Ironman Canada - Ottawa (2025) Race Report
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| You forget all the misery in the last 100m. |
…stop me if you’ve heard this one before…
I was running way too fast. I knew I was running way too fast. I have done this every bloody time. I don’t know why I was not able to slow down. I could not slow down. I did not slow down, until… eventually… I did. And at that point it was all over. 18km into the run: core temperature maxed out, heart rate maxed out, lactic acid maxed out, quads maxed out: Initiate death march. The next 3 hours and 20 minutes was a pathetic display of limping, half-assed jogging, attempted power walking and constant mental negotiations. “Walk this aid station, run to the next. Run to that lamp post – start walking at the next lamp post.”
“This f---ing sucks. I don’t deserve to go to Nice even if they gave me a spot. I’m never doing an Ironman again.”
…
Ironman Ottawa was a great race. I absolutely loved it. (most of it). The 3.8 km swim went really well for me. Despite a bit of chop and constant leaky goggles, I fenagled my way to a solid 1:05 swim on minimal effort. Transition 1 was great. The 180 km scenic and mostly good roads bike course was a masterclass in aerodynamics and self-regulation – 159W NP (0.65 IF) – 33kph average for a total of 5 hours and 26 minutes. Transition 2 was a no-nonsense switch of clothes. And then… that 42.2 km run… …but enough about the “classic Phil meltdown”, the run was actually very awesome. The sheer number of spectators and cheers (and hugs) along the route – was amazing. The noise and energy were infectious. That memory will live on. Particularly all the home-town friends and family cheering squads. Ottawa did an amazing job of hosting this race. The volunteers were top notch. The spectators were top notch. The course was adequately challenging, unique, and sometimes epic.
My final time was 11:35:03.
…
My goals for this race were: C) finish sub-11❌and B) run a sub-4 hour marathon ❌. My A-goal, I hadn’t shared with many people, but I was hoping there may be an outside chance due to timing, logistics, and everything else that I might be lucky enough to snag a “rolldown” spot to the World Championships in Nice, France. Blowing up and finishing 39th in my group – was not ideal; however, the rolldown magic happened the next day at the awards ceremony. “Is there anyone in the top-40 that wants to go?”
…
Hoorah! The World Championship event will be tough. I am looking forward to a competitive swim and the challenging bike ride. The run will be monotonous but hopefully more controlled. My A-Goal is just to enjoy it all.
