Ironman Wales: An Athlete Journey
“Leon White, you are an Ironman!”
Amazing.
What a journey.
Background
I’ve mentioned this before, but 18 months ago Leon had never done a triathlon. He approached me in January 2022, on the recommendation of a friend, wanting some triathlon coaching, guidance and support to help him complete an Olympic Distance triathlon.
At the end of 2022, after a great first season, he tentatively suggested the possibility of Ironman Wales, wondering if he was capable. I was emphatic in my response – absolutely he was!
He’s obviously progressed massively since he first started, completing two Middle Distance triathlons, The Long Course Weekend, several long cycle sportives and finally, Ironman Wales.
Training Time
Leon is in a job with a very strict shift pattern. It is a four-week pattern that just repeats through the year. In terms of training time, that means that he can only train on the days he is off work. His shifts allowed him the following training days per week:
Week 1: 3 days
Week 2: 3 days
Week 3: 4 days
Week 4: 4 days
14 days available to train in every 28 days. Not ideal when you are training for an Ironman, but it is what it is. We had to plan each week carefully. There was no such thing as a ‘typical training week’ for Leon!
Training Frequency
In any given four week block, Leon would complete between 20 and 25 training sessions.
| Month | Sessions Completed | Average Training Time Per Week | Average Swim Time Per Week | Average Bike Time Per Week | Average Run Time Per Week |
| January | 20 | 4:58 | 1:19 | 2:29 | 1:10 |
| February | 23 | 6:33 | 1:09 | 3:24 | 2:00 |
| March | 25 | 7:22 | 1:40 | 4:17 | 1:25 |
| April | 23 | 6:33 | 1:46 | 3:15 | 1:32 |
| May | 25 | 8:38 | 1:44 | 4:52 | 2:02 |
| June | 20 | 4:56 | 1:07 | 2:07 | 1:42 |
| July | 22 | 7:30 | 1:30 | 4:31 | 1:29 |
| August | 21 | 7:25 | 1:19 | 4:26 | 1:30 |
20-25 sessions every month in 14 available days – so plenty of double training days were required.
Managing training is something Leon did really well – being really consistent with his training, with no real injuries and enough energy to train most of the time.
Training Volume
From January to the end of August, Leon averaged 6 hours and 45 minutes of training time per week
Swim – 1.27 (21%)
Bike – 3.42 (55%)
Run – 1.36 (24%)
His lowest average training month (January) was 4.58 of training time per week, and his longest month was May (8.38).
This doesn’t sound like the Ironman training volume you hear a lot about, does it? But 8 hours and 38 minutes per week – when you only have three or four days to train – is between 2-3 hours per day. Leon definitely didn’t have any more time in his life for more training. He made the most of every training session.
Race Goals
Leon’s first goal was to finish, to become an Ironman. His second goal was to break 15 hours. And his ‘dream goal’ was to finish under 14 hours, something he thought he might be capable of on a great day.
Race Execution
The week before the race, we met up to discuss Leon’s plan. It was solid. Well thought out and realistic too.
The Swim
A strong swimmer, Leon was regularly doing big sets in the pool at around 1.30/100m average. On the day, he swam a smooth 1.06 (31 minutes for his first lap – slightly slower second lap but I think that was very common on the day – the tides maybe?).
Great start!
The Bike
Keeping pace controlled and not trying to ‘race’ it, Leon paced his bike really well. Wales is a ‘challenging’ bike course, so keeping your legs strong for the back end of the 180k bike leg is important. Leon did exactly this – his heart rate data suggesting he was very comfortable throughout.
180k on the bike, 7 hours and 6 minutes.
Two down, one to go!
The Run
With a half marathon best of around two hours, and never having run a marathon before, Leon was aiming for a 5 hour marathon.
We discussed a race strategy of starting ‘slowly’, and then trying to not slow down. If he felt good later in the race, he would try and speed up.
He started off with a 1.08 first 10k. Perfect. The second 10k lifting to 1.06. The third 10k, the point in the race where it usually gets really sticky, was done in 1.12, before finishing off with a 1.10 fourth 10k. Nice!
Two things that impressed me on this run …
- His slowest 10k was only 4 minutes slower than his first 10k
- His fourth 10k was only 2 minutes slower than his first 10k
Leon ran the marathon in 4.57.
Awesome!
The Finish
Running down the Ironman Wales red carpet, Leon was greeted with the time on the clock reading …
13.35.00
Dream goal smashed!
What a race. What a journey. What an athlete.
Ironman Wales: An Athlete Journey
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