2 Oct 2022
IronMike or Marathon Mike?
The nation was gripped by the events in London today and WTC had its own representation in the form of IronMike Unwin who was taking part in the TCS London Marathon. The rest of the club were gripped to their mobile phones, monitoring the app to see how Mike was faring over the 26.2 mile course. The answer - very well. Mike completed the first half in an impressive 1 hour, 48 minutes and 48 seconds and Mike's Ironman training showed its effectiveness with very little fade over the second half of the course which took only 7 minutes extra. Mike finished in an impressive 3 hours, 43 minutes and 24 seconds achieving a new personal best. Well done Mike
Whilst WTC were checking on Mike's progress, another race was in progress in Spain. Colin Wood and Harriet Hardy were lining up a the start of Ironman Barcelona. Colin is a seasoned Ironman and expectations were high. Harriet is an Ironman debutant. Having completed half ironman races, this was her first full distance triathlon. The day was set for an exciting session monitoring the WTC athletes.
Whilst the weather was kind to the runners in London, it was less so in Barcelona. Winds of up to 17mph battered the coast and the sea swim was brutal. Harriet completed her swim well within the cut off in a time of 2 hours and 13 mins, however it had taken its toll to the extent that battling the headwinds along the seafront was too much to ask and after 6 hours and 42 minutes, her race was over.
Colin had an impressive race finishing 14th in his age category and 93rd out of a field of 1,850! Battling against the waves, headwind and some sand in his shoe, his overall stats were:
Swim - 1 hour 14 minutes 55 seconds
T1 - 7 minutes 26 seconds
Bike - 5 hours 15 minutes 03 seconds
T2 - 4 minutes 45 seconds
Run - 3 hours 20 minutes 03 seconds
Total time - 10 hours 02 minutes 09 seconds.
WTC President, Gary King wrote:
"Another unforgettable weekend for WTC.
Harry, however disappointed you feel, you captured our hearts with your dedication to your prep and your balls out effort today 👊🏼 Your day will come. We all feel for you and send love. ❤️
Colin, you are beyond description...another epic performance and sooo consistent. Top work Bruvvvvaaaa! 👊🏻✊🏻
Mike, you finished a good year in style.. Great running today. 👌🏻Ironmike showed his class.
I'm so looking forward to next season....WTC are gonna smash it...👌🏻🇬🇧#wtc"
Today's racing proves that triathlon is not easy. Athletes go to extraordinary efforts just to make the start line and just as the weather can be kind or brutal, whilst there is often success, sometimes there's heartbreak too. But that's what makes us amongst the most amazing athletes - the strength and resolve to pick ourselves up and come back stronger.
Well done Mike, Harriet and Colin. You are all awesome!
