Ironman Diaries
Stef travelled to Busso and reached destination Ironman.
On race day, I peed myself four times. I spat on myself, and possibly many others. I can safely say the bushmen of Australia would be proud of my ability to blow my nose bushman-hanky-style. I also teared up, laughed, was delirious with excitement and pain, and at one stage, I actually passed out! Just add girls in gold bikinis and you’d swear I’d spent the last few days at schoolies week on the Gold Coast. No, no, this is just a diary entry about a day I spent in Busselton, home of Ironman Western Australia, and home of the biggest event of my life.
My coach said, “you are going to go through extreme highs and lows. Lap up the highs, and when you hit the lows (and trust me, you will), try to smile. Most importantly, enjoy that finishing chute.” Looking back at the race, this statement couldn’t be more on the money. Let me take you through how the day panned out.
Normally, pre-race I’m a nervous wreck. Believe it or not, I become really quiet, serious, and I’m a little on edge. But, this time was different. I’ve been uncontrollably excited, starting my count down about 20 days out. Equally excited was my roomie in WA, Boz. It was his first Ironman as well, and it was awesome to be going through the build up with him and another mate of ours, Johnno. Johnno has done a few Ironmans, including Kona, and took us under his wing.
Before we knew it, we were in the transition area oiling up and going through the usual race morning rituals. I spotted my mate, Cam (who later would become my rock) on the phone to my friends having a “Busso BBQ day” in Melbourne. I had one last hoorah with the gang before I headed to the swim start for my first Ironman!
The water was stunning and calm, and unlike my usual opposition to the swim start, I couldn’t wait to get going. I cruised through the swim and emerged from the water in 1:11, four minutes faster than I had anticipated. Several high fives and woohoos later, I was hopping on one leg and pawing at my legs to rip off the wetty. A volunteer helped me out and finally, I was heading for my two-wheeled machine.
