As triathletes, rather than organizers, we are going to try to explain what to do in difficult situations to finish an Ironman and half Ironman distance Triathlon and not give up. We have experienced all of them in our own flesh, and we have taken measures so that if it happens to you, you have a solution.
1. I puncture several times… Normally in a Sprint triathlon no one carries tools or a pump, or tube, or tubular because simply no one repairs, it does not compensate. But here it does pay off, you're not going to throw away months of training for losing 5 minutes to fix a puncture. The problem is that normally you won't be able to inflate the wheel to 7 kilos, and you'll spend the rest of the race praying not to get a puncture again. To try to solve it like every year there will be a tent before the As Pontes turning point at km 44 shared with the Penalty Box, where you can, if you have punctured, stop to inflate correctly because there will be a foot pump, and take a tubular or a camera to be calm. We remind you that you must bring a camera, because if you puncture at km 25….
2. I break the chain, the seat goes down, the trowel comes off… The same as in the previous point, there will be tools, chains, tires… it will not be a store, but if you are able to get to that point (remember which is the lowest point of the route, so if you break the chain you can get there, last year there were two cases...) you can try to solve it. Remember that no one can touch your bike, since it would be considered external help, it must be you.
3. I'm going for the pin…. And not exactly the change. There will be, like every year, a toilet next to the pits and also right in the assembly area when you leave with the bike and run. Also 1 toilet in the bike circuit at the turning point of As Pontes in addition to the 40 km of mountain…. and 2 toilets in the walking circuit, one at each end, apart from all the toilets in the As Pontes bars. At the aid stations you will have wet napkins, toilet paper, Vaseline...
4. I have special dietary needs, I am intolerant to certain foods or I have celiac disease. For this type of case, there will be a table called Special Needs after the bike refreshment station 1, and in the foot race refreshment station 1, so that 1 of your assistants can feed you. If you go alone (we do not recommend it, after driving, you can injure yourself etc..) you must give us a bag with your name and bib number on SUNDAY MORNING, in the Cloakroom separated by bike and running, and the person in charge of said Provisioning will leave it on the day of the test on that table.
5. Another reason why people leave is because of blisters, chafing machines, burners, etc. In short, you need creams. That day you are going to spend many hours half-naked in the Galician countryside, as we have seen you and you are white, we will have volunteers putting Vaseline before the swim, putting sun cream after the swim and before the run, and you will have In all the aid stations on foot, Vaseline and sun cream, the volunteers will gladly put it on you. There will also be reflex, band-aids, etc… both at the aid stations, as well as in the 2 ambulances and in the field hospital.
6. I see little stars and little birds…. The man with the sledgehammer just visited you for not eating and drinking every 30 minutes. Stop at the first aid station and hydrate and eat, sit down, and let your body recover. You have 15 hours. In any case, if you see that you are not recovering and decide to withdraw, notify a volunteer, we will pick you up and take you to a stretcher inside the field hospital to see how you are doing.
7. My hat has broken, I have forgotten my neoprene, I can't find my shoes, I don't know where I left my sales carrier, my glasses have just broken (I have two) and so on endless forgetfulness with which each year you give us gifts, they make sure that there is always almost everything in the bikepark, you just have to look for the volunteers who will be offering the creams before the start and they will help you.
8. The fight between your head and you is the point at which most people give up, make excuses, or press the mental off button. We stop believing that we can be Finishers. The long distance is an accumulation of sensations, at the moment you want to laugh, and three minutes later you cry, the feelings are on the surface, so if you suddenly feel that feeling of abandonment, think about the time you have stolen from your partner, your children, your friends…. What lie are you going to tell them? Stop at a refreshment station, tell a volunteer, cry, let off steam...they are triathletes like you, they will know how to help you and Continue Running!
Recent Comments