2010 Double Ironman Race Report (Part 6)

Post-race:

I was amazed how quickly you can go from running and feeling strong to seizing up totally and hobbling around like a cripple! It took me about all of 2mins! I spent some time speaking with other people’s crews who had been so kind in supporting me and finding out updates on where their various loved ones were and I commiserated with Rachael about her race. I was so disappointed for her but amazed at her generosity of spirit that she could cheer so enthusiastically for the rest of us ladies while obviously being sad that she was unable to finish the race. There were plenty of people out there that I wanted to see in, including her husband Steve, so we stayed around for a couple of hours chatting to people and refuelling on a massive bacon cheeseburger from the food van – it was utterly gorgeous!!

Mum had yet again been a star and packed up most of the stuff into the car already so all I had to do was pick up my bike. I actually abandoned her again for a quick rub down of my quads with Tim and when I came out she had finished all the last bits and pieces. I could however see she was desperately flagging by this stage so I went to collect my bike, thanked all the team and promised we’d be back out again in the morning to support some of the finishing Triplers! We made out way to the car park where we found Rach folding Steve into the car for the drive back to Milton Keynes – they were heading off on holiday tomorrow and had to get home. Poor Steve was so tired he had to be ably assisted by Rach and Michelle just to get his seatbelt on!! We got back to the hotel around 9.30 totally tired out and couldn’t be bothered to move further than the local McDonalds to pick up some food. Mum was exhausted and by the time I returned up to the eyeballs in junk food she had fallen asleep fully clothed on her bed! I ate my little picnic quietly, had a very welcome shower where I was faced with the dilemma of how to clean my (very!) dirty feet whilst not being able to bend down and finally collapsed totally shattered into bed!

We woke up pretty stiff around 8am and my calves were locked which meant anything other than standing on tiptop was a challenge! Summoning my old sports therapy expertise I gave them a little rub down and soon they felt better. One of my first thoughts though was, how on earth are there still people out there competing? Throughout a whole second night!!! After a quick shower we headed down to breakfast and met up with a lot of the other Double athletes and some of the speedy Triplers to swap war stories and the highs and lows of the last 48hours. It was amazing to hear some of the battles people had faced and once again I realised how lucky I was not to have faced any major difficulties. I wanted to head back to Friary Grange to see some of the other athletes come in as I knew that Marie and Sally would no doubt still be out there doing an utterly awesome job of supporting their men. I also couldn’t believe that some of the marshals were still there, in their same spots, still cheerful and enthusiastically supporting those still on the course. Watching some of the athletes still out there, obviously in a lot of pain but still moving and still determined to finish was totally inspiring. I was again privileged enough to get to run a lap with the inimitable Reverend Graham and we moved along at a comfortable shuffle together talking over the events of the weekend and appreciating the bond that an event like this puts between people.

As I left the Reverend to carry on, I found Monique in the physio tent having finished her Triple in around 50hrs. I am so in awe of her achievement and for not being afraid to mix it with the boys. I couldn’t believe how easy she was running after getting off that bike, puts my stand alone marathon to shame. After bumping into a fellow Doubler eating chips with gravy we decided that was the order of the day (chips obviously NOT gravy!) and headed into town. Despite my warning Mum got a ‘regular’ cod and chips whilst I sensibly stuck to my small portion. It was absolutely massive! Still the remnants of it went down extremely well with those athletes still out on the course with them grabbing greasy handfuls to fuel them as they came through the village. Some bless them, had the grace to apologise for their dirty hands!

It was amazing to finally see Ted finish having felt as though we have all lived with him through his many highs and lows this year which culminated in him decided to upgrade to the Triple just a few days before. Marie was there to meet him and it was a truly touching sight to see them together having both struggled through many sacrifices to meet their goals. Having seen the Reverend out into single figures, it was time to get my tired-out mother home and I began the long process of saying goodbye to the other support crews and the wonderful Enduroman team. Though I am nervous about the challenge of next year I feel so much more confident having met Steve and Eddie. You can see how much they support their athletes and how they will truly do all they can to help get them through to meet their goals. Of course, behind every good man….are Lynn and Kathy who were so warm and calm throughout and obviously fully embrace the Enduroman spirit.

In summary (finally!) I had a wonderful race. I was extremely lucky to muddle through with no real problems and to feel strong throughout. I really hope I gave a good account of myself and made my friends and family proud. It was an honour and a privilege to race with such wonderful other athletes and I hope everyone is justly proud of their achievements and got everything they wanted out of the race. Thanks of course must go once again to the wonderful Marshals and support crews who were so kind and enthusiastic, to Tim, the physio who sorted my back out, to Dan for keeping me eating despite protests (!) and to the wonderful Enduroman team who put on such a fantastic event. I also want to thank my friends and family who came to support me and who continue to support me each and every day and my gorgeous fiancé who couldn’t be with me at the event but who I know was there in spirit willing me on and who has given me the last and next 12months to discover everything I need to about myself through completing this and hopefully the A2A. Lastly, my Mum who flew out from France to support me so wonderfully throughout the event. She did everything totally selflessly even when she was exhausted, got everything right and I truly couldn’t have done it without her!