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Quelle Challenge Roth 2008
by Scott Foreman, Cohuna.
The Quelle Challenge Roth in Germany used to be known as Ironman Europe
and has a proud history of being one of the premier long distance
triathlons on the planet. It has attracted the fastest athletes of the
triathlon world to compete for over 20 years.
Roth is the largest participation Ironman distance race in the world with
over 2800 individual competitors having a crack at the 3.8 kilometre swim,
180 kilometre ride and 42.2 kilometre marathon run. It also boasts being
home to both the male and female world records over the distance. An
astonishing 7 hours and 50 minutes for the men and this year a smoking 8
hours and 45 minutes for women so super fast.
So this year I decided to go and compete at what is an awesome triathlon
destination. I was staying at Hipoltstein, which is a small town near the
race swim start in the main shipping canal. Hipoltstein was an incredible
spot and we stayed in the old part of town with cobblestone narrow winding
streets and little lanes and the ancient city walls. There was even a
Castle there, so as long as we were riding near town we just had to spot
the Castle and head for that to get home. It was pretty cool. The
historical old lodge we stayed at was fantastic as well with sensational
food and excellent beer. You have to love it when a small beer is half a
litre. They closed off the street two nights before the race for a street
party with a live band and rows of tables and chairs and served lots of
litre steins of beer at a mobile bar. It was a bit hard watching everybody
indulging and enjoying the festivities, especially as we were on a holiday
as well, but you put all the hard work and training in, so you have to try
and be good.
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Hipoltstein also had the novelty of a fifty-metre stainless steel swimming
pool, which was great for training in, and pretty amazing as you could
almost check out your own technique in the reflection on the bottom of the
pool once the sun was up overhead. Bike training on the actual Roth course
was fantastic with picturesque undulating Bavarian countryside and lots of
rural scenery with crops of maize as well as sections of forest and a few
windswept hills. The actual Roth Challenge bike course is two 90 kilometre
loops and each loop sweeps through 23 villages, so it was pretty
interesting along the way. Had a sensational easy ride three days before
the race on a sensational sunny morning about 27 degrees with a bit of
Spring like humidity in the air and it was just a taste of sheer cycling
perfection.
The famous
'Solarberg Hill' in Hipoltstein, Germany.
Hipoltstein is also home to the Solarer Berg Hill, which come race day, is
packed with thousands of spectators all cheering the competitors along in
a party atmosphere. The crowds go nuts on race day with lots of noise and
encouragement as the riders push on up the hill. It is single file riding
and as you go up your heart pounds even though you try to control it.
Really takes your breath away and an awesome experience.
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Sunday the 13th of July was race day
and unfortunately it happened to be raining as we wandered down to
the race start line. Competitors were sent of in wave starts to
handle the sheer volume of people racing with the professional
athletes heading of at 6.20 am and most other competitors between
7am and 7.35 am in 5 minute intervals. The swim is just one loop -
upstream for almost a kilometre and a half, then back downstream on
the other side of the canal under the bridge a few hundred metres
past the start and then back upstream to the start and swim exit and
into transition one. It all went reasonably smoothly keeping
slightly to the inside of the main swim pack.
Then it was on to the bike and the rain was getting heavier as we
rode out over the main canal bridge. I was very cautious on the wet
roads especially with some tight downhill corners and some narrower
street sections. I was just absolutely freezing, especially on the
first lap of the bike with
my wet tri top being chilled to the bone in the continual rain and
cooler temperatures.
I did have arm warmers with me race morning but decided not to take
them at the last minute which was a dodgy decision. |
I have a bit of a diesel engine and will tend to keep rolling along with a
reasonably low heart rate, which probably does not generate as much heat
as some people. I just know it was a suffer fest and the cold was the
ingredient that was causing me most of the concern. Coming down some of
the hills sitting up occasionally to slow down to try and reduce the
chill, it certainly was not much fun.
The arms were goose bumped and shaking so much that I thought I had a flat
tyre with the front wheel jigging around.
There were a series of hair pin bends on some steeper downhill sections,
as well as narrow streets when we were weaving through the villages, and
although I was being very cautious there I was overshooting a few while
slowing with the brakes. The Europeans seemed to belt on through without
an issue, but my lack of practice in that technical terrain in the wet was
a definite handicap for someone used to riding lots of kilometres on flat
country.
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At about the eighty kilometre mark while cursing at the cold I had a bit
of a lack of concentration on a downhill section and ended up in the road
side mud with a two inch bitumen lip and tried to bunny hop back on to the
bitumen. It did not work so went
down over the bars at forty kilometres an
hour straight up the bitumen. Since it was wet managed to just skid a
distance along the hotmix with no damage to the bare blue hands and just
some skin off the elbow and knee. Got back on the bike after putting chain
back on and hurriedly regathering my composure. A ride marshall on a
motorbike come past to see if I was all right and said something in
German.
I had the adrenalin pumping even though it was not helping to warm
me up. I was probably even being more cautious and sick of the cold after
that. Had someone point out that my brake was rubbing on my rear wheel
late in the ride, just to add some resistance. The bike leg was
disappointing for me as I struggled with the cold and wet. Certainly not
the positive bike ride close to five hours I was planning for earlier in
the week while enjoying training. |
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Finally hit the ride to run transition and get to run the Roth Challenge
trail. The first four odd kilometres of the marathon have some uphill
gradient as you head across to the main canal. I had a bit of early
worry with a tight calf that had been flaring up and was concerned how my
run would pan out, but once we got on the flat section along the canal it
improved.
I was able to get pumping along at a good pace. Even the rain had finally
disappeared.
There were some nice long straights along the canal, and I was passing
lots of competitors and feeling really good. Then the course sidetracks
into some villages with music pumping and the announcer calling athletes
names as we looped around, then head back along the canal side trail. We
come back past the main canal landing and I got some more gels and some
massive crowd support.
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Still feeling great as I
went through the first 21 kilometres in 93 minutes, I seized up a little in
the quads at 29 kilometres and started to struggle as we negotiated some
small hills. As we sidetracked away from the canal through the forest and
then another village I received a comment from another competitor “that I
looked like crap, but was still running faster than he was”. The legs
improved a little as the trail flattened out again and we headed for home.
Just keeping the feet turning over as fast as possible, still hurting, but
with the mindset of virtually ticking off every single kilometre that was
signposted along the way. The last four kilometres had some nice long
downhills and
I was focussing on striding for home as strongly as possible
to get to the finish line in Roth.
The rain was just starting to come down again, and it is all a bit of a
daze, trying to hang strong and running down one final street and then
around the final horseshoe shaped finish line.
The massive crowds that the
Roth Challenge is famous for are pumping and the euphoria building as you
do the loop. Had a bit of an arm wave happening and it is an awesome
finish line with the horseshoe loop and some raised packed grandstands
around the sides. The spectators seem like they were on top of you all
around, even if they were dodging the rain. Get a lot of satisfaction
crossing the finish line and knowing I have made it around the Ironman
journey again despite a bit of adversity the last few years. Things
did not go to plan but that is the way it happens sometimes along the way.
I guess you just have to keep it going and have a crack!
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My time splits
Swim 1.01.23 hours
Bike 5.25.04 hours
Run 3.11.27 hours
Total 9.42.16 hours
Finished 125th position overall out of a field of 2800
athletes.
Peter Warden from Rochester had a great day with a 67 minute Ironman
distance personal best time so he was wrapped with his time in Roth.
Revelling in the cool conditions on race day and having a great time
enjoying the German hospitality.
Pete’s time splits
Swim 1.10.42
Bike 5.35.39
Run 3.58.33
Total 10.49.52
Finished 708th position overall out of a field of 2800
athletes. |
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