Ironman athletes show their mettle

The inaugural Standard Bank Ironman 70.3 Durban was a resounding success, drawing thousands of local and international triathletes and supporters to Durban’s renowned golden beaches last weekend.

Former Sharks rugby player, Greg Goosen and fitness professional, Renaldo Ogle, are two of the Ballito residents who conquered the race.

Professional and amateur triathletes took to the warm Indian Ocean at the crack of dawn in batches of 10 on Sunday for the 1.9 kilometre swim leg before tackling the 90 kilometre cycle along the M4 to Zimbali and finally the 21.1 kilometre run on the Durban promenade.

Guarded by lines of lifesavers, the pounding surf challenged swimmers, especially inlanders, who did most of their training in swimming pools.

“The waves were big and there was a bit of a rip current to get through but the sea was nice once you got out there,” said Goosen who completed his maiden ironman 70.3 on Sunday.

Goosen said he did the race with his cousin for fun and did not train much, but relied greatly on his mountain biking fitness.

He particularly enjoyed the camaraderie on the road, chatting to people and the columns of people along the road and all the way to the transition zone.

“The lack of training caught up with me in in the last 10 kilometres of the run and I slowed to about eight minutes per kilometre for the final five,” said Goosen who crossed the finish line in 06:20:52. Having promised the medal to his son motivated Goosen to keep going when things got tough.

Ogle trained hard and had a great race, crossing the line in a very respectable 05:30:09.

“Training was taxing, especially in the last three or four months when I trained seven days a week,” said Ogle.

He said training three different muscle groups enabled him to rest a different group each day, making it easier to train every day.

“Running laps on the promenade to make up 21.1 kilometres was mentally tough and I got a little hungry towards the end,” he said.

Ogle looks forward to the next Ironman 70.3 to be held in East London on January 26 next year as well as Tri-Rock and a few other upcoming triathlons.

The men’s race was won by South African, Stuart Marais in 04:00:06, one of the fastest Ironman 70.3 times ever and 10 minutes and 13 seconds quicker than his nearest competitor. Great Britain’s Parys Edwards won the ladies race in 04:28:41. South Africa’s Andrea Steyn followed short on Edwards’ heels in 04:32:40. More results are available at www.ironman.com.