Here's Bernard with Charlotte Paul outside the race expo on Day -2.

Read Charlotte's race report here : http://charlottepaul.blogspot.com/2009/04/my-ironman-china-report.html

Some extracts :

• I was hungry for the win, and determined to go after it!
• Getting around the buoys was a mission- battling the current was mission impossible for some.
• I chose to wear a non- aero helmet and am very glad of that decision.
• I was taking almost 2gs of sodium per hour, and made sure I had my High5 gels in small amounts
• I crossed the line 1st female, 5th overall, and my 3:35 run was the fastest of the day- men included- and broke the course record.

Ironman China account by Edwin

For the Swim:-
I was totally lost and disoriented in my swim. I did not clear the 1st buoy, and only to realise that the current was sweeping me off my general direction and heading me towards the 2nd.
The 3rd buoy was a pure luck it was purely river current that does the work. Also the canoeist was calling us to turn immediately to head for shore. From 3rd to 4th buoy, was the toughest journey. It was like swimming in endless pool until I realise that people are walking faster the I could swim...So walk lah!
For 2nd loop, smarter this time...just swim up stream and let the current do all the works. Again upon returning back to shore, it was like swimming in endless pool. Increase my cadence and managed to clear it..

For Bike:-
Initial 10 km was bad. My muscle had cramps. This tells me that I need to do bricks. Then it was ok thereafter, but the head winds took a toll on me. I am not too particular about the hills as it is doable even without compact cranks. I should not have change to compact crack and stick to my Q-ring.

For Run:-
I still have the energy left after my bike as I did conserve it, and pace myself well agaisnt the heat. But I was simply too sleepy to run and decided to seek the company Andrew, so that the journey isn't as boring. Then we caught up with Joe. That was were we decide to end together with Mark.

So in summary..this was indeed a tougher course.
For me the difficulties comes from :-
1st) Strong river current.
2nd) Long headwinds for the bike portion.
3rd) The heat is unbearable hot even for a seasoned every weekend Desaru like myself.
4th) The lack of sleep...this is the most important.

I will train harder and be more prepared to overcome all these 4 obstacles in my next Ironman race. I am glad that I did not DNF and am also glad to have the company of Andrew, Joe and Mark for the grand ending..

So should we do PutraJaya or Desaru Long Distance, or both.
And where is the next nearest Ironman?

Ironman China account by Mark

Friday - test swim

First time swimming in river, experience was totally new to me. 1st time swim against such strong current ! Panic after swim.

Race day :
Swim
Manage to reach 1st bouy no matter how hard i try cannot reach 2nd bouy (only 2m away yet just cannot reach) also got sweep away by strong currents at 4th n 5th bouy. saw them walking on river bank quickly swim to bank and started walking too. 2nd loop wanted to give up. But thank GOD i tried. managed to make it.

Bike :
Basically it is the head wind and that is the most difficult part. Only abt 8 hills total. Felt climb like ntu and mt.faber not that critical.

Run :
Could not run for 1st 2km than slowly get into the run rhythm. manage to scrap thru.

Thank all crazy2tri guys for all the on-site and on-line encouragement. Especially for Andrew,Edwin,Joe for waiting for me in the run to the finished line. I am now a IRONMAN !

Cheers !

Ironman China account by Sharon

China 70.3 was the toughest race ever for me and i am deeply humbled by and am full of respect for the tremendous superhuman physical and mental determination it took for all IM participants to complete the race in such difficult conditions

My swim was a disaster in a murky endless pool that almost got the better of me. Logan and I swam without wetsuit as the race started at 9am and it was getting hotter by the minute. It was a struggle to reach the 2nd buoy and after some endless 20min of struggling againt the current, the swim race marshall on ski boat came over to tell the rest of us stragglers to skip the bouy and follow the flow of the current and head for the 3rd one instead. The strong current kept pushing us downstream away from the 3rd, 4th, 5th buoys and we were again battling the currents from the 2nd last buoy to reach the shore. Disgusted by how long it took for me to finish the swim (1.10), I think i kinda mentally gave up on the rest of the race and kinda plodded my way through the bike and run legs.

On the bike course, the headwinds along the highway took its toll on me and reduced my pace to that of a leisure ride. the C2T chaps I saw in the opposite direction along the way later said how come i was doing a leisurely tour de hainan bike ride during the race haha...
the searingly hot weather made me change my game plan of stopping only at the 60km aid station mark. I decided to stop at the aid stations at approx every 30km to top up my camelbak and bottle. Despite the constant hydration and salt tablet intake, heading up the steepest slope on the course almost made me cramp up but thankfully it was arrested by another quick popping of a salt tablet. By the time i crawled my way to the bike finish, i had taken about 5hr in total already for swim+ bike. This meant that I had 3h to run the 21km before the 8h cut-off. But i was feeling horribly hot, headachy and exhausted. Met Bernard at the transition area only to learn he'd DNF cos of a stress fracture :(

This bad news further lowered my morale and I decided to pretty much just walk the entire 21km. Tried to run abit initially but the intense heat at 2pm just sapped away all my energy and raised my HR to an abnormally high level each time i tried to do a slow jog. Many IM participants were already on the run course and along the way I met David, Ching Hong, Terence, Ser Luck, Enrico, Jeffrey heading in the opposite direction. It took me nearly 4hrs to finish my 21k walk and when i got to the 70.3 finish line, it was closed already as I'd expected earlier, which meant my run time (3.45) and approx total time (8.45) wasn't recorded in the official results, resulting in a DNF. Thots of giving up crossed my mind several times during the race but i decided to just perservere to the end :)

Hearty congratulations to all C2T IMers esp Danny (1st IM) and Kona qualifier Shawn who took part in the race. The unique coconut husk medal is really something hard earned and one that you can all be very very proud off! :)

Ironman China account by Jeffrey

I remembered writing a long race report for IM Port Mac. However, for this race....it was so... hot that I could barely remember the details:

Swim: struggled on lap 1...got pulled by another swimmer cos I think he’s trying to hang on to something as he’s being drifted away...ha ha. Lap 2...swam smarter...head against strong current and it took me downstream to pass the buoy....barely need to swim on the downstream...

Bike: Started bike with a bad cut on the toe...very uncomfortable. My bike pace picked up after 10km of muscle loosen up...and had a decent ride

Run: Unforgettable...only this to descirbe “i think my brain is ready to eat L”...running is zero shade at 42C is an emotional roller coaster....wanting to walk cos its just so painful..devil says ‘give up lah...so hot...worth it meh??....but i’ve never given up in any race before and told myself this should not be the one...even if i need to walk...i’ll walk to complete

Volunteers: fantastic! Kept shouting jia you jia you...best part about aid stn is when i just stood next to the pale...volunteers will shower you with the ice cold water...enough to last me through the next stn

Organizer: they still need to improve on their plannings and venue selection

Verdict: don’t think I’ll race China again...but then you’ll never know J

Ironman China account by Andrew

Ironman China has all the right ingredients for a tough Ironman race.

Swim against the current of at least 2km/h, which feels like an endless pool. Plus swiming in China 'Long Kang' river that has the colour of 'Teh Tarik' and foam by the river bed.

Bike in a endless headwind tunnel for at least 35km along the highway in each of the 2 loops. I worn the wrong bike shoes that I suffered from a swelling toe.

Run in zero shades with the Sun blazing at 41 deg celsius.

IM race is always tough shit. It is whether you enjoy the pain or suffer the pain. IM China, you are more likely to suffer the pain.

The plus side, supportive students to cheer you, run thru old town, good aid stations, students asking for your photos and autographs, ok hotel.

You can relive my moments on the bike leg :

Check out this Garmin Connect activity:
IM China - Hainan

Ironman China account by Ching Hong

What an experience it was for all of us. We thought Langkawi was the toughest Asian IM, but Hainan took the honours this year. Many pros even commented their internal organs were cooked by the heat. But i am so so so so glad all of us finished. And so so so happy we have a Kona qualifier in Shawn - so proud of her.

Swim
As for my swim time, guys, the current was so strong on first loop, many of us drifted off course - i was so dis-oriented, but managed to find way back to beach and started second loop - this time round, smarter - stayed closed to the small loop and the ropes - but at buoy 3 turning, following a whole bunch of swimmers who were all attempting to navigate the current -- i missed buoy 4 =) and that is why i had a shorter second timing. So, not because of my swim training - and i did breast-stroke as i lost confidence in strong current - swam front crawl in down-stream, and breast-stroke upstream - all in wet-suit.

Bike
great setup done by Melvyn - Bike Butler - felt comfortable on aero without strain on elbows, shoulders, and neck - did 3hr 10 mins in 90km (where the transistion turnaround) - very happy - but second loop - boy, the heat and the headwind - many times wanted to just quit - so every aid station - one bottle for drinking - one for pouring down from head to toe

Run (or walk)

Heat at about 4pm was amazing - so walk first 3km with couple of new found friends - blisters started appearing in my sole - and felt pain - started to bleed at one corner of toes - i think i was soaked thru in trying to cool down - worried about heat stroke - and got my whole shoes and socks drenched. Looking at the time, if i walk at 5km in one hour - i could still make it by 11pm - so even though i tried to run - my blistered feet hurt too much to endure - and decided to walk -

Finish
beautiful end - lovely run chute - and so so so so glad to finish - David Chua and Logan were great help ushering me in, and Terence was an angel to bring me to medical tent to attend to my two feet - and got me ice-cream !!

No more
Famous last word - okay guys - what's next on the torture menu ?

Celebration
will organise a time for us to celebrate - keep out for this

Ironman China account by Terence Ng

We in Hainan got the full package. A Singaporean would say it's a good deal. Because we have the heat (44 deg C), hills, headwind, cross-wind, river current (2km/h), expressway, villages, blisters, cuts (from river bed rocks), etc.

Good :
- great volunteers and supporters (Jiao yu, jiao yu but where is the yu?)
- great race courses with good smooth road. Cycling through the two villages and the short interaction with the villagers were an experience. I don't know who were more amazed at who. The last 4km of the run route was great going into the town center, catching a glimpse of a wayang backstage, very old shop houses before the finish at the city park
- hotel : decent hotel rooms and service. I thought the carbo and award events were quite nice in the hotel lawn. Good to have the award during lunch. Better still that our Shawn is on the stage receiving a prize.

Bad :
- heat : felt like a giant hair dryer blowing hot air at you from the front. To be aero is divine.
- river swim : for average swimmers, it's another new experience. It's like the "Endless" pool.
- Very lonely esp on bike : course very stretched out (2-loops) with 300+ participants.
- Logistic : hotel was 20 min drive from transition area. Never seen a shuttle bus jam packed with bikes and humans.
- Expensive mechandise by K-swiss. Cotton t-shirt that cost US$30.

Ugly :
- Hainan chicken rice. Better stick to Singapore Hainan chicken rice.

Crazy2tri in Ironman China

16 Apr, Thur 11am. Budget terminal.


5.40pm : At the IM Hospitality desk at the Haikou Airport. Cost RMB60 to get our bike to the hotel. We then hopped on a cab.


8.30pm : Having our dinner at a food court in Min Chu Shopping centre in the heart of Haikou city

9.30pm : Shopping at supermart. We emptied the mineral water shelf.


Somewhere on the centre and top of the notice board is a chart of tide and current rate against the time of the day.


17 Apr, 8am. Cloudy : We took a shuttle bus to the transition area (TA) which is about 20 min away. Put on our wet suite and tried out the swim. Joe and Danny (our breast-stroker) decided to swim without wet suite.


Crown Spa & Resort is a pretty decent hotel

The race expo was quite small in scale and the K-Swiss mechandise was a bit over-priced. :-(


Bernard picked the right person to have a picture with. Charlotte Paul went on to win the women pro div and clocked the fastest marathon split, beating all the men.


17 Apr, 2pm. Going for a tour of the open market in town center. The pan-fried toufu looks nice but it was not worth the risk. Maybe after the race.



17 Apr, 5pm. Going for a short ride to make sure the bike works... David got a flat from that.



18 Apr, 2pm. It has been raining all night and stopped after lunch. Checking in our bikes.



20 Apr, 2pm. Award lunch. C2T Shawn is a Kona qualifier !! She won her age-group. We are so proud of you, way to go, Shawn.