THE HEAT
OF THE RACE
The IRONMAN 70.3 Colombo course is
an out-and-back, U-shaped, non-wetsuit
swim with a flat coastal bike and run.
What you gain on this flat surface you
lose in the heat and humidity. Colombo
is VERY hot and humid. Think a warm
Durban, plus 7-8°C and at least an
additional 5% humidity.
The bike course is a fast three loops
and the run a not-so-fast two loops –
for no other reason but the conditions
getting to you at the back end of the day.
Both the bike and run take you into the
Port of Colombo, one of the most historic
Abré with Juliette Raudrant (far left) at the
start of the age-group-only race, which
takes place in the heart of Sri Lanka’s
capital city. Luxembourg’s Olivier Godart
(above) claimed the men’s win, while
Kimberley MacKinney (below left) of
Australia was second in the women’s race.
trading harbours in the world, which
played a key role in linking East and West
through sea trade around Africa.
The section into the harbour on the run
was often compared to Kona’s ‘Energy
Lab’ during the course of the weekend.
From the 3km mark on lap one, and the
14km mark on the second, you had to
find some mental and physical strength
to keep up the pace before returning to
the sea breeze of the Galle Face Green
beach. It took its toll. Gael, who I crossed
paths with on the second lap in this
section, couldn’t remember having a
brief chat with me here when I connected
with him after the race.
Tough conditions like these can be
unplayable without good nutrition,
hydration and a good race plan. The race
organisers had spoken about aiming for
an exceptional participant experience,
and they delivered on this with most race
touch points – none more so than the
critically important aid stations. They
were stocked with Science in Sport
products, Coke and water, bananas
and my winner on the day – buckets of
ice water that you could have poured
over your head at both the entrance and
exit to every aid station. I also found it
useful to fill my tri suit with blocks of ice
front and back whenever possible. It’s
a lifesaver in bringing your core body
temperature down quickly.
I hit the red carpet for a very surprising
personal best of 04:42. My race felt
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