UNDER THE IRON SUN

What am I even doing here? Ten years ago the only thing I could run was a bath. Maybe things were easier back then. Now I’m slogging my body through the California desert with 1,700 athletes, like some slightly crazed, otherworldly, Lycra-clad migration under the beating, unrelenting sun. Some running, most walking, with the vacant, dejected stare that only those who’ve pushed themselves far past what most would consider normal possess. This is supposed to be fun, right?

IRONMAN DEBUT

We’d been planning to race Ironman 70.3 Oceanside for a year. It would be my wife Annie’s first 70.3 race, and my first experience at an Ironmanbranded event, having raced the same distance with other organisations in the past.

What lay ahead? The not insignificant challenge of a sea swim, fast bike with a few punchy climbs and a promenade run accompanied by a cool breeze. It ticked all the boxes for us to take part in the race, before grabbing a hire