Let’s start at the end; I completed my [first] Ironman in 11 hours, 11 minutes and 7 seconds. I had the near-perfect race and can honestly say I enjoyed nearly every hour of the event. I’ve tried to give a taste of it below; I hope you enjoy.

In true style, and as an Englishman, it’s important to start any conversation with a discussion about the weather. In the days leading up to the Ironman, it was looking bleak. Rain was increasingly forecast throughout the day, with 15mph winds – raining whilst cycling is never nice but I was more concerned about the impact on spectators, specifically if there would be any on the course as I was looking forward to soaking up the atmosphere they would create. As it turns out, we needn’t have worried too much; it stayed dry during the cycle-part of race day and whilst it did rain throughout the marathon, this was a fair trade given what could have been much worse weather throughout the day.

Packing for an Ironman is a challenge in and of itself as evidenced by the photo below, but with the bike broken down, the many many pieces of kit packed and the vaseline in plentiful supply for race day, it was time to head to Copenhagen.

Friday was registration day and much to my coach’s annoyance, that is pretty much all that I did. I registered and left. What I was meant to do was to buy loads of kit, soak up the atmosphere, take photos, etc, so you live and learn I guess. I did however grab a couple of photos; the first of me thinking about whether the helmet would make me go faster, the second…well, it speaks for itself.

Back to the weather and Saturday wasn’t suggesting any change; not even the Ironman inflatables were surviving the cross-winds at the swim course which I had to go to to both rack my back and have the obligatory pre-race day swim. First breath resulted in a mouthful of salty water; solid start!!! But all-in-all, fairly relaxed. Bike checked in, bike and run backs checked-in, swim completed and abs / biceps / thighs looking good.

And then lunch happened, or rather didn’t. I felt awful; no appetite, no energy – a real WTF moment, which as it turns out was pre-race nerves, because come Sunday (and for the first time ever, having actually gotten some sleep before a big race), I felt good!

With my family guiding me to the start line, my friend Steve in CPH for the weekend to cheer me on, knowing that Jemma and the kids were arriving at c.2pm and Team G and friends were going to be tracking my progress, it was time to race. I was relaxed, energised and time to see what 10 months’ of solid training could deliver.

I had some very clear instructions for pre-race fuelling from my Uncle Martin, who is an unbelievable top-level cyclist. Have a big proper breakfast (big bowl of porridge, sandwiches and banana) and have another banana 45 minutes before the start of the race. Do NOT have any energy gels before the race and only have your first energy drink 45 minutes into the cycle. I don’t know if it was this advice, the training or a combination, but wow, wow, wow. I felt strong in the swim and strong on the bike as you’ll see.

I swam just under 1:08 for 3.8km. Putting this into perspective, my fastest half Ironman swim (1.9km) was 35 minutes, so I swam faster for double the distance during the full Ironman swim!! Happy days. I swam long and a good line; I swam past lots of people who started out too high up the order, and when required, I made space for me to pass; as my swim coach Mathan said, I wasn’t there to make friends.

Bike transition was good and I was out onto the course in about 6 minutes; time to see what the fabled smooth Danish roads could help deliver over a 180km ride.

Well, they could help deliver another PB; 5 hours, 35 minutes, so an average of c. 32.5km / hour. My fastest previous half was 2 hours 50 minutes, so I’ll leave you to do the maths. The cycling was awesome; I only felt tired in the final 10km, but otherwise, the whole thing just flowed. It’s an awesome feeling when you’re cycling fast without much perceived effort; this was easily the most fun cycling I’ve had in a long time.

And then the run; I could see my coach going mad with me, because I came out onto the run course flying; I did the first 7km at about 5:40/km pace – I was meant to be going at c.6:05 initially! My legs felt great, my hamstring wasn’t hurting at all and the crowds, noise, atmosphere were awesome. Nevertheless I deliberately slowed myself down (the expression ‘it’s a marathon, not a sprint’ is most applicable) and soaked up the atmosphere.

It was a 4-lap course, and I found the second lap the hardest mentally, knowing I had 3 to go, but go they did and my pace was somehow being maintained at around 6min/km or 10km/h. There’s always help though, and for me, that was my family and friends; Jemma and the kids had arrived on course just as I was finishing the bike, so the first time I saw them on the run, they were rewarded with very sweaty hugs and kisses. My cousin Sebastian could be heard for miles given he was screaming ‘move your fat @rse’ down a megaphone turned up to its max (and btw, the on-course marshals thought it would be hilarious to do the same thing having heard Seb) and my uncle and aunt were everywhere, with VERY strict instructions from my Uncle to constantly fuel. So I walked EVERY feed station to have a little energy drink and banana and cracked on straight away.

I could talk about how I started getting tired on lap 3, how my right thigh started cramping and giving up the ghost, how I was mentally challenging myself to NOT walk, how dispiriting it was to see people going into the finish chute as I had another lap to go, another lap band to collect, etc etc, but these were the moments my coach talked to me about and that I knew I had to manage in my head. So that’s what I and every one else on the course did.

And so to my final half lap; 5km to go. I’m going to smash the sh!t out of this!!! Oh, no, I’m not. I’m going to get a killer stitch instead that nearly cripples me. Time to relax, walk, breath, stretch and build back up slowly. And now I’m turning into the finish chute, I’m nearly crying, I’m checking there’s no one behind me, I’m high-fiving the race commentator, I’m raising my arms to get the crowd cheering even louder, I’m looking for my family, I’m crossing the finish line, I’m…I’m an Ironman with a fairly solid 4:15 marathon under the belt.

I can honestly say I had fun. My coach Jon Geller and Team G prepared me to perfection, better than perfection if there is such a thing. We didn’t know what I could do as we’d never had the proper taper ahead of race days or big training days, so the goal was 12 hours. Well we beat that! I would say if anyone wants to do any event that they need help with, speak to me and I’ll introduce you to Jon G and Team G; you won’t find a better bunch that this lot to train with, have fun with, improve with.

None of this would have been possible without the support of Jemma and the kids so huge thanks to you; I promise not to do another one for at least a couple of years. Thanks also to Martin and Gail for hosting me and being my support crew for race weekend; there’s nothing quite like having family who get up with you at the crack of dawn to get you ready for a race…and then stay on the course throughout the day to cheer you on.

And finally, thanks to all of you. We’ve raised a lot of money for JAMI and the Oli Leigh Trust. If you haven’t done so already and still want to, please do donate to these 2 fantastic charities

Oli Leigh Trust: you can either post a cheque (payable to The Oli Leigh Trust) to me and I’ll pass it on or you can pay directly into it’s registered charity bank account:

• Bank: Natwest
• Bank Account Name: The Oli Leigh Trust
• Bank Account Number: 74723413
• Bank Account Sort Code: 60-03-12
• Charity Number: ZD03288

JAMI: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/richard-sager-ironman

Thanks everyone; see you all soon. R

Yesterday was my 44th birthday, and so what better way to celebrate than go out for a 5 – 6 hour bike ride followed by a 45 run…at least that was the plan.

Persistent rain nearly scuppered the plan before even setting foot out of the door, but with my coaches words ringing in my ear (Ironman doesn’t stop for the weather), I ventured out.

2 1/2 hours in and having dropped a friend back home, I headed to Regents Park to crack on…only to crash.

20 years, I also crashed on my birthday and ended up on a neck brace and back board in an ambulance on the way to hospital so yesterday’s little slide down the road and skin removal is my silver lining – Ironman is still on (though I need to get the bike fixed).

As with every post from now on, I’ll sign off with sponsorship details.

Jami: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/richard-sager-ironman

Oli Leigh Trust

• Bank: Natwest
• Bank Account Name: Oli Leigh Trust 
• Bank Account Number: 74723413
• Bank Account Sort Code: 60-03-12

Thanks

R

If you are reading this blog, then you will probably already know that I’m in the final throes of preparing to compete in the Copenhagen Ironman on August 18^th –  http://eu.ironman.com/triathlon/events/emea/ironman/copenhagen.aspx#axzz5sWd2pmop. It’s a 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and a marathon run (42.2km) to finish.

So that’s 12 hours to complete 152 laps of a 25m pool, a bike ride from C. London to Cambridge…and back and a marathon. In case that wasn’t hard enough, my marathon will likely (hopefully) start at c.2.30pm, so pretty-much the hottest part of the day! I’ll burn c.12,000 calories throughout the whole day and lose over 6lbs during the race itself.

More details of my journey can be found on my blog – www.richardsironmanjourney.home.blog. (earliest blog is at the bottom of the page)

Whilst this is an endeavour I originally set out to do as a personal journey, having paid 100% of my own costs for coaching, training, equipment, nutrition, physio!, etc and having put hundreds of hours of effort into getting ready whilst also balancing family and work, I now have the opportunity to ask you all to help me raise money for two mental health charities, JAMI and The Oli Leigh Trust.

I am raising money for 2 charities. The Oli Leigh Trust and JAMI; details for JAMI can be found at the bottom of this blog, but wanted to share the Oli Leigh Trust story first

I work with Michelle, Oli’s mum and have become friends with her as a result. Whilst I never had the opportunity to get to know Oli, everything I heard speaks to an amazing young man who gave so much to his family, friends and community in general. I’m grateful to Michelle for the opportunity to raise money for The Oli Leigh Trust, set up in memory of Oli and to support others in need. The following is from Michelle

The Oli Leigh Trust has been set up to help various projects around the country to educate, support and hopefully stop the rise in Teenage Suicide in the UK, driven in part by the advent of Social Media, increasing accessibility of drugs and pressure of education. We all have a responsibility; we all have a sense of duty to provide our children with a future. 

My son Oli took his life on the 1^st May 2018.  

I still find it hard knowing that this is real and that this is forever. I can’t believe that I will never be able to kiss him and hold him and tell him I love him.  The loss I feel is with me every moment of the day – I don’t want anyone else to feel like this.

Suicide in teenage boys has a higher percentage than girls. Girls talk and express their emotions – Boys keep their emotions inside and see it as a weakness or just do not recognise that they need help.

My Oli had issues that society contributed too – However I am proud to say that he was always willing to be there for anyone who needed him. Oli worked on various charity projects since he was 7, raising thousands of pounds – So I know he will be very proud of what this Trust will do for others.

We have spoken to various projects in ways that we can assist them. 

Terapia in Finchley needs councillors to help children who are known to be at risk.  They are desperate for funding We would like to try and raise enough funds for a year for one councillor to help their project get started. To put into perspective, that is £30k for this project for 1 year only.

Another project is for St Albans based Charity called OLLIE (One Life Lost Is Enough) – They need more support to go into Schools, Colleges and Work places to help educate teachers and colleagues notice the signs of change in behaviour in children and adults and offer support with the pressure around them.

Finally we have spoken to a Self-Harming project in Cardiff, Heads above Water – they are trying to create a youth centre, for teenagers to meet others like themselves, a place to feel safe and comfortable and to express and talk easily.

All these projects are new, but the demand is growing for assistance and support.

Michelle, 9^th July 2019

The Trust has been created but is awaiting confirmation of its charity number. In the meantime, donations can be made directly to the bank account registered to the Trust.

• Bank Account Name: Oli Leigh Trust
• Bank Account Number: 74723413
• Bank Account Sort Code: 60-03-12

As I mentioned, I am also raising money for JAMI. You can learn more about JAMI at http://www.jamiuk.org and sponsorship can be made by Justgiving – https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/richard-sager-ironman

Thanks for your time and generosity.

R

I competed in the Outlaw Half Holkham Ironman on Sunday – it was a very long day but a great event and now I’m just gearing up for the big one!

2.30am starts are never pleasant, made worse by the fact that I couldn’t sleep beforehand (who can when you go to bed at 8pm) and when the first part of the day involves a 2 1/2 drive to Norfolk. It was also raining, but the rain stopped, the sun rose and it turned into a glorious day.

6.37 race start and 5 hours, 30 minutes and 38 second later, I finished. Super happy with the time and really enjoyed most of the race. Perhaps a little too much punching and kicking at the start of the swim and the long inclines in the run weren’t nice, but the scenery was stunning, the weather amazing and the support was great.

No more warm-up events left; it’s just the Ironman now. I’m in recovery mode this week, which means I only have a 3.7km swim today, single sessions tomorrow and Thursday and am then back on it. 4 BIG weeks of training left before tapering.

Sponsorship next!

If that were true, I’d be done with my Ironman journey this coming Sunday 7th July after I race Holkham – https://www.outlawtriathlon.com/holkham/info/

I have already race Merchant Taylor at the end of Mayand came 3rd in my age group!!! But as attributed to Benjamin Disraeli: “there are three kinsd of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” Basically there weren’t many participants in the 1/2 Ironman and so coming third wasn’t a huge deal. That said, I did complete the course in 5:57 which I was happy with, even if my run was a near-disaster.

In case anyone is wondering, it’s a slighly different set of distances to a normal 1/2 Ironman; 1.9km swim, 100km bike, 20km run.

More importantly, Jemma and the kids were there to run me through the finish chute, which was awesome; Ironman Copenhagen won’t allow this and as they’re not joining me in Holkham, this was the only chance I was going to get. So enjoy these, and the other, photos from the day.

Now to Holkham where hopefully my hamstring will hold together.

Feeling pretty chuffed with training so far this week. Whilst I’ve obviously noticed general improvements since I started properly training 7 months ago, I hit a major milestone today off the back of some great sessions earlier in the week.

Longest swim of my life, but more importantly, swim was longer than ironman race distance. Big shout out to Jon Geller (my ironman coach) and Mathan (swim coach) for getting me to this stage. Now all I need to do is get more comfortable with the distance and a little faster (oh, and be able to cycle and run for 10 hours after the swim)

Cycling and running are also going well; long old turbo session on Sunday morning as had to be at home with the kids, followed by a punchy run…and did threshold run today that was fast. Enjoy!

…dedication is what you need, at least according to the late Roy Castle who hosted the great TV show, aptly named ‘Record Breakers’ (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Record_Breakers )

Whilst I can’t imagine ever breaking official and ‘communal’ records, I do find myself breaking personal records nearly every week at the moment. This morning’s swim is a case-in-point; 3,210m. When I started training for my first 1/2 Ironman 5 years ago, I could only manage 90m, so hooray to me!

Last week marked 20 weeks to go to my Ironman, and what better way to celebrate than with a recovery week. The thought of some downtime, some lie ins and not having to eat every 30 minutes was very much welcome, i.e. a reprise from my normal life as it’s now become.

How naive I was…it turns out last week’s recovery week had more work training than most of the first 3 months of training! Take a look if you don’t believe me!

There was also a 4th swim last week; a 1:1 coaching session with the squad coach who, it turns out, can clear a packed lane in a public swimming pool by completing 2 lengths of butterfly at UK-leading race pace!

So with less than 20 weeks to go, we’re really getting into the meat of the training now. Below is this week’s programme – and next week, we’re going to spice things up a little more with a 180km bike ride on Good Friday followed by a run.

I ‘raced’ (jogged) the Hampton Court Palace half marathon on Sunday. Given my running training has been somewhat erratic due to a hamstring injury (yes, I’m getting the excuses in early), I was ok with my 1 hour 50 minute time (and the other 50 seconds).

It turns out this was my one and only running ‘race’ this year; the Watford Half in marathon February was cancelled due to poor underfoot conditions and we’ve decided (my coach and I) not to run the Brighton marathon – I’m not fully-recovered from the hammy and whilst I can probably do it in an ok time, the risk of injury far-outweighs any potential benefit of actually doing it.

So, here are some more photos of me looking a little tired.

If you want to be unbelievably bored by this part of the blog, below is a snapshot of pace, steps, elevation, oscillation, etc.

Comments always welcome. My next race is the Hercules Half Ironman in June; my next blog will be in the next couple of days so watch this space!

…at the end of a disastrous 1/2 Ironman – Hever Castle.

The promotional material includes comments about the splendidly beautiful countryside the race traverses through, shows a relaxed runner in the foreground of Hever Castle lake and generally covers the race in glory.

My reality was a little different; storm warnings, cold and wet weather, debris on the road and a lack of proper training delivered a race that nearly broke me…not helped by a misunderstanding solely of my own doing. I thought the total climbing on the bike was 750m…but that was only for 1 lap, we had to do 2!

So enjoy the attached photos; they really do paint a picture of pain!

All I know is I’m going to need a bigger engine if I’m going to complete an Ironman and have fun doing so!

How I am going to achieve this will be the second part of the blog; who I’m doing this for will be part 3.