Race Reports: Challenge Roth – The Perfect Race?

Race Reports: Challenge Roth – The Perfect Race?

One of our Swim Squad swimmers, and coached athletes, Daniel made his long distance triathlon debut in 2024, racing the epic Challenge Roth. Some great race management, coupled with a laser-focus on the process, resulted in a race to remember!

Lots for us to learn from – and enjoy – in his race report.

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Training

Training for an Ironman (Challenge Roth) is a huge commitment. I’m an all in or all out type of guy, I’m not spending all that money to do half measures or half the amount of training required. My wife agreed to support with two caveats: I don’t get a tattoo, and I don’t shave my legs (she relented on the second one!)

Swim and bike training went really well, but running, urgh running. I hated it that much, Bryan put in 4 mins run/1 min walk sessions for the first couple of months to make it as easy as possible. I hated it, but you’ve got to start somewhere. Just as I learned to endure (id never say ‘enjoy’), hip injury put me out for almost 3 months (thankfully, swim and bike were fine to carry on).

Six weeks until race day, it was like I was starting from scratch and the aim was just get to the start line injury free. Longest run after the hip injury: 12k, but importantly, it was injury free.

Pre-Race

Seemingly everyone I was doing Roth with appeared really confident. “Smash it” was a phrase I heard a lot of and it scared me. To me, “smashing it” means attacking it, or meeting it head on, or blowing it pieces – no part of me wanted to ‘race’ or ‘smash’ this distance. Respect the distance and get round. Absolutely no time pressure*. Enjoy it.

Travelling to Munich, and then onto Roth meant 2 days without doing any exercise. I felt sluggish. Day before race day I done an easy swim in the canal – practice sighting, getting a feel for it. Followed by a 45 min easy bike with Shane and Mel. Wasn’t on the plan, and probably done a bit too much, but felt I needed it, mentally more than anything.

The pasta party 2 days out with the others, was a game changer for me. It was the first time we all met up, and the excitement started to build. From a selfish perspective, it was actually quite nice to hear others say they were a bit nervous, validated my thoughts to a certain extent. Of course, there was a few “I’m going to hit a X marathon”, or “I’m going for a X bike leg”. I stuck with “absolutely no time pressure*. Enjoy it”.

Day Before

I aimed to get 500-600g of carbs in. 4 packets of uncle bens rice, (cold, because I didn’t have a microwave!) was a struggle (if you’re ever in this predicament, go for the mushroom rice, and avoid the roasted garlic at all costs), 3 packets of instant oats, 1 x 80g of carbs mix drink, some toast, and a couple of slices of pizza, I managed to get somewhere close. This eating, I’m convinced was the main reason for the good race day …

Race Day

Morning was chilled on the whole, traffic to get to the start, but managed to get into transition in good time – 2 hours to go until I was off. Bike check, bike bag drop off. 2 oats bars, coffee, can of red bull. All going well so far.

I watched the pros go off on the swim and spent 20 minutes talking to my wife over the barrier. She’s the organised one in the relationship, checking and then re checking I had everything before I handed over my bag and went off towards the start, with her advice ringing in my ear “smile for all the cameras”. Pros back out and off on the bike. Right, now it’s time to focus on my ‘race’. Said good luck to Shane, Mel and the others and had 10 mins to myself before I got in the water. Absolutely no time pressure*. Enjoy it.

Swim

Into the water, few strokes to the start line, hot air balloons on the other side, crowds 5 and 6 deep along the canal, thousands on the bridge. Took all of it in. This is incredible. This was what the last 12 months training was leading up to. Confidence to start at the front, plan was to stick right, but most of the wave had the same idea and as the canal slowly bent round to the left, perhaps the tighter line was going to be quicker. A gamble, but I went left. The canon goes, fast 200 metres and then settle in. Nobody coming past me, I was out on my own. Perfect.

That was until I caught the earlier wave, no drafting, straight past just keep on overtaking. Had to double sight every time – one for the bouys, and then one to pick the line past the slower swimmers. This was the case until the first turn bouy – a U-turn, it was crowded, it was at a stand still at one point. Saw a small gap and just kicked hard for a minute, knowing they wouldn’t keep up.

On the way back, most were keeping towards the middle of the canal, but the most direct route was hugging the bank on the right. I couldn’t work out why nobody else had this plan – it was clear water. I wouldn’t get any draft this way, but then I wasn’t drafting anyway.

Out of the water, watch said 59.55, but official time later was 1hr 6 seconds. Gutted.

It was a nice feeling picking up my bag in transition and plenty of other bags in my wave still their witing for their owners.

*Apart from the swim. I desperately want that sub hour.

Bike

I removed all reference to time on my Garmin. Just HR, current speed, and distance the only stats. Tactic was the just listen to my legs, look up, and enjoy it. I got a feeling I was going well, overtaking plenty on the hills without much effort and keeping up with the TT bikes on the flat. Sollar Berg hill, the highlight, you cant help as you turn the corner to just smile and feel the goosebumps, single file with 10 people deep. Just like the Tour de France. Claire had made her way down to the bottom of the hill and got a great photo of me smiling coming round the bend.

First 90k loop done, legs feeling good. Sollar Berg hill just as special second time round. Legs felt good and was still catching people with not much effort. Again, nutrition nailed – 600g of carbs taken on the bike, and bananas on the aid stations. I didn’t want to eat too much on the run, so made the decision to ‘over fuel’ on the bike to give my stomach time to settle on the run before taking on anything.

Gutted the bike leg had finished, but focus turned to the run as I gave my legs a little rest and rolled downhill into Roth with 10k to go, could I run or would it be a 6hr walk – either would fine in my head. No idea of bike split at that point as the volunteers took the bike, and I jogged to get the bag, again not many bags collected from my wave. I must be doing alright I thought.

Run

Urgh running. I’m just not a runner, mentally or physically. The thought of running a full marathon filled me with dread, so needed smaller goals that took my mind elsewhere. I set my watch up to do 9 mins running 1 min walk, HR never getting above 150 and making sure I take the minute walk even if I didn’t need it. Rinse and repeat until I finish. Mentally it helped so much “its just 9 minutes of running, that’s all” I kept reminding myself.

Off we go… WOW legs feeling great and knocking out pace that it usually start with fresh for the first 9 min run. 1 min walk. Reset, that’s too quick, slow it down, with Bryans wise words ringing in my ear, “if you’re still feeling good with 10k to go, that’s the time to push, not the first 10k”

Taking on gels from about 10k onwards. I managed to see plenty of other North Endurance athletes on the canal as it was an out and back course, which was a massive help mentally. Saw my wife and mum a hug at 10k, and they said my bike split was 5.30. I assumed she had made a mistake. No way I’ve done that bike in 5hr 30. Not a chance, so dismissed it. Anyway that was irrelevant, I was in my 9/1 bubble now.

I stuck with this 9/1 until 25k and was feeling ok, until a supporter out of the blue said “almost there now, Dan”. I’ve no idea why this rattled me. The best intentions I’m sure, but I thought 17k left is not “nearly there”. And suddenly the thought of the finish line first entered my head and it felt a lifetime away. I was happy in my 9/1 bubble until then. Legs instantly felt heavy, energy just took a nose dive and 25 – 30k was a real struggle. Coke wasn’t doing it for me, id ran out of my gels, so I took a gamble to take the on course gels. By this point it was at 5/1 and then 3/1 run/walk. By 30k I managed to get back into my ‘bubble’.

Hamstrings started to cramp going downhill as well, I must’ve been the only person on that marathon course praying for an uphill section. 10k to go, that’s another seven or eight 9/1’s or a variation of. I can do that, come on.

The KM markers came and went, but I paid no attention to them, the only thing I was focused on was the lap time “2 more minutes of running and then I can have a 1 min rest” was a regular thought. I had, no idea how long id been running for in total. I had HR and lap time on my watch (lap being the 9 minutes). It helped. I was passing people for the last 10k, which gave me the confidence that this was the right thing to be doing.

As I came into Roth, with about a k to go, my watch accidentally moved the ‘time of day screen’, I caught a glimpse before moving back to the lap time screen. “Did that just say 18:53?” Hang on, I started at 8am, that can’t be right, and quickly dismissed it as it being UK time or eyes deceiving me, turns out it was correct!

Into the stadium, I stopped for a moment. Big deep breath, looked round, walked a bit to savour the moment. This was special. This was the first point I let myself believe that I would finish. “Remember to smile for the cameras” as my wife had said only 11hrs ago as I took it as slow as possible round the stadium. I didn’t want this experience to end.

10:59:53, but to be honest, it didn’t matter.

Swim: 1hr 6 seconds (annoying!)

Bike: 5hrs 33

Run: 4hr 17

Almost Perfect

Perfect races don’t exist, but this was pretty close, in terms of organisation, support, weather and times. I could not have enjoyed it any more than I did, and I certainly couldn’t have gone any quicker. I’d urge anyone wanting to do an Ironman, to do this one – everything is perfect, from the days leading up to it, to race day, to post race info. Incredible.

Three Things …

Three things that went well …

• Nutrition: The more I reflect, the more I realise how integral it is to a good race day
• Bike: choosing my road bike, over a TT
• Run: Sticking to the plan.

Three things that could’ve gone better …

I can’t even bring myself to write anything here – it would be nit picking, if I could write something!

Race Reports: Challenge Roth – The Perfect Race?

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