Ironman Malaysia 2017

Ironman Malaysia 2017 Race Report

By Mohd Syafei Bin Ahmad

 

My 3rd full distance medal, and the it is most beautiful one

Intro

It took me almost two weeks to finally sit and write this race report. I still feel the highs from the race and can’t move on from all the excitement I had in Langkawi two weeks ago. Ironman Malaysia is like an unofficial national championship for Malaysian triathletes. Almost everyone I know from the local Triathlon community descended on the island to battle it out for the bragging rights of finishing an Ironman or being among the top Malaysian finishers on home soil. I would say everyone must be proud to earn their Ironman title in Langkawi. It is among the toughest Iron distance courses in the world, for crying out loud. I took this race very seriously. My goals were to PB, complete the race in under 12 hours, and finish among the top 20 Malaysians. Going into this race, I secretly marked a few Malaysian triathletes I know, renamed them as the world’s top athletes and pretended that we were racing in Kailua-Kona. Of course, I excluded the likes of Rupert Chen, Shahrom Abdullah, Muhamad Allie Helmy and Hafiz Wong. They are on a different level.

Here are the players in my version of Kona:

·         Rafik aka Ultraman Bintang – Jan Frodeno
·         Huzaifah aka Jepah –  Sebastian Kienle
·         Razlan Razali – Cameron Wurf
·         Asyraf Zamzuri – Lionel Sanders
·         Safzan Mukhtar – James Cunnama
·         Chan Jun Shen – Ben Hoffman
·         Off course I get to be Patrick Lange, I was the scriptwriter for this play after all.

I also had my wife #HoneyBeeRacing came along with me not as a supporter, but also raced in Ironman 70.3 Langkawi on the same day. What's more, we had a big contingent from Doha, including my PSY Tribuddies friends, Aizal and Lolyta, doing their first IMs, while Latif was doing the 70.3. Together with their supporters, we turned Langkawi into a local Doha race. The trip to Langkawi was made even sweeter with the support of my awesome support crew and dear friends.

At swim practice with some of Doha Contingent (Photo: Enaikay)

Swim

The swim was held on a two-lap, well-marked (with buoys and a safety line featuring flags every 20m) clockwise course. The water was flat like a swimming pool. There were no jellyfish as rumoured before the race, and the water temperature was cool (it was a cloudy day). All is good for a fast swim. My only problems were that I breathe on my left, so I still need to sight, and the water was a bit murky, which I'll discuss later. With a goal to finish the swim in 1:20, I seeded myself in the 1:10-1:30 wave. I was very confident about meeting the target. I have invested a lot of time in working on my swim fitness and consistently swim at around a 2:00/100m pace in training. I swam 4 to 5 sessions a week and ended up with shoulder bursitis a few weeks before the race.  

Many people were not honest with themselves when they perceived themselves as faster than they were capable of. The primary purpose of rolling start was to eliminate chaos in the water and make it safer for everyone. I came across a lot of breaststrokers causing traffic congestion on the already busy swim channel. Swimming in murky water was like driving in a thick fog. Their feet came out of nowhere, kicking you in the face, causing you to lose balance and rhythm. I tried my best to time my pass so I won’t get kicked, but sometimes I had nowhere to go and had to swim over them.   

I could not get anyone to draft either. Everyone seems to be too fast or too slow. I was just concentrating on my stroke and breathing. Since I breathe to my left, and the flags were on my right, I still need to sight. But every time I lift my head up, my legs sink, causing an imbalance. So I sight less. One problem, though, because of my injury, my right hand is stronger than my left, so I kept swimming away from the buoys and zigzagging my way along the course. At one point, I almost ended up on the beach of one of the islets opposite the swim course. Other than that, I was actually enjoying the swim. I can feel the sensation of swimming ‘fast’ for the first time in a triathlon. I knew I swam longer than I should, but I thought my faster swim would compensate for the extra distance. That was not the case when I pressed the lap button on my watch. I finished the swim in 1:29:34. Clearly, I swam a lot longer than I should. My Garmin indicated I swam 5000 m. That could not be accurate. I can’t be zigzagging for more than 1 km longer. No way. With 4:26 at T1, I was already 15 minutes behind schedule. I was the last to come out of the water in my own Kona race. It was a lot to make up for, even for the Patrick Lange in me.

First out of water, NOT (Photo : Fiz Said)

Target Swim+T1 = 1:19:00
Actual Swim+T1 = 1:34:00
Delay = 0:15:00

Bike

The bike course in Langkawi is hilly. The hilliest I have ever raced on. It makes Dukhan hills feel like small bumps on the road in comparison. However, I am secretly confident that all my heavy gear training will pay off. The course can be broken into three parts that we have to repeat twice. The undulating roller coaster part along Datai, the flat-ish but busy with traffic part along the north side of the island and the killer hills near Kuah. I saw Razlan, also known as Cameron Wurf, just as I turned left onto Jalan Teluk Datai from Jalan Teluk Yu. I was not expecting this at all, as he is a lot stronger swim-bike athlete. I could only overtake him at KM 30 on the run when we raced together at Challenge Roth. I told him before the swim started that if I catch him on the bike, he can just stop pushing and take it easy, enjoying the race. We were playing cat and mouse until the turnaround before the golf course when he sped off. I wanted to respond, go with him, and take the risk, but I remembered that Patrick Lange had not won the World Championship on the bike, so I let him go and concentrated on my own effort. I saw my training buddy, Aizal, making his way into the Datai loop as I was going out. I knew then that he would be OK since we only worried about his swim.  I overtook Chan Jun Shen, also known as Ben Hoffman, not long after I turned left onto Jalan Teluk Yu. Strange, he didn’t look like he was suffering, but he was taking it way too easy. I completed the pass after exchanging a few words of encouragement with him.

Tour de Langkawi (Photo: A Yam Man)

The bike course in Langkawi was never boring. We cycled through villages, forest, along the coast and paddy fields. Then there were local kids asking you for water bottles. I found it endearing that you can make them happy with just discarding your empty water bottles. The look on their faces was priceless. The bike course was open to traffic, so you need to pay attention to it at all times. Nevertheless, the local traffic was courteous (most of the time anyway) and there were police and marshals at every junction. I kept making steady progress and overtook one cyclist after another while maintaining my effort. It was fun.


Hill galore (Photo: Fiz Said)

The fun was short-lived, though, as we turned right into the Lisram highway before Kuah town and hit the first real hill. The hill has a gradient of about 10% and extends for a kilometre. I saw Harum Delima at the start of the climb, and she wasn’t looking too happy. I later found that she was not having a good day and had food poisoning. I didn’t know; I thought it was her usual game face. I climbed the hill with my largest cog (27) and still felt weighed down. My speed dropped from 35 km/h to 7.9 km/h, and that climb felt a lot longer than 1 km. A few people even got off and pushed their bikes; I was not that much faster. What goes up must come down, and it came down at a very fast speed. Like a roller coaster, it was time to climb the next hill. The second hill was a bit easier as we carried the momentum from the first. After a short climb to the crest, it was an exhilarating experience on the descent as I took a corner at 65kmh. The third hill came soon after. This aptly named Bukit Hantu (Ghost Hill) was probably the hardest. 12% gradient change for almost 2 km. My bike almost stopped, and I was pretty sure I could walk faster. Despite that, I was not ready to take the walk of shame. I was cursing as I spun up the hill, and my thoughts were with my wife. I was worried if she could climb this hill when the biggest cog on her cassette has only 25 teeth. It turns out she was a better climber than I. Her speed climbing up this hill was 8 kmh, while I did half of that speed. 

What goes up must come down (Photo: Jack Ah Beh)

I continued on the same steady effort to the turnaround for the second lap and saw Rafik, also known as Jan Frodeno, making his way towards the Datai junction. He was just around 5 km ahead. I didn’t expect to see him this early. Then I saw Safzan, also known as James Cunnama, not long after that. I stopped at the Special Needs station to replace my Carbopro bottle after the turnaround before making my way up Datai hills for the second lap. Halfway to the Datai, I turned around and saw Huzaifah, also known as Sebastian Kienle, making his way out. He was roughly 10 km ahead. That would put me around 20 minutes behind him at T2 if the remaining time on the bike remains constant. I saw another PSY Tribuddies, Lolyta, looking strong and fresh as I completed my Datai loop. I have now seen everyone in my book except Asyraf, also known as Lionel Sanders. No surprise since you know how good Sanders is on the bike.

My second attempt on Kuah hills was even harder as all hell broke loose and sent torrential rain down. Like an eclipse, it turned day into night. I hung onto my dear life and descended the hills slowly, as my sunglasses were foggy and I couldn’t see a thing. I was glad it was over just before Bukit Hantu. The second time I climbed Bukit Hantu, I felt my bike was heavier, and I was barely moving, as if I had a hantu pillion rider on my bike. I even stopped mid-climb and checked on my brake callipers, but all were good. Clearly, it was just fatigue. I kept it steady and finally made it to T2 right on target in 6:25:28, but I did not make any ground on the 15-minute deficit from the swim, and I lost another minute because I was struggling to put on my long compression socks over my wet feet.

Target Swim + T1+Bike+T2  = 7:47:42
Actual Swim + T1+Bike+T2 = 8:03:58
Delay = 0:16:60

Run

I had a 13-minute contingency when I planned my race strategy for a sub-12 Ironman, which included a 3:59:08 marathon. With an almost 17-minute deficit, I have no choice but to run faster than the 5:40/km pace I had planned and trained for. At that point, I was indecisive whether to stick to my plan or take the risk. I have been patient all day and kept the tiger in me chained during the bike ride. I wanted that sub-12 finish so badly, and I was willing to go through hell and take my chances. Like a hungry tiger, I claimed my first victim, Safzan, also known as James Cunnama, a few hundred meters from T2 in MIEC. He looked so happy and was enjoying himself. Perhaps it wasn't a bad idea to enjoy the race, but I had a mission. I did not come to Langkawi to enjoy. I switched on my auto cruise mode, locked my cadence high at 185 spm and left MIEC quickly. It was a 2.5 lap course along the airport coastal road to Pantai Cenang. In contrast to the bike course, the run was quite boring, really. I was just focusing on my cadence and making sure that my HR did not go beyond 160 bpm. I did not slow down at the aid stations either. I just grabbed a bottle of water and a couple of sponges and placed them in my suit, just like Patrick Lange did in Kona. I was clocking a nice pace around 5:30/km with that effort. I bumped into Perrine, my friend from Doha, heading in the opposite direction as I was on my way to Meritus at km 6. Perrine just had an accident a few weeks ago when she was hit by a car while cycling and broke two of her ribs. She was not fully recovered, but still decided to start. I admire her strength and tenacity. Shortly after, I saw Asyraf, also known as Lionel Sanders. He was around 2.5km ahead at the time and was struggling. He told me he had nausea and bloating. I fully understand how he felt. I experienced the same when I did my first IM in South Africa. It was fun running around the Meritus Pelangi resort, where the finish line was located. It was the only place packed with supporters. I saw Hani and my support crews, Adaha and Zaitun, at the ceremonial tent attending the 70.3 Langkawi Roll down. Hani looked happy and excited. I knew then that she had a good race because we had agreed that she would only attend the roll-down if she placed in the top 10.  I made my way out of Meritus, and not long after, I saw Rafik, also known as Tomen aka Jan Frodeno, and overtook him at the breakwater loop. I had hope that he would respond and come with me, but just like the real Jan in Kona, Rafik, too, was showing signs of fatigue. After 11 kilometres and 9 hours of racing, I began to feel the early signs of fatigue. Should I continue with this effort or adjust my expectations? I still have 30 km to go. What if I continue pressing, hit the wall and walk the last 10 km? I then decided to break the run and walk at every aid station. I don’t know, maybe it was just psychological when I saw all my competition walking and suffering.

On auto cruise (Photo: Fiz Said)

After 17 km, I was back at MIEC and stopped at the Special Needs to grab my Red Bull, where I saw one of my favourite pros, Laurel Wassner. She was struggling too. I told her to finish the race and get those Kona points. She responded and soon was running strong again. She seemed to thrive in difficult situations. That’s why she’s one of my favourites. What a strong woman she is. I was still running well, and my average pace was 5:45/km, even with the walk breaks at the aid stations. My ritual at every aid station was to splash a dipper of cold water, drink a cup of Coke or water and eat something while walking the entire length of the aid stations. While the cold splash was refreshing and helped to cool my core temperature, it caused another problem. My compression socks are now wet and soggy. I could feel blisters brewing on the soles of my feet. It has become increasingly uncomfortable to run now. I saw Huzaifah, also known as Jepah and Sebastian Kienle, just up ahead hobbling. Looked like he was suffering from cramps. Wow, Langkawi was so unforgiving. Not one was spared except maybe Romain Guillaume and Diana Riesler. Huzaifah stopped at a medic tent to get a muscle spray when I passed him.  Then I caught Asyraf (Lionel Sanders) walking. He came with me, but his breathing was laboured. I was happy to finally have a company. The feeling when I ran side by side with him was very much like the Iron War between Dave Scott and Mark Allen. Too bad it was short-lived. The pace was too hard for the stricken Asyraf.  I looked at my watch, and my half-marathon time was 2:03. I was growing increasingly uncomfortable, running with blisters and wet socks. I removed the socks and ran sockless. It felt better, momentarily. I had sand and grit in my shoes from the beach run. They cut through my soaked skin and blisters. Every stride was like stepping on broken glass. I tried to remain calm and ran lightly on my toes. Clearly, it was not realistic to keep pushing now. My pace has now dropped to around 6:15/km. I bumped into Perrine again at around km 30. She was now walking with her hand pressed on her ribs. Clearly, racing an Ironman with two broken ribs was too hard even for Perrine, but I had no doubt she would still make the cut-off time. I continued running from one aid station to the next while ignoring the pain. The last 10 km surprisingly went by quickly. Before I knew it, I was back at Meritus and running on the finishing chute. I saw my supporters, and Hani was waving the Johor flag. My feeling at the time was pure joy.  I grabbed the flag and crossed the finish line in 12 minutes and 28 seconds. I was a happy man. Although it may not be a sub-12, I achieved the other two goals I set for myself. I had a PB in Langkawi when people said it was not a PB course, and I came 14^th among the top Malaysian male finishers.

Survival mode (Photo: Deorunner)

Langkawi may have claimed many victims, but the Doha contingent seemed to thrive. We may not have the topography, but we trained in much harsher conditions in Qatar’s summer, where temperatures of 45-50°C were the norm. I believe that all the late nights, where we woke up at 1 AM for our long rides or ran 2-3 hours on the treadmill, have developed the mental strength required for the race. Perrine still managed a respectable time despite her injury. Aizal did better than my first Ironman time, and Lolyta has earned herself much respect and followers among our triathlon community. The Doha team also performed exceptionally well in the 70.3 race. Dave came 6^th AG and 13^th overall. Hani came 7^th in her AG and missed the 70.3 Worlds by 1 slot. Francis also missed the Worlds by one slot. Sam, Latif and Doaa were happy with their results, while Hesham still managed to finish his first 70.3 despite not having a good day.     

We did it (Photo: Adaha)

Post Race

I have so many people to thank. My family, my employer ORYX GTL, my very supportive friends, especially Hassan and family, for looking after our children while we were away and training buddies from MAD Triathlon, Triclub Doha and Team Farhana. Without them, this would be impossible. I still believe that training and perseverance could only take you to the start line. It was the support and love from the people around you that carried you over the finish line. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Also, thank you to Ironman Malaysia organisers and volunteers for such a fantastic event. New friends I met during my time in Langkawi and my awesome supporters, Firdaus, Da’a, Zaitun, Mimi and Ijah.

Will I be doing another Ironman race? My answer is YES in a heartbeat!

Thank you Langkawi, see you in 2018