Ironman Ireland 2019 Race Report

Ironman Ireland 2019 race report

Any race report regarding this inaugural event would not be complete without talking about the weather. And not really race related, but I think it’s important to mention the community of east Cork as well. Finally, I will talk about the specifics of the race itself. If that is really what you’re here for, skip down to about the half way point. This report is an easy five minute read.

My wife and I arrived in Cork a week before the race. We wanted to visit Ireland and be tourists, as well as recon the race course. I had previously arranged to rent a bike as my bike was being shipped by TriBike Transport and would not be available until the race. Although the weather was nearly perfect all week, every local we spoke with mentioned that weather is a constant variable in Ireland. And race day bore that out! I’ll get to that later.
While driving around, I reconned the bike course and decided not to dare riding on Irish roads. I was already fit. The roads are crazy narrow, fast drivers, and nonexistent bike lanes made my decision easy.

A few quick words about rental cars and driving in Ireland:
1. Insurance is provided by many credit card companies, including mine, if you use their card to pay for the rental. Note that Ireland was specifically excluded with my card. No doubt because driving on the left is hard AF if you’re not used to it. I highly recommend buying the insurance offerred at the rental desk. It was about €250 for a week (1 Euro is currently about $1). The rental car itself was only $70 for the week! The insurance supposedly covered anything that could happen to the car, with a €300 deductable.
2. I cannot overstate how hard driving on the left is if you’re not used to it.
3. They can park on both sides of the road, facing either direction.
4. Two-way roads in Ireland often barely fit one small car.

This was my 10th Ironman, we have been all over the world for this crazy endeavor, this labor of love. And I can emphatically say the Irish are among the most friendly we’ve ever encountered. Whether it was giving directions, food recommendations, or simply chatting in line somewhere, the Irish we met were fun-loving, caring, and not rushed when offering guidance.
The surrounding communities embraced us athletes who “invaded” their quiet little towns and villages by the thousands. The level of support I don’t think I’ve seen anywhere, although Mont Tremblant in Canada comes to mind. East Cork is wonderfully rural. The race venue is in Youghal (pronounced Yoll or y’all as in the southern US) is considered a “city” by the locals but would be a small town in the country by many standards. Again, wonderfully rural. Some coastal towns that stood out in our visit: Kinsale, Ardmore, and Ballycotton. But honestly, everywhere we went was amazing. Walking through Rostellan Forest was off the beaten path and so fun. We also went to Blarney Castle and Gardens and the gardens were so fantastic that we never made it to the castle! Trust me, I’m not really a “garden guy” but this place was breathtaking.

Okay, the Race:
As instructed, I arrived at the designated athlete parking area between 4 and 5 AM. It was already quite cold, in stark contrast to the previous week. At roughly 10-12C (49-52F), we athletes were blowing steam from our breath. Logistics required us to walk about a kilometer to the transition/swim start. It started to rain. Now cold and wet, the wind kicked up. Still dark and staring at the ocean, there was no swim course set up. It became apparent that the swim was in jeopardy: The ocean was violent and clearly unsafe. Now 5:45AM, I had been shivering in the rain with my fellow athletes for over an hour when the announcement came that a decision regarding the swim would come “soon.” At around 6AM, it was announced the swim was in doubt, they would continue to monitor the situation and make an announcement in 10-15 minutes, all the while we were exposed to the elements. Was I alone in my thinking ‘How would the weather change in 15 minutes?!’
At about 6:10AM they officially cancelled the swim and announced a Time Trial bike start beginning with the pro field at 7:20AM, and then the Age Groupers would begin, by number...only two at a time! There were ~2000 starters and I was bib 2025. I ended up leaving transition at 9:08AM, FIVE HOURS after arriving ready to race, but no raincoat and no tent.

On the bike it only got more and more cold, but at least I was moving. The rain was relentless. I train every day in the hills so the elevation changes didn’t bother me. But if you don’t have hills, try to be prepared: there are very, very few flat parts on this course. Having said that, my race ended after a racer came onto the course from a side street after presumably fixing a flat. He didn’t look and he entered the course on a descent where I just happened to be.
We crashed pretty hard. I got up and took inventory of my physical self: I was bleeding on both hands, both knees, right hip, and right shoulder. But no broken bones. He apologized several times but I yelled at him repeatedly. I regret my childish behavior now. There is no excuse for that and if you are the one whom I crashed with, I apologize to you. Even though you rode off, I hope you were okay and finished the race.
My front wheel was damaged and I was in no physical condition for the marathon. My day ended.
I should note that the bike is two 90km (56 mile) loops. The roads in Ireland are marginally maintained. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being Swiss roads and 10 being...dirt, this course was maybe 6-7. If I dared get into my aero bars, my head shook to the point of blurry vision. There was maybe 10-20% of very nice road surface.
Finally, on a bike course where rain is a distinct possiblity, I cannot say enough that disc brakes are the way to go. Period.

Obviously, I didn’t do the marathon but I reconned the course: It is not flat either, despite descriptions to the contrary. Four loops is pretty manageable though and I can imagine that on a nice day it would be pretty amazing.

In conclusion, I regret my crash and DNF. I wish the roads were in better condition. But Youghal, the entire region, and her people left us with such wonderful memories that I will look back with much happiness!
I may or may not have an ax to grind here but I’m 55 and my days of traveling 15,000 miles to do an Ironman might be numbered.

Have a fit day, y’all,

-Dave