Iron Resolve : The Road to a Self-Made Ironman
Introduction
It was half past 6 in the morning on Saturday June 15th when I rose from the bed in the spare room of my parents-in-law's house. I had been snoozing for about half an hour just waiting for the alarm to give me permission to get up, for I was about to embark on a challenge that was about much more than endurance or athleticism—it was about fortifying my mental resilience in the face of life’s unpredictability. Today, I share the story of my DIY IRONMAN along the south coast, a personal odyssey driven by a personal necessity to "do hard things" and our family motto, "Celebrate Everything,".
Why a DIY IRONMAN?
This challenge was born from a desire to build mental toughness, a trait I knew would be indispensable as my family navigates the uncertainties of my young son's undiagnosed genetic condition. He is now three years old and his condition means his brain isn’t developing properly, so we don’t know what the future holds for him in terms of walking, taking, or… anything, really. The DIY IRONMAN was my way of callousing the mind, preparing for the unseeable challenges ahead, and holding fast to the belief that facing hardship head-on could make future trials more manageable.
Preparation: More Than Physical
My training integrated seamlessly into my life, mirroring the unpredictability and spontaneous challenges of everyday existence. It wasn’t about perfect conditions but about making the most of what was available, adapting, and persevering—much like handling unexpected family challenges.
My regular exercise routine is made up of cross training in the early hours during the week, with running, cycling, swimming, rowing and yoga spread across the week days and a monthly half marathon which at this stage has been a monthly staple for over 2 years.
It was from running these longer distances and completing my first [virtual] London marathon in 2022 that gave me the confidence that whatever the challenge was, I could probably give it a good shot and with a successful DIY 1/2 IRONMAN and official event with “The American” [minus the swim as there was a lightning storm] in 2023 I figured the DIY FULL IRONMAN was then next logical step in my quest to find my own limits.
Kit Details:
Swim Kit: pretty straightforward, just my Speedo Endurance Jammer shorts, Zoggs Predator Flex goggles, IRONMAN 70.3 swim cap and Zoggs earplugs.
Swim kit, plus kit for cycling to the pool.
Bike Setup: My inherited [and somewhat antiquated] Ribble road bike, with the addition of Van Rysel tri-bars, quad water bottles, a Wahoo Elemnt Roam bike computer with the route programmed, Endura padded bike shorts, Nike Combat compression top, Wycombe Wanderers long sleeved training top and Salomon lightweight rain jacket, Lazer Blade+ helmet, Madison Code Breaker cycling glasses, Nike Super Rep cycling shoes with spd cleats and a few storage bags strapped to the frame for repair kit, nutrition, salt tablets and my phone [got to keep the masses updated eh?].
Bike, not the newest or most comfortable ride, but it’ll get the job done.
Bike kit, essentials although the suncream ended up being a little optimistic.
Run Gear: Keeping faith in my now decade-old Wycombe Wanderers shirt I've run every long event in, 49ers beanie, Super Bowl hoodie, head torch, Rymora knee supports, Under Armour tights, Nike running shorts, Nike Pegasus Trail 2 running trainers, Camelbak running backpack for nutrition, water, drugs and spare headphones.
Run kit, and a lot of Wycombe gear.
Nutrition: I have tried a variety of gels and chews through endurance events and tend to get sick of the same stuff pretty quickly. The DIY IRONMAN would be a very long day I decided to keep to more familiar foods. The main player would be peanut butter and banana sandwiches, heavy on the peanut butter, to be eaten throughout the attempt. These would be supplemented with packs of Haribo Supermix [importantly not Starmix or other Haribo packs as the Supermix has a variety of textures including jelly babies], and a couple of snickers bars.
I am known to get cramp and when I get cramp it tends to be bad news. To combat this I had packs of salt tablets I would be taking throughout the day and for liquids I had 2 x bottles of water and 2 x bottles of Lucozade Sport on the bike for each half of the ride.
Tracking: Strava or it didn't happen - right?! For all elements I had my Apple Watch Ultra 2 to track mileage and exertion, hoping it was up to the task and battery wasn't going to be an issue as had been the case for my older one on the 1/2 IRONMAN in 2023. I also carried my phone and an external power bank to make sure I wouldn’t lose charge even in the later stages.
Support: No challenge is possible without support and for my DIY IRONMAN I would have it in spades. I had created a WhatsApp group inviting friends and family who I would keep updated during the course of the attempt with a video-blog of my progress and provide a forum for encouragement and tracking with my shared location.
Course Details:
Base Camp and Transition: Staying at my wife's parents has been a staple of each of the virtual London marathons I have completed and it is ideally suited as it boasts the 2 most important aspects of endurance events : 1: excellent facilities and service and 2: flat terrain!
Carb-loading. Plus cheese.
Swim: For the swim I had planned to use the closest pool that opened the earliest. Knowing the event would take the best part of a day and last longer than a traditional organised event - what with no road closures or on-course support / nutrition stops - I wanted to be as early as possible. Unfortunately the only pool open to day-pass purchase didn't open until 08:00. As this was the only choice, the 2.2km ride away was the arena for my swim leg.
A quick ride to the local “Lanes” health club for the swim.
Bike: I had originally had the idea of riding from my house in South East London out to Essex and back but with the road systems and a failed attempt at a longer ride in May I opted for a self-created route from East Preston along to Chichester, then Portsmouth, turning back to East Preston on the same route then through to Brighton before coming back to complete the 180km at East Preston. This plan would mean I would have a stop at each 1/4 of the ride - or thereabouts - and crucially a stop around halfway back at Base Camp where I could restock - meaning I didn't have to carry quite as much and I would have an aid station if required for repairs, etc.
A there-and-back-and-there-and-back-again route riding along 90km of the south coast[ish].
Run: This was the most well planned route - even though I would end up off course [on purpose] on the day night - as I had completed the last 3 virtual London marathons from East Preston to Brighton and back, so this route was well known and trodden and the familiarity and markers along the way I thought would be invaluable especially at the sharp end of proceedings where visualising the finish line could become critical to completion.
The now “etched into my memory” marathon route.
The Challenge: Mile by Mile
The Start (2.2km):
As has been the case since as long as I can remember - but specifically notable on the Mount Everest base camp trek I did in 2012 - my body seems to have a knack for knowing when to "purge" before periods of sustained strenuous exercise. As such I have always been able to get to the start line of any event without the nagging belly or bladder full worrying that I'll need to find my way to an impromptu loo and derail the exercise. This day was no exception.
So many PB&Bs, plenty of fluids and of course beer, chilled for a successful finish?
Once I'd filled up with the first banana & peanut butter sandwich of the day I set off at around 07:40 into the rainy, grey and miserable East Preston morning. I'd need to ride the 2.2km to the nearest pool ready for the earliest timeslot they had on a weekend of 08:00.
The Swim (3.9km):
The pool started off predictably quiet, it's not a busy area and it was early enough that I figured the weekend crowd wouldn't be around immediately.
My target time was around 1hrs 45mins with breaststroke at an easy pace of around 2:30/100m. I wanted to ensure I kept in a heart rate zone 2 which for me is between 128 - 141bpm.
Each kilometre marked a moment of reflection and anticipation, starting strong at the 1km mark, feeling the rhythm by 2km, and pushing through the 3km point, this final stretch igniting more nerves as I anticipated what would be the longest bike ride I had attempted in my life.
I completed 156 lengths and the longest swim of my life. My pace was just a little slower than my planned but I kept my heart rate firmly in zone 2 at 136 bpm, leaving myself the best shot at the rest of the day.
A relieved face, still quite drizzly, post-swim.
Swim Stats:
Estimate: 01:45:00
Actual: 01:49:39
Distance: 3.9km
Kcal: 1218
Rolling total distance covered: 6.1km
Rolling total time elapsed: 02:20:00
Rolling total Kcal: 1218
Transition to Bike (2.2km):
The rain had slowed but not stopped, the quick ride back was then followed by a full change into my bike gear, eating another PB&B sandwich and a systems check - 2 x bottles water, 2 x bottles lucozade sport, 1 x PB&B, 2 x haribo supermix, 1 x snickers and 4 x salt tablets.
The Bike (180km):
Even at the start of the ride at around 10:30 conditions were not ideal, Base Camp Vos isn't exposed to the elements but it was windy and gently raining. By the time I reached the coast the wind was clearly going to be a factor.
My route was from East Preston, riding West towards Chichester, followed by Havant and down to Gosport, turning around just before, at around 55km before coming back to EP for around 110km, then continuing past Worthing and Shoreham to Brighton and just beyond - around the 145km mark just above the cliffs at Rottingdean before finally heading back to Base Camp for the final 35km.
My plan was to get to Portsmouth, stop for a sandwich, stop again back at Base Camp for a sandwich and bottle change-over and finally another stop in Brighton before getting back for T2. the planned time was to be between 9hrs - 9hrs 30 mins for the bike leg.
It was gruelling. The wind that day was consistently around 45kmph and blowing West to East, meaning half the ride - and more importantly both the first quarter and last quarter - would be driving directly against me.
At each 10km interval, I celebrated small victories—the first 10km simply getting to that marker somewhat made up for the slow progress and wet weather. By 20km the rain was mostly gone but the wind unfortunately was there to stay. Reaching Chichester was a boost to morale as was Havant, but the final kilometres into Portsmouth seemed to last forever. Hitting the 55km mark at around 14:00 I stopped for another sandwich and a check-in.
The good news was that while I was way behind my planned time, the worst of the first half of the ride was over and I would have a tailwind back to Base Camp. It had taken 3hrs 30mins to get to Portsmouth - much longer than planned - but the wind came to help in the return to EP. Just over 2hrs 30mins and I was back to Base Camp for a quick refuel at 113km with just the Brighton leg left.
Again with the wind at my back for the first leg to Brighton I made good time, making it to the 145km - and turn-around point - in just 1hr 30mins. It was at this point the wind made its comeback, having to turn directly into it once again I had hoped it would have subsided by the early evening but here it was strong and the morning and with me having already covered a lot of distance and time I was starting to flag.
I stopped with 20km to go for a final sandwich on the bike leg, I'd lost 2 bottles to a bottle cage malfunction but was still with plenty of liquids. It was 19:20 by this time and while I had taken on fuel the last 20km took a further 1hrs 40mins and were the most demoralising of my life. I was reduced to 10kmph - my running pace - and was screaming obscenities into the sky, but I had to keep going. I had my "why" and this was where the work was. I kept going over and over in my mind, "if we stop now we just have to come back and do it all again next month" and I didn't want any part of that. I had to keep going, I had to endure, I had to do the hard things.
The hard things done - at least for the bike leg - saw me arriving back to Base Camp Vos at around 21:00 for "T2".
Contemplating my life choices as the clock passes 21:00 and I am yet to start the marathon.
Bike Stats:
Estimate: 09:00:00 - 09:30:00
Actual: 10:40:57
Distance: 180.22km
Kcal: 5287
Rolling total distance covered: 188.52km
Rolling total time elapsed: 13:00:00
Rolling total Kcal: 6505
Transition to Run:
Another complete change into dry and warm clothes, having gone 21:00 I figured the early hours would be chilly and would be easy to start to go downhill if I didn't have appropriate clothing. I had another PB&B and steeled myself for the final leg, knowing this was where mental toughness would be key.
The Run (42.2km):
The light was disappearing pretty quickly by the time I marched out of Base Camp Vos at 21:47 that night, but it was the final leg and one I had completed on each of the 3 previous virtual London marathons, the latest being in April 2024 so it was familiar territory for me.
This was deliberate and I hoped would provide a mental boost with each of the passing markers that meant I could chop up the journey with. These markers included each of the 10km points along the way and would - I hoped - drag me towards that invisible finish line.
I hadn't quite banked on the fact most of the start [and therefore also the end] of the route would have no lights after dark as it ran from Base camp, along the coast all the way to Shoreham before going on roads to Brighton and the reverse on the way back. This meant that I had to adjust - not too much on the way out - the route to keep "safe".
I began with a "run 1km, walk 1km" plan but quickly abandoned this to a determined plod, knowing that each step would take me closer to completion. 10km came at Worthing and a quick PB&B sandwich and I was back on the road. It was around the 20km mark that things started to become a little clouded and slow. I had a sit down in a bus stop to try to find my sandwich - having forgotten that I had already eaten it 10km ago. Luckily I was being monitored and a super-encouraging call helped to clear the fog and instead of searching for another 10 mins I finished the Haribo I had and carried onto the halfway mark.
I felt a boost from halfway to 30km as I knew at this point I would complete the marathon and with it my DIY IRONMAN. Now it was just a matter of how long and how much pain was left. As the light had gone my final 5km was a little more of an adventure than I had banked on and the route I followed took me down a few roads without any streetlights and into a nature reserve, breaking ground and trying to locate footpaths that had been long over-grown. Not exactly what I had in mind 20 hours into the event with 2km to go. Finally I emerged to the streets again and at this point - just gone 04:00 the next day - the sun was preparing to rise and everything was getting lighter. I pushed on the final few metres - having to pass Base Camp and double back a couple of times to make the distance - before finally ending the workout on my watch and retiring inside, the DIY IRONMAN complete.
Did I… did I…?
Damn right I did!
Run Stats:
Estimate: 05:00:00 - 06:00:00
Actual: 06:18:52
Distance: 42.22km
Kcal: 3309
Rolling total distance covered: 230.74km
Rolling total time elapsed: 20:38:00
Rolling total Kcal: 9814
Crossing the Finish Line
As I crossed the self-made finish line, the physical exhaustion paled in comparison to the emotional and mental triumph. This wasn’t just about completing an Ironman; it was about proving to myself that the hardest challenges could be met with determination and a resilient spirit.
Throughout the entire day I had been pushed on and buoyed by all the support coming from the WhatsApp group. Even in the darker moments of the ride there would be another ping as someone send words of encouragement, these really made the difference and meant I was never on the course alone.
Beers at 4am : not just for the airport it turns out.
The Birth of Personal Best Club
Inspired by this journey, Personal Best Club was created to encourage others to embrace challenges, both big and small. The motto, "Your Best Is Always Personal," echoes through anyone's efforts, celebrating personal achievements as steps towards greater resilience.
Reflections and Future Aspirations
This Ironman was more than a race; it was a profound journey of self-discovery and mental fortification. It reinforced our family ethos to "Celebrate Everything," cherishing every moment, every struggle, and every triumph.
Conclusion
As I continue to share this journey, I invite you to join Personal Best Club, to do hard things - not just for the sake of challenge but to prepare for life's unpredictability. Together, we build resilience, celebrate every personal victory, and support each other through every step of the journey.
As I mentioned, we have no idea what the future holds for our family but we have already received support from SWAN [Syndromes Without A Name] which is a support network run by the charity Genetic Alliance UK and remains the only dedicated support network in the UK for families affected by a syndrome without a name – a genetic condition so rare it often remains undiagnosed. The aim of SWAN UK is that every family gets the support that they need, regardless of whether or not they have a diagnosis and they have been the only community where we can find others who have a shared experience. If you would like to support them they have a donation page here.
As for the next hard thing, there is a backyard ultra marathon I am taking part in in November. My aim is to complete 10 laps of the 4mile course over 10hrs - the rule being "1 loop on the hour, every hour, until you are unable to complete the loop" - which would set a personal best of the longest run of my life at 40miles.
From there I don't know but there will always be something more challenging to take on, to push my limits and to build the mental toughness I know I will be relying on in the future.
Do hard things. Celebrate everything.
