Cairns 70.3 Race Report 2024
Years ago when I didn’t do triathlon, we happened to be on holiday at Palm Cove while the Cairns Ironman took place. Ever since then, the event has been of interest to me. With the long course world championships being hosted in Townsville in August, Cairns 70.3 seemed like the perfect prep race to get some familiarity with the conditions likely to be experienced. It certainly didn’t disappoint being among the best courses I’ve ever raced.
We arrived the Thursday prior, which allowed enough time to go for a snorkelling day trip (on Friday) before shifting focus onto the race. I was generally relaxed, and quietly confident although my run training had been a little erratic, managing some niggles (post ankle sprain). I was excited to test my swimming, to see if my pool improvements would transfer.
Race morning I started at 3:55 am. I had some food and walked down to transition in the dark. Once set up, it was time to slip the wetsuit on and find my wife before lining up. I briefly jumped in the water to turn the arms over and then headed for the start bumping into Tyson on the way. Was nice to see a friendly face and it distracted me from the tension I typically feel just before the start.
Swim Leg
The next moment I was running into the water. Time to work. I felt okay but was struggling to find a rhythm in the water. I chased feet, hunting bubbles but found myself veering off course into clear water. I needed to sight more and yet I kept making the same mistake and losing feet. There was a particular swimmer with a gold cap I struggled to pass, as they kept moving onto feet I was also chasing. It was easy enough to follow them, though I knew I could swim faster, and I wasn’t content to wait. But try as I might, I kept finding my way forward blocked. Finally, I ended up going quite wide of them and eventually didn’t see them again.
The water conditions were amazing and although I found it hard, I tried to be thankful that I was outside enjoying this amazing place. Finished the swim in 29:30
Transition 1
Transition is always hard. I tried to run, but it was quite narrow the entrance. There wasn’t room to push the pace as I was blocked by other competitors. It was a lesson in patience. Finally, I got to my bike, wettie came off easy, helmet on (almost forgot to clip my helmet up!) grabbed my bike and ran with my bike to the exit. Time: 2:08
Bike Leg
I had no idea how far the front of the race was and although I was intent on trying to catch, realistically I knew it wouldn’t happen. I settled into a moderate effort while noticing my temperature was quite hot post-swim. How can I ride fast but do it as possible as easy as possible? I thought. I targeted +40km/h doing my best to utilise the terrain to generate speed.
It was so much fun, the road heading north to Port Douglas is sensational. Stunning views, punctuated by undulations with twists and turns. Around 10km I was passed by a very strong cyclist who quickly gapped me and I never saw again. I rode practically solo till just the rex lookout, noticing a small group coming along with me. Shortly after the decent (so much fun!) Ben the ox (not sure last name, but he was as strong as an ox) came by. Being much bigger than I, he drove the pace of the flatter terrain but suffered as soon as the road pointed up. I saw a huge draft fest coming the other way and was pleasantly surprised to see many penalties being handed out.
I tried to do as many turns as I could at the front, but an hour into the bike leg I was trying to manage my legs remembering the headwind that’s likely to occur once we come past Palm Cove back to Cairns. I chose to slow up at the aid stations and get good amounts of water on board, along with cooling myself, typically having a 40-50m gap to close up once I got going again. I thought it was worth it though, as it was still a long way to go.
The final little climb out of the scenic part of the course (just before Palm Cove), the group concertinaed and just as a moto came up on us, someone overtook and slotted directly in front of me. Having no option I was forced to go to the front. The problem was it was near the top and the 2 in front were starting to accelerate over the crest. I put in a 60-second effort between 350-400W to make the move to the front, however not wanting to just go to the front I tried my best to carry on (at this point was doing 48km/h). I didn’t last long (1-2min) and I was shot. Ben came past and the gap opened to 30-40m.
I just did my best to ride as efficiently as I could. Somehow I began to close the gap. We rode the whole way to town like this. I took the lead maybe twice for a couple of minutes each time, but Ben the Ox did the lion’s share of the pacing. I decided I wanted to take another gel before the run, and in the last 5km focused on dropping my HR to allow myself to hopefully be in a better position to run without stomach issues. Time: 2:13:07
Transition 2
I ran to my rack, hooked my bike up, helmet off, got my shoes out of the bag and sat down. Socks, and shoes on before grabbing my hat with race belt and gels, and running for the exit. Alas, the arm of my sunnies fell off and I had to turn back for them. I jogged while trying to fix my sunnies. Time: 2:18sec
Run Leg
Started the run still trying to sort out my sunnies, but once fixed it was time to get going. My wife told me I was 4mins down, not wanting to give me the real gap of 4:30. I figured it was probably doable, but I wouldn’t focus on it. Nail the basics, nutrition and running with good form. I had some ideas on paces I wanted to do, but there are so many variables I find just give myself a couple of km to find what I’m capable of on that day.
The course is deceptive in the number of twists and turns it has, and early into the run (IE 3km in) I could feel the start of blisters. It was going to be an even more challenging run.. It progressively got worse but I was forcing myself to run properly.
On the second lap, I heard the gap to the leader in my AG was under ~1:30. I wasn’t quite sure the exact number, but if it was under 2mins I knew it was certainly possible. My feet felt like I were standing on hot coals each step, it was a question of whether I wanted to win. It was there if I was prepared to put up with the feet. I decided that the regret I’d feel for being soft and not doing my best was worse than dealing with the moment’s pain, so I ploughed onward.
Cooling myself with the aid stations added even more trauma as my feet got wet and slipped more in the shoes. It was a necessary evil; it was hot, and I needed to manage it. I could feel my quads on the verge of cramping, I didn’t want to get so close and it all fall apart. I had to focus on the things I could control and be smart. Probably one of the hardest parts of the run course for me was a section of road that had quite a sharp camber. It felt like a torture device for my feet and my running form took a hit despite me fighting it, my arms were flailing (rather than supporting my stride) as I tried to run across the virtual hot coals (in my head).
At the final turnaround I finally identified the leader of my AG, and decided I could probably pass them on course to make certain of the win. I put a dig in with 3km to go to close the gap and physically took the lead (virtually it happened earlier as the leader had started before me in the rolling start) with less than 2km to run. Don’t cramp now! I thought, 5mins and it’s over.
Thankfully, I did it and held together to put together something I’m proud of. It was challenging and there was a fair amount of negotiating on my part. Run split: 1:18:12
Learnings
Laces! Don’t just assume they are tight enough since they were last time. Check your shoes and test them before racing. Also, socks with a little padding underfoot might help me, so I should do some trials to figure it out.
Swimming wise, get better at sighting more without impacting my stroke so much. This will help to stay on feet / awareness of where I am in the water, and make sure I’m swimming the best lines. Also, keep focus to continue rotating. It’s something I need to practice in training, but I as I tire I swim flatter, then I muscle things more and generally just swim slower.
Try to avoid huge power spikes on the bike. I don’t train it, so it hurts my legs a lot for the run. The best way to do this is to be more aware of positioning if in a group, rather than just focused on my effort and the gap in front of me.
The final learning was drinking more water helped a lot with dealing with the heat. I didn’t have any stomach issues, and I made a concerted effort to have some water before (if possible) and then chase any nutrition with water. I felt it helped my digestion over the race.
Copyright © Luke Jones
One Comment
X22aboft
Hey people!!!!!
Good mood and good luck to everyone!!!!!