“I felt strong for the first 16 miles, but miles 17 to 22 became really tough. My pace slowed and I found myself needing to eat more (orange segments and watermelon) and drink more (coke and water). I no longer wanted to eat the sickly sweet carbohydrate caffeine gels I had in my pocket. I thought about my family, friends and clients at home, tracking my timing splits on the Ironman website. How disappointed would they be if my run dropped off a cliff now? Come on, stay strong!”
Continue reading to discover which key moments of the Ironman Chettleburgh will never forget …
