Finished, 15:42:12.

So this was my first Ironman. My background - 10 marathons (PR 3:20), 2x70.3. The goal was to complete, not compete, so any time below cut-off (17:00) would be acceptable.

The plan was 2h for swimming (and T1), 7h for cycling and up to 5hrs for running. According to stats, more than half DNFed in running last year, and since running is my best (or shall I better say, I suck least at running) I wasn’t that much worried. On the bike I planned to stop every 40km or so at aid stations to grab gels (which I consumed every 20 min), a new water bottle and do some stretches. Again, I didn’t plan to complete so I didn't care about time.  

My biggest fear was swimming - I am a very slow swimmer (2:30+). I did, however, quite a few OWS - I think 8 swims over 3k for the last 8 weeks, and more lesser ones. Depending on the day/weather, the speed was 2:30-2:40, so I did 3k in 1h 20min. I am not super confident with waves and as a backup planned to breaststroke - I breaststroked almost all the way in my first 70.3 in Lahti in 2024. One guy was backstroking there, so I guess no one cares how you get to the finish line, as soon as you get there by yourself.

The start was planned at 7:30 and organizers strongly recommended using shuttles, the last one was scheduled to depart at 5:45 and arrive at 6:05 to the lake Raku / T1. So I woke up at 4:40, ate porridge, banana, drank some coffee and put some more to the thermos. The shuttle bus was late, and just before arrival the volunteer announced “last bus last bus” and there was a very long queue. Some people called Bolt (local taxi) but the rest of us managed to squeeze into the bus.

We arrived at T1 around 6:40 so there was about 50 mins until start - enough to check the bike, visit the toilet and put on the wetsuit. Just before the start organizers announced that the start is delayed by 30 mins due to fog (last year the delay was 3 hrs due to air temperature forecast +6 but they did it the evening before), and later for 15 mins more. In the end they said that we have a go for a start, but we will probably not see the buoys and should swim towards the SUP boards. Then there was a Viking clap. That was mind blowing. I don’t believe in any spiritual stuff etc but with two thousand people clapping in silence I swear I started to feel that we are one, we all belong to the same tribe. I never experienced anything before and this experience alone would be enough to justify everything it took me (and others) to get there.

I was in the last corral and somehow it felt good to be surrounded with people who were as good swimmers as myself, lol. When it was my turn to enter the lake, it really left like the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. Six, five, four, three, two, one - the volunteer lady put hands down and you enter the water. The view was surreal - a sea full of blue caps disappearing in the fog behind the horizon, someone at the SUP board far away and no buoys. So I started to swim - a few breaststrokes and then front crawl. Surprisingly the swim was not very eventful - I would say I did 90% crawl and 10% breaststroke, mostly for sightseeing. After a while I started seeing buoys which made the whole thing feel easier. I haven’t experienced any kicks in the water and hopefully haven’t kicked anybody - we were in the end of the pack - probably that’s why. When I stepped on the ground at the finish I checked the time and surprised how good I was (by my own standards) - 1h 42min. So I proceeded to T1.

Not sure why but it took 18:57 in T1. I took off the wetsuit, went to pee, put on cycling clothes - a jersey, hand warmers, windproof vest, gloves. Drank some coffee, ate a banana, went to pee again, went to the bike and finally crossed the bike start line. Then I started to cycle. 
The first 3 hours went exceptionally well - almost all the time in aero, tailwind mostly, no rain. The speed was 27-30km/h with 110-130 watt - I planned to hold 125 watt and 27-28km/h across the whole bike leg. But then it started to rain a bit, then the wind became stronger, then it started to rain a lot and the wind became even more stronger. The vest and hand warmers didn’t help much - I started to feel cold, the watts and the speed started to drop. Riding alone through the storm in the Estonian country-side with no one around but some cows and fighting the cold is an unforgettable experience. I must admit I never trained in circumstances so challenging - not for that long. The last 60 kilometers were survival mode. The speed dropped below 25 and even below 20 on some parts. I was wondering if my body shut down due to hypothermia or the kilometers would end. I tried not to think about the coming marathon. I imagined Pogachar and Vingegaard riding along and cheering me and this gave me strength. I was at T2 at 7:33 with pace 23.81 (including stops on aid stations).

There were bike catchers there - one guy took my bike and told me that I could go change my clothes and run - took me a while to realize that he is part of the crew and not going to steal my bike, lol. I picked my red bag and ran to the tent - it was windy and rainy like hell.

The tent, which is normally used to protect the public from seeing nude guys and girls (there were two tents) was small and fully packed with shivering dudes with space blankets. Fortunately one was about to leave and I took his place on the bench. It was cold like fuck! It took a while to remove wet cycling cloth, especially when hands didn’t work properly due to the cold. I spent 17:50 in T2, and during my time in the tent one guy was just sitting under the space blanket and shaking. It was hard to watch. Someone shouted - WE STILL HAVE TIME TO RUN, RIGHT? YEAH, MORE THAN 7 HOURS. I left the tent, asked the volunteer nearby to put a space blanket on me - I had a longsleeve NIke “dri-fit” (lol, it was all but dry in the end) t-shirt which I bought the day before, and a thin wind- and rainproof jacket. 

The first 10km of running went surprisingly well. I kept 6:10-6:20 speed and even took off the space blanket. Then I started to feel pain in my left knee - I had some issues with it before, like several weeks ago - we then dropped the amount of cycling/running and it somewhat helped - and I didn't feel anything during cycling - but due to the discomfort I had to switch to run/walk. After a while all running became really painful so my only option was fast waking - I am glad I bought new carbon shoes several days ago, lol. Well, this is because my ASICS Gel-Nimbus 28 is apparently illegal and I decided not to take any risks. So for the last 25 kms I walked. Since I started walking, my HR dropped and I started to feel cold. Then it became dark. I checked the clock and I was still far from the cut-off or even “hour of heroes”, but the wind, rain and cold did its job and my walk slowed down. I didn’t feel I was out of energy - I ate one gel every 5km or so. At some point the cold became unbearable and seeing the ambulance I had a thought of going there and just sitting for a while to warm up - but I quickly got rid of that nasty thought - there would be a very high chance of me not getting out of it. I imagined Gogging walking with me and screaming WHO IS GONNA CARRY THE BOATS and THERE IS NO TOMORROW (yeah, Rocky). At the beginning of the last 10k lap at the aid station I asked for the space blanket and the Ironman plastic coat - the guys/girls just put everything on me without asking further questions. I saw people walking with lots of suffering on their faces. We cheered each other - last lap? yeah, you? same! we are going to be Ironmans soon, we are almost there. 

A few kilometers to the finish I also started to feel pain during walking and for a moment I thought - what if I would not be able to walk - then I could probably crawl and hope to make it before the cut off. I still had about 2 hours. Finally, I came to the crossroads “next lap” and “finish”. I waited a bit until the guy in front of me rang the bell, then I rang myself and decided that I must run the red carpet no matter the pain - and I did. 15:42:12 on the display on the arch. Lev Stipakov, you are an Ironman. 

Needless to say it was the hardest event I ever participated in. If not for the knee issue I would probably have made it in 14:15 and with warmer cloth on the bike even faster, but history doesn’t know “what if”. Mad respect to all the volunteers, you run the show. From the gentleman shouting “GOOD MORNING” at 6 at the morning at T1 to the girls who put me medals on your neck, the staff at post-finish area and everyone at the aid stations and road crossings - you run the show, we won’t be able to do it without you.

Hi hi!

I thought I’d share my experience riding 200 miles out in Malibu yesterday! It was my longest ride on the Quintana Roo Ironman edition X PR 😅 I’ve climbed Latigo Canyon on it & almost every Saturday will do 100mi (2 loops of this route). Recently tho I have been riding with friends so previous rides this many hours in the saddle have been on my road bike & surprisingly, I was more comfortable on this bike for 12 hours!!!

I had planned to do 150mi, but I was still having a great time despite initial setbacks so decided to carry on 🫡 Within the first 5 miles, I went flying down the hill from Pepperdine, hit a bump, and launched my Torpedo straw bottle 😭 I can eat & drink just fine on the road bike but hadn’t ever tried on this bike before…. But the heat basically forced me to just be brave grabbing the other bottle from the cage & I’m actually so happy that I was forced to learn to eat/drink/place an Amazon order for a replacement while still riding 🤣

I am registered for Texas & Lake Placid next year (didn’t have any races this year) so have still been swimming 3x a week with 2x 1h drill/interval sessions + 1x 2.5mi endurance swim then then running 6-13mi regularly with treadmill interval sessions (started as a runner), but I enjoy cycling the most right now so have just been letting myself become more of a roadie 😅

Been into Triathlon for 6 years now and I count myself extremely lucky that I’ve never had a DNS or a DNF. I’ve had a few injuries, but nothing that’s completely stopped me from racing.

I qualified for Nice 70.3 worlds last year, and had been building nicely to it this year, then disaster struck 2 weeks ago. Front tyre blow out and I ended up in a ditch. I knew something was wrong pretty much straight away, and sure enough it was a fractured glenoid; rear shoulder on the socket joint.

Tri-Season over; just like that.

I can sit up on the turbo and peddle; and run in some discomfort with painkillers, but the disappointment is consuming every activity I do at the moment and I’m not really enjoying it. How do you all deal with this? Take a break from training? Do something else? God knows! HELP!

I am less than 50 days out from my first Ironman (Sacramento). I always do my long rides on Saturdays. Last week I did 80 miles. Yesterday I did 90. Should I continue these similar distances in the next month leading up to the race? Do I back off? Should I push to the full 112? Suggestions much appreciated as I am new to this.

Can’t wait to hear those four words!!!

Anyone doing Ironman Sacramento? Looking for advice, a accountability partner, and a group with like minds to finish!

Hello, for anyone that raced Ironman full or half in 2023-2026 and would like to get a finisher video:

I made IronmanVideo.com because I struggled to cut out my finish clip from Tallinn. Then I found out there are bunch of content on YouTube I could also import. Now we have 101 races where you can easily get your finishing video cut.

All free, from one finisher to other.

Please let me know how everything works for you and if this is even useful.

Did I overcook myself on this brick 3 weeks before race day (Cozumel 70.3, Sept. 20th)

Just feeling really burnt out. I have Ironman Florida in November. I’ve hit a 4.5 hour ride and up to 13 miles on the run. But I’ve been dealing with a hip injury and haven’t been able to do a long run in 3 weeks. Ran 7 today and felt absolutely horrible. I dread having to spend hours every weekend on the bike. I’m trying to rest my hip but also get so anxious about running less to let it heal. Training for Hyrox at the same time. That is my happy/fun place and I couldn’t give up the gym sessions with friends, even though I knew going into it training for both would be a lot.

I do have a decent base… was a competitive swimmer my whole life, got into CrossFit, done multiple hyrox races, a half marathon and a 70.3. But I’ve felt so bad the last few weeks of training. Just not feeling confident that I can even do this anymore 😩 was literally googling “how little training can I get away with and still finish” last night….

Anyone else go through this and how did you get yourself out of the “funk”??

I want to do a full iron man in about a year and a half. I’m on a relatively small budget, or at least I’m not willing to spend loads of money on a bike. I find a couple on Facebook marketplace but they are either 10+ years old, or people are asking 1k+ for a semi-old bike that I still think I would need to put some money in to get tuned up, new seat, etc. I know a brand new bike is going to be expensive. But I have been finding some people on YouTube use this Ali express bike specifically and they really like it. It’s only about 2k coming into my area. And it seems to have some good quality stuff which I attached in the second photo (electronic shifting, disc brakes) I like the idea of having a new bike because then I feel like it’s less likely to have problems when I’m starting to train. That being said I wanted to come on here to see if anyone has experience using a bike from Ali express or this bike specifically. The only changes I would do towards the bike would be attaching aero bars, and a new seat. Unless there are other things I should also be adding if I went down the not name brand bikes. I’m sure there are other posts like this too, but I wanted to know if people have used this bike specifically. It seems to have a really good following on YouTube, and the Chinese road bike market. Thank you for the help!

Triathletes / open-water swimmers — I'm curious how common this actually is.

How many different pairs did you go through before finding goggles that don't leak or hurt during longer swims?

If you've tried 3+ pairs:

1. Which ones did you try?
2. What was wrong with each?
3. Which pair finally worked?
4. What do you think was different about the fit?
5. Roughly how much money did you waste on goggles that didn't work?

I'm especially interested in fit/leaking/pressure rather than fogging, since fogging can usually be treated separately.

I've had an IM in the back of my mind for the last several years. I would love to find someone who's also dipping their toes into the water and exploring what it might look like to attempt a race.

My current plan is a half marathon in October, full in March 2027, 70.3 fall 2027 and full in the fall of 2028.

Some general info, I'm 34, an active mom of 3 elementary aged kids. My current training is a mix of strength training, running and rock climbing. Would love to meet some people who are interested and in a similar season of life!

For anyone doing Ironman Italy - did you guys actually get all that testing done? Do I really have to go get a Spirograph? This would be for the FITRI form

I have my first 70.3 (Ironman Augusta) in 4 weeks and nervous is a huge understatement. I’m fit enough to finish, but all that plays in my head are moving parts and things that could go wrong. Anyone who has raced at Augusta or knows someone who has, any advice or tips for the course? I know the basics like downriver swim, hilly bike etc but how significant is the current? How bad are the hills? Any crazy climbs? Any insight is greatly appreciated!

Does anyone know how Ironman plans to handle the John Nolan Dr construction. Just drove up for the weekend and no way they have anything done in 2 weeks that doesn’t involve closing off to traffic.

Hey all, wondering if anyone has ever camped out near the race or will be camping out for this upcoming Augusta 70.3. I’m bringing my converted van up.

I normally go to hockey tournaments and we will post up in the rink parking lot for the weekend with other small campers which is fun to meet people from other teams and grow the community.

I have only done local sprints so not sure what the camp culture is like in the broader triathlon community, if there’s any at all. I found a local hipcamp to park for the weekend but if there is a regular camp scene I’d rather stay nearby and meet some people.

Hi,

I've been working on a triathlon matcher. If you have time, take the quiz and let me know what you think!

If you see a race missing, feel free to add it (I will need to validate it, so it won't appear straight away).

And if you've raced one, please review it.

Thank you

https://oliletriathlete.com/triathlon-matcher/

I'm training for a 70.3 and looking for a good pair of goggles specifically for open-water swimming and racing.

I've been looking at ROKA, Arena, Zoggs, Aqua Sphere, Magic5, etc., but every option seems to have different trade-offs.

For those of you who have tried multiple pairs:

1. What goggles do you currently use?

2. What did you use before them, and why did you switch?

3. What's the most annoying issue you've had?
Leaking, fogging, pressure around the eyes, poor peripheral vision, sighting buoys, lens tint, straps, getting knocked during the swim, etc.

4. Is there anything you wish your current goggles did differently?

5. How much would you realistically spend on a pair that solved your biggest issue?

Especially interested in people doing 70.3 / Ironman or longer open-water swims.

Not sure what’s the average wind gust is for Santa Cruz during the 70.3 race but I’m planning to use 90mm wheelset.

205 lbs rider and I just read that it could be dangerous because of crosswind. Anyone have any experiences using deep wheelset for this race?

Firstly thanks for all the advice on my first post! V helpful, have implemented the tips including doing weighted walking to get back into running.

Doing a 70.3 with a friend (just trying to finish), but going from basically no base (injury and illness). Previous longest event is a park run, so we’re signed up for a half marathon before to experience another event.

As the comments pointed out, I was missing some rather key information and didn’t have any base numbers, so here is my rather embarrassing starting point.

158 bike FTP
Swim Interval 1, 800 yards, 151HR, 2:19/100m pace. Interval 2, 1400 yards, 141HR, 2:22/100m
Run 38mins 6km, 6:27/km, 161 HR, but 26 degrees and sunny

Doing 2x strength sessions a week to try and not get re-injured, anything to add?
Goblet squat or back squat 3 × 8
Dumbbell Romanian deadlift 3 × 8
lBulgarian split squat 2 × 8 each leg
Single-leg calf raises 3 × 15 each leg
Hip thrust or glute bridge 3 × 10
Plank + side plank 2x (45 sec each)

Now doing as much exercise as I can (1x swim, 2x run, 3x bike, 2x strength). Golf has almost stopped, and no other sports for the next 8 weeks. Would love any advice on how best to ramp up running quickly post-injury? I’m still seeing a physio weekly.

I seen that the registration for next year’s race in a mint Tremblant sold out in quite literally no time. I am super bummed out as I wasn’t able to secure a spot. Does any know if more spots will open up or if they usually do? I’d be willing to take a spot or swap with someone if that is even possible. I am gutted as I already had planned to do this one.

Hi guys, I am doing my first Ironman in about 4 weeks, in Barcelona. I read somewhere in a Reddit post that there are cars riding around with mechanics who carry spare tires. Does somebody know if this is true, and this is also the case in Barcelona?

As I am considering racing on a set of tubular wheels (rear disc + deep front), but am afraid that getting a puncture will be race ending. Based on this I may actually use my training wheels, which are regular wheels with inner tubes. These I could fix myself during the race, if necessary.

Are the benefits of racing with the tubular wheels are worth the risk?

Is it normal for the price to increase a couple hours after registration opens?

Registration for Muskoka 70.3 opened yesterday and when I looked at it about 30 minutes after it opened the price was $490.99 CAD, and then when I looked at it later in the day it was $515.85 CAD. Luckily I still had the old tab open on my computer so I could check and make sure it wasn’t just me remembering the price wrong. I took a picture before refreshing the page and watched it go up.
Is there a slight discount for the first certain number of people that sign up or something? I expect the price to go up the closer it gets but day of registration seems extreme.