Nailing Ironman Canada

Kevin Cutjar, head coach, Impact MultiSport; member, TriBC, and 31-time Ironman finisher, coachkev@eraceplanner.com

Since the inaugural Ironman Canada in 1983, thousands of athletes have finished this prestigious event and every year there are hundreds more doing their first. As a competitor, coach and keen spectator of IMC over the past 14 years, I’ve seen some great performances and amazing achievements realized on Lakeshore Drive, in Penticton.

In addition, I still see athletes fall short of their expectations by making common mistakes. In this article I’ll outline my best approach to competing in Ironman Canada and identify some do’s and don’ts during the final days before the race.

Race Week

Ironman race week is like no other. With numerous attractions, expos, functions and parades, you may feel obliged or convinced into an unnecessarily hectic race-week. Ensure you have each day planned, from workouts to other activities, beginning with the “must-do’s” like, race registration, bike check and pre-race meetings. Then plan meals, shopping, massage, time to relax and socializing. Plan your route to race start and your parking spot race day. Preparation on this level can alleviate unnecessary race week stress for yourself and for those around you. 

Common mistakes in race week:

Hot Tip: Don’t commit to anything that isn’t absolutely necessary during race week.

Pre-Race

Top up carbohydrate stores and re-hydrate with a high-carb breakfast 3 hours before the race and a sport drink up to within 30 minutes of the start.

Hot Tip - Arrive 90 minutes before the start. This is ample time to do everything you need to. Don’t rush.

RACE START & SWIM – One of the most impressive events in our sport, yet one people fear the most. We hear horror stories about being kicked, pushed, scratched and swam over. Many of these instances could be avoided if athletes thought more about start positioning.

Sub-hour swimmers start on the front line, at a strong pace, aiming for clear water in the first few hundred meters. Pay attention to what’s going on around you. In crowds, look for pockets of clear water and swim toward them, until the pace settles and you can find a suitable draft.

Never start in the middle of a pack if you’re a mid-pack swimmer. There may be a less crowded area over to the left, by the buoy-line on the right or even in the centre. Nervous or slower swimmers should wait on the beach and allow themselves 30 to 60 seconds after the cannon fires, before walking casually into the water and easing into the swim.

Where possible, gain a draft advantage by swimming directly behind other swimmers. Pace yourself to swim the last half as strong as the first. Swimming that requires you to breathe every stroke (cycle) is usually too hard and energy expended is far too much for the nominal time gained in this leg.

Common mistakes in the swim:

Hot Tip: All swimmers should include a few harder 30 second intervals in your warm-up swim. You’ll be primed for the emotion and “intensity” of the start, even if you plan to go easy.

Bike Ride

Ironman Canada has a single loop bike course that can be easily broken into stages, for a better mental approach.

“The Warm-Up”. Penticton to Osoyoos – Exiting T1 there’s a lot of noise and excitement and the course may be crowded. Initially, keep your eyes ahead and beware of cyclists around you. After Penticton City limits force yourself to a controlled pace to Osoyoos. It takes extreme patience to maintain an appropriate intensity during this fast section. If you’re “strong enough” to hold back, the reward will come later.

“The Ride”. Osoyoos to Twin Lakes –This 90k includes varying terrain, beginning with the Richter Pass climb, in light gears at an aerobic pace, as with the ten rolling hills that follow. Ridden too hard this 35km hilly section can quickly destroy race day goals. Rolling out onto the Cawston flats, maintain a steady pace in the aero-position. Expect winds. Major time can be gained in the aerobars. You’ll start re-passing people in the out-back section and can expect to ride the Yellow Lake climb feeling great, which should be a race-day goal.

“Prepare for the Run”. Twin Lakes to Penticton – This final 25km is mostly downhill. Take this opportunity to mentally prepare for the marathon.

Common mistakes on the bike:

Hot Tip: Recognize that nutrition issues can be directly affected by riding too hard. Riding a little easier allows you to fuel effectively for a great marathon.

On the Run

As you enter the “business end” of Ironman Canada, it’s a great strategy to embrace your surroundings. You’ll need to give your body time to transition to running. This is especially difficult at IMC, where fans are lining the streets, cheering and screaming. Observing heart rate, breathing and mile pace are all important as you settle into the run. Know your planned average pace and maintain that from the start to the half way point, without banking time.

At OK Falls, you turn for home. The marathon half way point is considered the half way point of the whole race, mentally. Your discipline in pacing and conserving mental strength is going to pay off over the next 13.1 miles. 

Along Skaha Lake, Penticton looks so far away. Focus completely on the mile or kilometre you are running. There are some lonely stretches of road during which you need to become your own cheerleader! Stay in the moment, knowing that with each mile, you are getting closer to that finish line.

Common Mistakes on the Run:

Hot Tip: Taking mile (or km) splits on the run will help to stay ‘in the moment’.

A successful Ironman takes commitment, sacrifice, planning and whole lot of patience on the day. You’ve done the work. Race smart and we’ll see you at the finish line. Good Luck! 

Kevin Cutjar is head coach at Impact MultiSport, a Penticton based triathlon coaching company he started 10 years ago. As an elite competitor, he has finished 31 Ironman races, including Ironman Canada 10 times, and hundreds of other endurance events. He has coached age-group competitors and elite athletes to hundreds of goal achieving finishes in all race distances. Kevin also designs workouts, training programs and offers coach support for eRacePlanner.com, a company providing planning software for triathletes and coaches. Kevin can be reached at coachkev@eraceplanner.com, by calling 250 276 7457, or visiting www.eRacePlanner.com.