The triathlon race which I’ve been training for: the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Taupo, New Zealand!
In Zell am See, Austria, in 2023 I qualified for the World Championship race and in December 2024 it was finally time to show my performance. In 2024, I did two middle-distance triathlon races to get ready for my main goal of the year. First race I did was the Ironman 70.3 in Erkner, which in hindsight was too early in the season for me (struggling during the run), and the second race was the Ironman 70.3 in Porec, Croatia, which went quite well.
On 5 December 2024, I flew via Hong Kong to Auckland in New Zealand, arriving at Auckland airport on 7 December (12 hours time zone difference). Two long flights with Cathey Pacific and a long layover in HK, but the big advantage was that with Cathey Pacific you can take a bike bag as part of your check-in luggage. Many airlines charge you a huge amount to fly with a bike bag, if they even allow it. At Auckland airport in the tax-free area, I was able to buy a New Zealand eSIM with 60Gb of data which should be enough for the 6 weeks trip. You have to stay connected! My bike bag and other check-in bag had Apple AirTags so I was able to track their location. I was very relieved to see both bags at Hong Kong airport during my layover and also both bags at Auckland airport when I was waiting at the baggage belt. I don’t know how they do it, but bike bags seem to disappear quite often… The queue for the customs check at Auckland airport was very long. So many people with bike bags queuing up and slowly making progress. I guess there is a race soon 🙂
After quickly answering the questions of the customs officer, I was picked up by the car rental company and brought to their rental location. Signing some paperwork and I received the keys of the car that I rented for the next 5 week. I packed the Toyota Corolla stationwagon and drove in about 3 hours to Taupo, in the center of the Northern Island. I had booked an AirBnB, The Corner House, just outside the city center. A spacious house with 3 large rental rooms, kitchen, living room, large outside area with jacuzzi and deck chairs. After arriving at the house and relaxing for a short while, I put my Ku Cycle bike together. Luckily nothing was damaged or broken during the flights (I’ve heard horror stories from other athletes of broken frame, derailleur or handlebars). I arrived a week before the race but Taupo was already buzzing and making the preparations for the race. Every day more and more athletes were seen in Taupo. All accommodations were fully booked and many athletes were only able to find accommodation an hour drive away from Taupo. My accommodation was at walkable distance from the center and the race transition zone was even closer.
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In the week before the race, I ran the run course, swam in the lake and rode my Ku Cycle bike several times. Directly on the first day, I noticed the sun intensity is so much higher than in Europe. The short walk to the center and back resulted in heavy sun burn while, at home, I never get sun burned! Applying sunscreen factor 50 and wearing a cap every day from now on!
The runs along the lake were nice workouts and I noticed the race course has some mean uphill sections. The swim speed in the lake surprised me with the water flow from the lake to the Waikato river to the Huka Falls. I was swimming approx 15-20 seconds per meters slower! The Ironman organization advised against training the bike course route due to very dense and heavy traffic on those roads. They advised a shorter loop which was perfectly fine for me to train. The first half of this shorter loop was actually the beginning of the Ironman bike course so it was a good training and exploring of the road conditions. The road conditions are something different than back home. The road surface is very rough and bumpy. In certain sections you have the idea that your teeth will fall out of your mouth due to the constant vibrations but other sections are very nice and smooth again. An interesting mix of conditions 😉
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On Wednesday I went to the registration and received my start number, transition bags and World Championship backpack. That’s one to keep! Already now, before the race, I’m happy to what I accomplished by qualifying for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship triathlon. Thursday late afternoon was the Maori welcoming which was impressive, followed by the Parade of the Nations. Thursday evening was the Athletes Briefing in a huge tent. It was the usual talk but unfortunately quite windy and chilly in the tent.
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Friday was my last real trainings day. On Saturday morning I watched and cheered at the women’s race at the Transition zone Bike Exit and later the female Pro’s returning at the Transition zone. Saturday late afternoon I brought my Ku Cycle bike to the check-in and racked both my transition bags. Unfortunately, on Sunday morning you couldn’t access the transition bags anymore, so I had to put everything in the bags on Saturday already, including my nutrition flex bottle for the run.
One last good night sleep and then race day!
Sunday morning the Transition zone was open from 5-7 AM and my start time was only at 9:19 AM. My age group was the last group to start, which means that I had to wait a long time but at the other hand, I was looking forward to overtaking many athletes on the bike and run!
After doing the last preparation on my bike in the Transition zone, I went to the lake side and watched the Pro men swim start. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see the traditional Haka dance on the beach front. The Pro men were swimming fast and they were quickly followed by the age group athletes. The start order of the age groups were mixed up (trying to create a smooth flow of athletes without much congestion). About half an hour before the start, I took a concentrated Carborange nutrition drink to pump up my energy.
When I started, the air temperature was rising already and waiting in my neoprene wetsuit it was getting hot. The swim went well, and luckily the water flow wasn’t affecting my swim. Later, I understood that the river was blocked by a dam in order to stop the water flow, which made a huge difference. My swim time for the 1,900 meters was 30m47s, which means an average of 1:36/100m, and 119th out of 388 in my age group. A Personal Best swim time during a race!
After coming out of the water, climbing over a huge ramp crossing the road, it was a good run to the Transition zone. Quickly getting out of my wetsuit, put my helmet on and run to the bike. After 4m41s I was on my bike, ready for the 90 kilometer ride!
During the training rides, I already experienced the changing and challenging road conditions. This was the same during the race. Some sections were great with smooth asphalt, and other sections were very bumpy and the vibrations were strong. The roads are constantly going up and down, some steeper than others. The total elevation was 1,311 meters according to my Garmin watch. The ride was quite enjoyable, as much as you can enjoy a race, and the best part was that I was able to take over quite a few other athletes. The last long stretch on the Broadlands Road back to Taupo was tough. A long straight road slowly going up with the wind blowing against and the temperature rising. The planned nutrition was working well and I had no energy problems on the bike. Overall for the bike ride, my power was ok with an average of 227 Watt (normalized power 240 Watt) and an average heart rate of 148 bpm. After 2h28m33s, I came back in the Transition zone where bike catchers were standing ready for a smooth and fast transition to the run phase. This bike time resulted in the 62nd rank out of the 388 AG athletes, top 28%. Not too bad 🙂
A quick change to my running gear, and after 2m39s I was on the run course ready for the half marathon. Meanwhile the temperature had rissen further and it was getting pretty hot. The first loop was still quite ok, trying to cool down under the garden hoses along the route and throwing small cups of water over my head. The pace was still reasonably good on the first loop but on the second loop it was getting tougher. The path along the lake wasn’t too bad but the black asphalt was more than boiling hot and you could see patches of melting asphalt… My pace dropped on the second loop but I kept fighting and didn’t want to start walking. No, keep on running!
Finally, there was the corner to the finish line. The last stretch, “full sprint mode” and crossing the line! Yes! I finished the Ironman 70.3 World Championship triathlon race! Yes, I did it!
I completed the run in 1h35m05s, ranking 70th out of 388 athletes in my age group. Average pace of 4:31/1km.
I’ve finished the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in a total time of 4h41m43s, ranking 53rd out of the 388 athletes in my age group, meaning a top 15% result. Considering all the athletes had to qualify at a previous Ironman 70.3 race, I’m very pleased with the results. Of course, I can make improvements but that’s the great thing about sports. You can always get better! But I’m satisfied and happy with my first Ironman 70.3 World Championship!
