Ma
DARE TO TRI
ALL THINGS
IRONMAN
What an epic weekend at Ironman 70.3 South Africa on 29 January in East London! Our Dare to Tri( DTT) athletes reacted well to some really tough conditions, and we had 19 finishers, including 10 novices! This 10th edition of the race was as tough as ever: A choppy sea for the 1.9km swim, then a brutal 90km bike ride and 21.1km run in 30-plus degree heat with wind. As seven-time women’ s winner Jody Cunnama remarked at prize-giving,“ This is not a Half Iron 70.3 race, it’ s more like a three-quarter Ironman!” We asked three of our DTT heroes to share their experience.
Rodney Nel( 6:49:45) and Melanie Nel( 8:05:20)
Melanie:“ Our Ironman journey started when Rodney added triathlons to his‘ before I turn 40’ bucket list. After stumbling on the Dare to Tri article in Modern Athlete, he signed up, and I joined soon after, mostly to support him and work on my sprint distance events. During the next six months we both completed various triathlons, and now also the Ironman 70.3, and we also celebrated our six-year wedding anniversary on that day. Rodney unfortunately lost his wedding ring during the swim, but will be back at the race for as many years as it takes to find it!”
Rodney:“ Although training for triathlons requires time, dedication and self-discipline, we kept each other accountable to follow the DTT training programme. Luckily Melanie is a morning person and managed to get us both out of bed to train, and to share this experience with your partner, who has also dedicated her time towards achieving the same goal, has helped us to truly understand what it takes to be called an Ironman.”
David Luppnow( 7:44:35)
“ The East London Ironman 70.3 triathlon is one of the toughest courses in the world, but I told myself to just do the damn thing. What transpired was a story of ups and downs – figurative and literal. At points I didn’ t think I would finish the bike, having picked up an injury, but I just kept moving, and before I knew it, I was onto the final discipline, the run. Training, good coaching, and advice from team mates had ensured I had enough fuel in the tank to put in a half marathon just six minutes outside my personal best. The 70.3 was tough going, but inexpressibly rewarding. The outstanding organisation and support from all involved makes this a world class event, and an absolute must for every triathlete.”
For more info on the Modern athlete DARE TO TRI Academy, go to https:// daretotri. canbook. me / e / view / 10091 or contact Coach Derick. marcisz @ stemcor. com.
Jono Maxwell( 8:24:33)
“ Six months ago I decided to turn my unhealthy lifestyle around, so a friend suggested triathlons and put me into contact with Derick and the Dare to Tri programme. As the clouds cleared on Sunday morning in East London, I was ready to attempt my first Ironman 70.3. Coming out on target with the swim, I confidently moved off into the cycle, starting off well, but I hit debris that managed to break my bike’ s front derailleur. After losing 30 minutes trying to fix the bike, I decided to push on, despite my non-functional front gears. I was still able to make it to the next leg, before the cycle cut-off, but with just minutes to spare. I knew the run was going to be tough, especially as I started during the hottest time of day, but I made it across the finish line with five minutes to spare! The race was both physically and emotionally exhausting, but running down that red carpet and crossing the finish line made all the training, drama and pain worth it.”
Coach’ s Corner By DTT Coach Derick Marcisz
What’ s next for Dare to Tri?
We now have a group of 18 DTT athletes training for Ironman South Africa in PE on Sunday 2 April, including 13 novices and six women. This is the‘ Big Daddy’ of the season, with a 3.8km sea swim, 180km bike ride and a marathon to finish. The group is already hard at training with a programme that will hopefully take them all to that full Ironman finish.
I am also excited about our new partnership with the TinMan and MiWay Ultra series. The MiWay Ultra in Sun City in May is a really great race, because it’ s fairly close to Johannesburg and it’ s on a great course, plus no chance of the swim being cancelled due to rough seas! This will be a main focus race for those DTT athletes not doing Ironman.
Images: Courtesy Derick Marcisz & DTT athletes
44 ISSUE 92 MARCH 2017 / www. modernathlete. co. za