Its 6am, Saturday 9th June, good morning ......The weather has turned for the better, no wind or rain last night, the sun is out, the birds are singing.
The weather forecast is good for the weekend.
So today (and into tomorrow) I'm going to do an Ultra Triathlon, that's swim 4.8 miles, cycle 232 miles and run 52.8 miles in the Double Enduroman at Avon Tyrrell, my family & some close friends are going to help me.
The event is a Double Iron distance race, Double Enduroman http://www.enduroman.com/uk/ an IUTA sanctioned World Cup race, European & British Double Iron Championship.
Right then, breakfast 2 lots of porridge with jam, peanut butter/ jam and banana on crackers, coffee, and bottle of gatorade. Final checks on bike, lights, kit. Racked my bike at 7am, chill out till 8am, wetsuit on & walk down to the lake with my support crew.
How was I feeling? ok actually, we'd planned well, I'd trained well, I'd got the best support crew I could wish for, we were buzzing.
A good crowd had gathered to watch the start, from 47 entries just 39 starters, the majority from England but entries with from Ireland, France, Spain, Netherlands and New Zealand.
Suddenly I heard my mobile ring tone "the Superstars theme" it was loud, very loud, nope it wasn'y my phone, my support crew had brought Clarky's boogie box down to get me hyped ..... awesome, race face on, big style!
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| 10 minutes before start - Race Face on ! |
I entered the water, it was warm, this was good, I'd had some problems in open water swimming recently (since starting back after my collar bone break), after about 20 minutes my left hand would form a "claw" shape that I couldn't straighten, this hadn't happened in my long pool swims so I knew it was only a problem in cold water, I was relieved the lake was warm.
I made my way to the starting bouys, I looked around, everyone was backing off away from the start line, strange I thought, but I'm staying here. The countdown sounded and we we're off. I didn't fly off like a madman, after all this was a 4.8 mile swim not a sprint but I did find myself leading for a short time, which amused me.
I settled into a rythm, forgot about it being 4.8 miles or 26 laps and focused on counting down 6 laps to hydration time. The swim was fairly incident free, I got a big kick in the face at one of the bouys as I'd held my line through the turn against one of the real fast swimmers who then cut across me exiting the bouy, it stunned me a little but its all part of the game. During the third block of six laps I could feel my left hand starting to "claw", this wasn't good but I just had to battle through it, I didn't feel like it was propelling me through the water at all but nothing I could do about it, as Dory says "just keep swimming"
I was starting to tire, I just wanted to it to be my final lap, I kept loosing count, funny how you stop be able to count when swimming, I checked with the time keepers as I swam past the lap count funnel, not long now, 2 laps to go.
I was aiming for a 2 hour 15 min swim (I did 2.4 mile in an hour & one minute at the Outlaw two years earlier) so this was realistic I felt condisering I'd only just started swimming again after 4 months.
My swim time was 2:18 so just about right to be honest, happy with that. Clarky had noted all my swim lap splits down, with notes on drink, food & how I felt (see below);
lap 1 3:49
lap 2 4:20
lap 3 4:31
lap 4 4:31
lap 5 4:31
lap 6 4:35 (1 minute - some leg cramp on lap 2 - 400ml gatorade - feeling good)
lap 7 4:40
lap 8 4:44
lap 9 4:46
lap 10 4:47
lap 11 4:58
lap 12 5:00 (1:30 stop - cramp lap 11 & 12 - 400 ml gatorade & half banana)
lap 13 5:05
lap 14 5:18
lap 15 5:14
lap 16 5:18
lap 17 5:41
lap 18 5:29 (1:45 stop - kicked in head - 400ml gatorade & half banana - feel ok but tired)
lap 19 5:30
lap 20 5:35
lap 21 5:30
lap 22 5:35
lap 23 5:37
lap 24 5:47
lap 25 5:46
lap 26 6:28
I staggered out of the lake in 10th position and headed up the matting to my support crew who were waiting with coffee, woolly hat and trainers for the long walk up to the house to transition.
Swim exit video - click here
T1 was funny, me, Dobbers & Clarky trying to get me out of my wetsuit and put dry cycling gear on whilst eating porridge with jam, peanut butter/jam sandwich, mars bar and drinking coffee, flat coke & water.
Nearly ready to go & get my bike ....... hold up, I need to go to the toilet, quickley, actually very quickley, think I'd drunk a little too much lake water.
Clarky led the way to the nearest toilets, men's occupied, oh dear, "get in the ladies" Clarky shouted, we will not go into details here but I was a while !
Dobber tweeted
Feeling better, we raced back to the tent & Dobber, finished getting dressed and I raced to my bike.
The plan was 4 laps then stop for food, I stopped at the support crew station and picked up a bottle of gatorade and another of water, took some jelly beans, a gel and banana. Let's get lap 1 done, race time was now 2:45, it had been nearly half an hour since I exited the water, no panic, its a long day, night, day!
The tweets kept coming from Clarky, Dobbers & Sarah (signed into my twitter account)
Again my lap times were recorded with notes on nutrition and how I felt, I suffered bladder cramps for the first 100 mile then it eased a little, my hydration plan was working well but it meant I was stopping somewhere to relieve myself every lap, which was good but also it was costing time, but this strategy would repay itself later in the race we were sure.
lap 1 38 mins
lap 2 40 mins (peanut butter sandwich, jelly beans, water - bladder cramps)
lap 3 41 mins (water - still having bladder cramps)lap 4 38 mins (10 minute stop - rice/ sweet & sour sauce, 1 litre water - still bladder cramps)
lap 5 38 mins
lap 6 40 mins (quick stop - took water & coke - nutrigrain bar & cake - high5 not going down well)
lap 7 43 mins
lap 8 43 mins (30 minute stop - toilet (lets not do details again!) - pasta & ham)
lap 9 42 mins (drank full bottle of water on that lap)
lap 10 40 mins (4 minute stop to fit lights)
lap 11 45 mins
lap 12 45 mins (+2 min chat - feeling good - food stop next lap)lap 13 46 mins (12 min stop - pasta & cappuccino)
lap 14 46 mins (gatorade)
lap 15 47 mins (rice pudding & cappuccino change base layer as getting cold)
lap 16 45 mins (drank 500ml gatorade - pasta next stop)
lap 17 47 mins (pasta, coffe - getting bored)
lap 18 49 mins (drank 500ml gatorade & 350 ml water - crackers & jelly babies)
lap 19 45 mins (3 min stop - satsuma)
lap 20 46 mins
Only thing I would change would be to get a better set of lights, none of the bike route had any street lights and between 10pm and 3:30am it was very dark so had to take less speed into many corners as I couldn't see very clearly where I was going.
Georgie's poster video - waiting for early bike lap return - click here
Early bike lap return - click here
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| 170 mile into bike route - coffee & rice pudding stop |
Strava extract of the cycle ride (below);
So Clarky & Sarah dragged me into the warmth to change for the run, only 52.8 miles to go (48 x 1.1 mile woodland trail loops)
Apparentley I was less than helpful while they tried to put my socks on, etc ... well I had been racing for over 18 hours already !
Another (let's not talk about it) toilet stop and off for a little run around the woods we go, new plan was to walk up the hills, run everywhere else, legs felt ok, I felt ok just tired. A quick drink, check in with time keepers and off we go.
Again my laps were recorded, again I was stopping nearly every lap to relieve myself but atleast I was well hydrated.
lap 1 12 minslap 2 13 mins (took water & ritz crackers)
lap 3 13 mins
lap 4 16 mins (2 min stop porridge & coffee)
lap 5 13 mins (water)
lap 6 14 mins (gatorade)
lap 7 12 mins
lap 8 13 mins
lap 9 13 mins (took 350ml gatorade)
lap 10 13 mins (coffee & nutrigrain bar)
lap 11 14 mins (took 200ml gatorade & cake)
lap 12 12 mins (3 min stop, cappuccino & cake)
lap 13 16 mins (350ml gatorade, half cap, cake)
lap 14 13 mins (took 350ml water & fruit bar)lap 15 13 mins (took 350ml water & fruit bar)
lap 16 14 mins (took 350ml gatorade)
lap 17 12 mins (took walnut cake)
lap 18 14 mins (took half satsuma)lap 19 13 mins (half satsuma & sip of water)
lap 20 12 mins (1:30 cappuccino stop)
lap 21 13 mins (took 350ml water & satsuma)
lap 22 13 mins (cappuccino)
lap 23 15 mins (water)
lap 24 14 mins (jaffa cakes, water)
well thats one marathon done, one to go!
I had to change my clothes they were wet & rubbing in all the wrong places, I really needed to visit the little boys room again for the forth time in the race (again you don't want to know the details). I lost 17 minutes in all stopping and it cost me a place, but I felt much better after.
lap 25 14 mins (porridge & gatorade)
lap 26 14 mins
lap 27 12 mins
lap 28 12 mins
lap 29 13 mins
lap 30 11 mins
lap 31 12 mins
lap 32 13 mins
lap 33 13 mins
lap 34 13 mins (4 min stop, coffee)
lap 35 12 mins (1:30 stop)
lap 36 14 mins
lap 37 (no time, I was that fast, support crew didnt see me :) was about 12 mins
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| 2nd marathon - let's get this over with! |
lap 39 15 mins
lap 40 13 mins
lap 41 13 mins
lap 42 12 mins
lap 43 12 mins
lap 44 12 mins
lap 45 12 mins
lap 46 13 mins
lap 47 12 mins
lap 48 10 mins
In the second marathon I started running straight through the turn circle where my support crew were based, they had half bottles (350ml) ready for me to just grab and swap over, I was running on empty, totally exhausted, really don't know where I found the energy to speed up in the second marathon, I just wanted to get it over with, so started doing blocks of 3 laps without stopping at the support crew station, it was hard work, VERY HARD, but did feel awesome running straight through the turning circle past the support crews, timing points and crowd while many competitors stopped or walked.
I can't remember just how many laps I had to go, when Clarky told me I was 3 minutes behind 7th place, it was probably around 10 laps to go, I really didn't know or want to know, I was giving it everything I had, I had nothing left, and I remember the conversation "mate, i've got nothing left, what will be will be". And I carried on.
Next lap I saw him coming towards me down at the lake, "go away" I thought "I'm not interested", then he said something that woke something inside of me "you gained 30 seconds on 7th in the last lap, go for it" ....... so I did! I really don't know where the energy came from, I just got into a rythm and started knocking off consecutative 12 minute laps, the fastest laps I'd done all day, I was buzzing now, I was passing competitors at every corner wondering if that was 7th, my support crew, the race director & officials were all pushing me on, I was running well, I felt awesome, racing through the timing station & crowds, another lap done, then I saw Clarky a thumbs up and a high 5 I'd just taken 7th on the downhill section into the circle, I raced through again and tried as hard as I could to show I was running well, at the top of the hill I went again, leaving a number of competitors behind on the hill.
Later in that lap I saw Steve Dolby, "youve left him behind mate, he's stopped to rest at the top of the hill, youv'e taken 7 minutes out of him in that last lap alone, come on"
I just kept going same pace, same rythm, the laps were coming down less than 4 to go now, it was difficult to know out on the course who you were racing as there were half iron, full iron and 100 mile run competitors with the double iron competitors out on the run course and with it being multi-lap if you did see a double iron competitor you had no idea if they were on the same lap as you.
I ended up finishing 8th after all that hard work but I suppose it could have been 9th if I hadn't upped my game, I do remember a runner come speeding past me with a few laps to go and thinking "I hope he's not just taken 7th" ..... I did wonder whether to try and go with him but he was too fast, I just hoped he was in a different race, he wasn't he took 7th, fair play to him.
With two and a half laps to go I got the message, youve got 38 minutes to go sub 30 hours .... "really?" I thought, I'd got no idea what time it was, how long I'd been running, I had decided not to take my garmin or a watch, the loops were 1.1 miles, support crew were timing me, if I really wanted to know I could ask ....... I hadn't wanted to know ...... up to now!.
I must admit I thought sub 30 was gone with all the toilet stops but here I was with less than 3 miles to go to finish the double and I had a whole 38 minutes to do it, now this might seem like a piece of cake normally but I was knackered, well & truely knackered, I'd been racing for over 29 hours, how much more did I have left, I just kept going and kept my rythm, the plan walking up the hills was working, keep at it I thought don't let your pace drop and your home.
Clarky, Dobber, Claire, Sarah & the kids where buzzing with excitement "come on sub 30, you can do it", it spurred me on more and more, dig deeper, go faster, its nearly over, I must admit getting a bit emotional but pushed it back to the back of my mind, I haven't finished yet!
Towards the end of what I hoped was my penultimate lap, on the last hill before the descent into the circle where the chip timing, support crews and crowds were, I saw Steve Dolby, I needed water when I got into the circle, I shouted at Steve, he raced through the short cut to the circle to make sure it was ready for me when I came through, I didnt want to waste anytime stopping, it was nearly over.
I remember running into the circle praying that the time keepers would confirm this was my last lap (in an Enduroman race the last lap is always run in reverse, so that remaining comptitors can see you are on the last lap and congratulate you with high 5's and well done's) I'd been thinking of this moment since I clicked the enter button for this event back in November 2011, "I hope this is my last lap" I thought.
I got to the timing mats, looked at the timers "last lap" they shouted ....... wow, I've done it, 1.1 miles to go, lots of high 5's, smiles and well dones, come on.
I turned and ran back the way I had come in, back past my cheering support crew, I threw the water bottle up in the air and shouted something, can't remember what, probably "wahoo" or "come on", and off I went on the reverse final lap run. As I ran out up the hill, I hoped that the half full water bottle had landed safely & not on someone's head .... ooopps !
I didn't bother walking up any hills on that lap, I ran all the way, fastest lap of the day ... AWESOME
Over the timing mats "must be sub 30" I thought, the music was loud, the crowd was cheering, I sprinted through the finish gantry arms aloft where Dobbers & Clarky sprayed me with Guinness (what a waste) and into Sarah & Georgie's arms.
The Race Director gave me my finisher Double Enduroman "sleep can wait" T-shirt, Enduroman medal & IUTA Double Iron finisher medal, I then hugged all my support crew. I am a DOUBLE IRON FINISHER, not only that but I'd broken the magic 30 hour barrier on the tough Avon Tyrrell course, I was overwhelmed & exhausted.
I walked to behind our support crew tent and sat against the wall, Clarky interviewed me!
The tweets & facebook messages were outstanding, we must have had #DIM trending on twitter, Sarah, Clair, Clarky & Dobber were reading some out to me during the race, but I was absolutely amazed when I read through them all on sunday night, overwhelming, thank you to all.
Final results (link http://www.enduroman.com/results/ )
Phil Binch - Double Enduroman - Avon Tyrrell
4.8 mile swim 2:18 - 232 mile bike 16:17 - 52.8 mile off road run 11:13 - total time 29:49
Finally the most important thing I have to say is a HUGE GREAT BIG THANK YOU to my support crew Sarah Binch, Georgina Binch, Steve Dolby, Clair Dolby, Annie Dolby, Ellie Dolby & Steve Clark, quite simply I could not have achieved this with out your support, advice and encouragement, you are all superstars <queue the music>, I don't know how to repay you for what you have helped me achieve, but I'm going to try, soon we will eat & drink till dawn :)
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| Gorilla Race Team - Double Enduroman 2012 |
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