HARDMAN's Bantry Bay half triathlon is intentionally challenging. The run is notorious and not for the feint of heart, but it's a unique route with rewarding views.
On a remote airstrip to the south west of Bantry, this is one of a kind. It's 2km from parking so is more awkward for spectators and organising your gear. That aside, the race was as tough as I'd expected and then some, but ultimately left all finishers happy and proud.
Katie and I stayed in a B&B the night before, arriving at the air strip early and well rested. Transition was one end of the runway. I collected my pack and setup my area. The jagged surface is hard on bare feet and I knew this would be a long day.
Alan Ryan gave the usual briefing, inviting questions. "Are there jellyfish" was asked. "Only the friendly type" he replied. Crap! My third time sea swimming and I’d never dealt with anything like that. There was some nervous chatter but I hoped I wouldn't see them. I was in wave 1 (Thank God) so without time to overthink, we lined up to start.
And in. I’d done a half Ironman before in Waterville. This looked longer but I knew it would fly by. Just put the head down and find my rhythm. Then it began. 100m in I was touching jellyfish with each stroke. They were everywhere. I wasn't swimming, just carefully wading, terrified. Every movement hit them, making me panic. I could see others were just pushing on. I tried, but jellyfish on my hands, feet and face stopped me. I lied on my back, curled up in fear. Not even 250m in, them still touching my feet, it was sheer terror. I thought the race was screwed, that I'd miss the cut-off time, or be too exhausted to finish. Afraid to stay still, I'd wade slowly and carefully. It got worse before it got better, until 500m in they subsided. I’d still touch one every four or five strokes, sending me back to panic mode, but it was no longer like swimming through jelly. I can't understate how much of a nightmare the whole experience was for me.
I guessed the grey ones (moon jellyfish, I now know) were probably fine. Otherwise we wouldn't be there. That didn't help when seeing tentacles in my face, but still. Worse was the dark red/brown ones (compass jellyfish) which mostly sat lower in the water with dark tentacles. You'd see the red through a cloud of grey and wade unnaturally to not touch them. These scared the crap out of me. As the moon jellyfish dissipated, there were more of these, and bigger.
It was constant high alert with three times I saw massive, dark red directly in front of me. Always having to stop and actively swim around it. I hated every second of it. At the turning point I winced at the thought of going back. It had been an eternity, and any naivety was gone. It was very slow, swimming around as many as I could. Luckily the way back seemed less dense. Interestingly, drafting behind someone else didn't help. You hit just as many, but unexpectedly as you can't see through the kicking.
For the last 100m they were gone. I could have cried because I was so happy to be out of there. I questioned everything. Why have I any business learning to swim now, or doing a full Ironman in a month! It seemed ridiculous. But I was back on dry land atleast. Sore from being so tense, worried it might cost me the race but so relieved to be away from them.
My transition was slow and shaky. Wave 2 waited nervously, clearly hearing stories. They all asked how bad it was, I lied and said it was okay, just as I'd have wanted people to say to me. You could see people were scared. I know some pulled out, I also know some got medical help from bad stings, so not sure who's right or wrong. Leaving on the bikes, we were all united by what we’d overcome.
The cycle is an awesome route. First south, then back via coastal loops of the Mizen and Sheeps Head peninsulas. I was excited, but dear lord, the wind. The coastal roads were like cycling on a treadmill. My body ached after 'swimming' and this gave no time to relax. You were either in the aerobars or not moving. The first peninsula seemed to go on forever with no break in the wind. Then I got a flat tire on a dangerous bend. A quick pump got me to the next town where it was flat again. Luckily, a man supporting his son loaned me a proper pump that made short work of the change. So happy he was there.
The next peninsula was more of the same but with a sizable climb. It was the sort of cycle that made you pray it was over. My panic for jellyfish swapped for panic that the tyre would go again, as I'd only brought one spare (noted). Or that I'd be disqualified for missing a cut-off, (this was all going very slow). The last 10km overlapped with the run route where I passed the different breed of leaders who were almost finished. I knew the run was "a hilly 10km followed by a flat return", but cycling the return I saw that to be a lie. Yes the hills to my right looked huge, but this coastal road was far from flat, and seemed like a hard run in itself.
All said and done, I cycled down the runway and dropped my bike, had some water and braved into it. The two people either side of me had returned their bikes and given up, said they couldn't face the run after cycling along it. I had literally nothing in the tank but off I went.
Hilly roads become mountainous ones. The first major climb dragged on and seemed as big as any on the cycle. I chatted to a man the whole way up who was in wave 2, so he'd started an hour after me. I was just happy to be moving. The top had an incredible view of the route, down into the valley and over a similar hill in the distance.
There was a great atmosphere here with everyone struggling on. Weather was amazing and although I hadn't eaten much, my stomach felt good. I strangely liked the climbs, with the downhills being much harder on the feet. Reaching the main road was a great milestone because the steep downhills were taking a lot.
The last 10km simultaneously took forever, but flew by, as these races seem to. The jellyfish, scarring as they were, felt like a distant memory. Like something I'd done last week. I felt like I had nothing at all in me as I turned in and made my way onto the runway. No sprint finish, but under the beating sun I pushed through.
Collecting the medal was surreal after so many points where I thought it was impossible. Best part was having Katie, Eoghan and Donal there to welcome me home.
After a shower I felt surprisingly good and we went out for dinner and drinks in Bantry that night. I wore the race top with pride, overwhelmingly happy I hadn't given up. I thought if I could do that, I can do anything, but there was also a nervousness for doubling the distance next month. What challenges that would bring?
In terms of lessons learned, eating less worked well for me. I put flavourless maltodextrin into electrolyte water for liquid carbs. I learned to pack a second bike tube and put the ankle tag on my left foot so it doesn't hit the chain. I learned to dig deep and I learned that if I ever end up in a jellyfish nightmare again I’ll never forgive myself.
My back and shoulders ached from the swim, but all was fine in a few days. Breathing was an issue again, with the hours of slow shallow breaths affecting me for a week. Something I needed to work on. Worst outcome was the fear I had every time I swam over the next month. Every fish I saw, every reed or grass I touched I'd lock up, shuddering. It was hard to overcome and wasn't fully better by the full Ironman, but I swam as much as I could and tried to build comfort back.
I hope this doesn't turn anyone away from doing this race. On a day with no sea life and no wind it would probably be lovely, especially if you can let yourself enjoy the run. For me the difficulty for spectators to drop in takes away from it a lot. However, I have to say the feeling of running along a landing strip, painted markings and all, made for an incredible experience. Hardman have an amazing race here, and I couldn't wait for their biggest test in Killarney.
Finish Time
Time | Distance | |
Swim | 46mins 33s | 1.9km |
T1 | 3mins 42s | - |
Bike | 3hrs 50mins 49s | 90km |
T2 | 3mins 45s | - |
Run | 2hrs 6mins 52s | 21.1km |
Total | 6hrs 51mins 44s | - |
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