Swim, bike and run!

As always, Ironman 2017 was a race in endurance, spirit and internal strength, writes

THE day started early on Nov 11 on Langkawi Island. By 6am, thousands had gathered by the shores of Pantai Kok near The Danna hotel, all restless for the proceedings to begin in an hour’s time. None more so than the athletes for Ironman and Ironman 70.3, who numbered close to 2,000 in this year’s edition.

This record number of competitors from 63 countries came after several months of uncertainty.

The 2016 race was the last in a threeyear contract between organiser Ironman Asia and the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, with Ironman 2017 only confirmed in March. There’s still no long-term agreement, so it remains to be seen if there will be one next year.

Meanwhile, one of the eager athletes that morning was 65-year-old retiree Ahmad Fadzil Samsudin. It was his first Ironman, after a decade away from triathlon events.

“In my student days at the Royal Military College, I was active but I didn’t excel in sports. In fact, most of the time I made drinks for those who were playing. But I love cycling and I’ve been running for a long time. Swimming is fun, although for Ironman you have to swim 3.8km so there’s nothing funny about it! Jeffrey Lim at the finish line after a gruelling 16-hour race.

“The person who started it all was my best friend from school days, Mohd Zubir Zainal Abidin. We had planned to join Ironman Langkawi in 2009 and we trained seriously for it. We started entering triathlons, but he drowned at an event in Port Dickson in 2007. I was in the water too and I didn’t see him.”

SWIM AGAIN

It was a difficult time for Ahmad Fadzil, and noting the concerns of both his and his late friend’s families, he stayed away from triathlons in the following years. But he picked it up quietly in Oct 2016 with an event in Melaka. But as he was training, he received a call from his concerned daughter, who found out about it from Facebook.

“Because of what had happened, during the swimming stage in Melaka I had three friends accompany me. I had to pose for pictures after coming out of the water so we could send the photos to everyone to let them know I was okay.”

With his children placated, there was no turning back. He and his training buddies are in a Whatsapp group called “Makan Kambing”, which tells you a little bit about his priority and sense of humour. That said, competing in an Ironman requires serious preparation. Ahmad Fadzil cycled 140km, ran 20km and swam twice a week to prepare.

The biggest challenge, however, is psychological. “I’m 65-years-old,” he says. “People laugh when I say I’m doing Ironman. They ask, ‘are you sure about this?’ To be honest, I’m not too sure myself but I’m doing it anyway! It is not to prove anything. I do it for the fun and the camaraderie.”

On the day of competition, Ahmad Fadzil cleared the swimming portion with no problems. He cycled the full 180km route, and ran 18km into the 42.2km course.

“Because of technical reasons, I got a DNF (Did Not Finish) at the cycling stage because I exceeded the allowed cycling

The swimming distance is 3.8km for Ironman athletes and 1.9km for Ironman 70.3. At the finish line the emcee will announce the finisher’s name and declare, “You are an Ironman!”

time by one minute and 18 seconds. (The cut-off time is 10 hours and 30 minutes from the start time.) But I’m happy that I competed for 14 hours in Ironman. No matter what, we have to respect the rules of the game.”

He adds: “I enjoyed the experience, maybe too much and perhaps that was why I missed the cut-off time. The cycling part looks easy but you’ve got to plan your water and fruit intake along the way. I stopped at almost all the refuelling stations and even spent time chatting with the volunteers.”

He’s keen to join Ironman again and hopes there will be another one next year.

His advice for Ironman newbies is to have a detailed plan of the whole event, including the transition time when competitors switch from swimming to cycling, and from cycling to running. He took about eight minutes per transition, and it affected his overall timing.

“My only regret is that I was unable to prove that you can survive the full race without using energy gels. I’m not a fan of them, and I only use natural supplements like dates, raisins and bananas. That said, I wish I could have had nasi lemak and hot chicken soup during the cycling stage!”

A FIT OF CHANGE

Meanwhile, IT professional Jeffrey Lim is competing in his second Ironman Langkawi after his first in 2016, which he finished in 16 hours and

36 minutes. The 45-year-old ran marathons previously but ventured into Ironman because he wanted to do something more challenging.

This also came after his bout with nose cancer in 2004.