I am looking at doing the 2005 Taupo Ironman, here in New Zealand. For those that don't know:
3.8km COLD lake swim
180km cycle.
42.2km full marathon.

Anyone ever done one?
I have a cycling background (have the perfect bike, a Cervelo)
and done a bit of duathlon/running. Am ok at swimming. I feel with training I will do ok at these others. I am hoping for the folowing:
Swim: 2hours (have no idea what speed I swim at) 1.9kmh
Bike 6 hours 30kmh
Run 4hours 10.9kmh

Are these realistic time goals? It would place me in the top 20 (12hours) of my age group (comparing to 2004 results). I will be of minimum age of 18, and will be able to complete 6 IMs in my age bracket (18-24). Would I be able to get this down to under 9hours 40mins in these 6 years? long term goals here...that would put me in contention for the 18-24 Mens title.

Help would be appreciated.
Regards,
Brendon

Its is hard to say what is realistic without any prior race experience.

If you have done a tri on a similar course you can predict you IM time here https://www.sportsdigest.co.za/tricalc.shtml

I plugged in an olympic time and it hit my 1/2 IM time within 5 minutes

So you have done a 1/2 IM? tips for training and racing? I have never even done a Triathlon so this is a big jump. I have started running and went out the other night and covered about 6km easily in 35minutes (stopped and stretched halfway).

I am planning on doing some Half Ironmans before I attempt the full, just so I know that I am ready. Would you suggest running a marthon or 2 beforehand as well?

Check out 2 books:

The Triathlete's Training Bible by Joe Friel
Going Long: by Joe Friel, Gordon Byrn

Bible is scientific training. Going Long includes more mental and race prep stuff.

On my list of "things to do" - will get around to it in the next 2 years hopefully, but need to work on my swimming and running first

I am thinking that perhaps for at least this 9 months then the next 12 leading up to Ironman 2006, I would be better to just do alot of half ironmans, some endurance swim events and a few marathons? and of course the ultra crazy cycle events. That would give me 21 months to prepare. Considering I have JUT started running, and not really doing any swimming yet....maybe a smarter idea?

Cheers,
Brendon

I'll probably do an Olympic this summer and would love to do an IM but that's just not happening (full-time job/marriage/IM: choose any two).

Depending on your fitness level 9 months may be a bit of a stretch, but if you have a goal of becoming a top IM in your class go ahead and enter. Then simply set a goal of finishing the event. You'll never fully realize the effort/prep needed for such an event if you never go the full distance, plus it will be fun.

To get some training ideas check out some of the tri-specific sites out there, there are litterally hundreds of training plans out there for IM events.

Andrew

Once we have shifted house and everything settles I am going to start training in a more structured manner. I will see how it goes and then do a half IM and then decide if I want to enter.

Brendon

P.S. any suggestions for equipment? I want to at least try and get some HED JET 60s. Got Cervelo. Got aerobars. all go.

you have got to be crazy

i just did my first full IM two weeks ago in couer d'alene idaho. great experience i recommend it,
but put your training in. i trained for 10mos, and have previous experience with 7 marathons, one half IM
and a few sprints. i recommend a half IM before attempting the full! also i recommend the book going long, good practical and not too technical advice on training, nutrition, etc....

rocco

I am sorry to say your times dont look realistic. My fastest marathon is 3:47 but my best marathon is 5:05 at Iron Man Florida 2 years ago. I passed 136 people in a row between mile 13 and mile 22 1/2 before anyone passed me back.
You had put down 4 hours as a marathon time. If you ran 3:15 to 3:30 for a marathon I would say yes. Remember that your 6 hours on the bike is also relative. The faster you go on the bike, the less legs you have for that little running thing at the end.

2 hours in the water is definetly doable. I went 1:55 and am a crummy swimmer.
You have a 2:25 cut off on the swim. You have to go that fast or you are done.
Hey, if I can do an IM, so can you.

I am definitly aiming for 2006 Ironman NZ. I am hoping to compete in at least 3 half IMs before then, and several half and full marathons, and some fun swims.

Cheers,
Brendon

Definatly read the triathlete's training bible by Joel Friel. And your first ironman race goal is to FINISH. Never mind the under 12 hours for now, your goal is to finish then you will asses your performance for your second ironman. so your second ironman you will have three goals:
1. to finish
2. sub your PR (from your first race)
3. sub a super athletic goal (a predetermined time that is lower than your PR)

good luck

your run time is not realistic. a friend of mine just did his first iron man. he's a sub 3 marathoner, with a running back ground, and ran over 4 hours.

given you just started running, don't have a background of racing in it, plus will have to put your focus in biking and swimming, don't expect much under 5 for the run. it's probably your best bet to

yea, marathons are hard.

similar question for me...

my goal is simply to finish first time around...

am i insane in wanting to go straight to the IM in july 2005 w/o any experience in organized triathlons??

if i find some sprint triathlons around where i live (Germany) i will do one or two of those also in springtime / early summer...

(then again, a lot of people would call ANYONE - with or without experience in triathlons - insane in doing an IM )

Not recommended; but, it has been done.

James, I would definitely get a few shorter races under your belt first. It is a shock to your system when you aren't used to racing tri. Add the distance of IM, and you have a lot to overcome. Im not saying it is not doable with the right kind of training, but it would be better having an idea of what you are getting your body into.

My first triathlon (kinda) was a sprint distance, swim Friday night (in a pool), bike and run Saturday morning. It was a lot of fun and gave me an idea of what was going on.

My second tri was an Olympic distance. That was a huge eye opener. Swimming a mile in a pack, with a wetsuit I wasn't used to, in 55 degree open water. T1 was difficult, I was so tired from swimming and I was very dizzy. I actually fell over and had people asking if I was ok. Got on the bike, but most of the ride seemed to be recovery from the swim. Riding felt like someone kicked me in the nuts. I was constantly repositioning my shorts. Then 10k run, it was tough, but I made it through. I had to walk some of it.

When I did my next Tri, it was pretty easy. I knew where I had been and what to do. I conserved strength and pushed where it was necessary. My transition times dropped, I was much more efficient and mentally tougher. It was a fun race. My training partner beat me in the swim, but our cycle and run times were almost identical.

I have never done an IM or even a Half-IM, but I could not imagine my second experience compounded with that kind of distance. I am glad I am warming up to the sport with IM as a goal in the near future. And, that I have a training partner that is experienced and pointing out things to make it a better experience.

Hey there, saw you posted this thread about IMNZ. Was a while ago, so how is things going now?

Certainly agree with what they all said about marathon, way too fast for somebody with no background in it (although maybe a vague possibility with a lot of training and a good choice of parents!). Sure 4 hours is slow as by running standards, but then look at the time the top pro's run. Most of them are hardly below 3 hours (with some OVER 3hrs! ), that kind of time would make a pro runner die from shame ever he ever ran that! Heck, even for a top club ahtlete it is nothing to write home about. So clearly if the pro's are so terrible at running the marathon what hope do you have? Consider it a major accomplishment if you simply do it without having to stop and walk (or for that matter simply doing it in any manner at all is awesome!)!

Your swim time seems reasonable, went faster than that myself and I was just drifting around. (water isn't THAT cold, although... the guy who came out after me had to be warmed up for an hour due to hypothermia ) However swimming is the number one place most newbies have trouble with, so I might be a bit more of an exception having taken to it like a fish (well... not exactly, I'm still slow as! But that has more to do with a lack of training). So if you can already swim freestyle well, then no problem for you, if you don't then there is going to be a lot of learning of the technique! (sometimes it seems swimming is ALL about the technique)

Now all there is to mention is the bike ride, well you are a cyclist. No reason to have any trouble with that, just remember you have a marathon afterwards! Hence you might like to take it easy and treat it as a "warm-up" (for that matter you might like to think of the first 40k's of the run as part of the "warm-up" as well!)

Basically what I did is(as I said before): nothing => 2004, olympic & 1/2 => 2005, /12 & IMNZ.

The key things which got me through (or so I believe):

1. Going LONG, would do multi hour long runs! Sure it might be the only running I'd do all week (sometimes the only training for that week of any sort!), but I'd say it improved my endurance and mental toughness. Would really only have one key session each week, a long bike ride (100k's or at least close to that) and a long run. Even if I did nothing else that week (which was far too often.. although even then the rest was just easy short cruises) I made sure I did my long session. Did a couple of month of the long bike ride once a week and then a month of long runs once a week, then had a couple of weeks or so of 'nothing' to make sure I'd be fresh.

2. On the day of the race took it EASY!! Can hardly express how very easily I treated the Ironman, even my transistions I just cruised through (got the slowest time in my age group in both transistions!). Although I could have gone through faster, it was really just my whole mental attitude showing through of keeping very very relaxed and take it all as easy as I could. The end result? Fisning the Iroman while being amazed at how easy all of this is! (on the negative side: a very slow time! But my thinking is that with my prepation there is no way I could expect a fast time, besides for you first Ironman you should be glad with at least finishing it!)

3. Eating HEAPS! Bored during the bike ride? Solution: eat something! Wondering what I should do? Eat and drink! Going past an aid station? Grab as much as I can! (after all it is all FREE!!) etc... However your mileage may vary, because I do seem to have a cast iron stomach. Still take the main point from this that you are going to need to take on a lot of energy during the race because you sure are using up HEAPS!