When the inaugural Ironman Tulsa was postponed until next year, I took the opportunity to still put myself to the test with a solo Ironman distance day of fun.

This video follows my day, all the good and bad of it. I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I did.

So here’s the story of my Solo Ironman from May 30th, 2020. With a lot of help, I was able to have a great day and capture a ton of it, a really honest look at exactly what it takes to get a 140.6 day accomplished. If triathlon has taught me anything, it is to be adaptable, so doing this race on my own seemed like the only sensible choice.

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Competing in and completing an Ironman is about much more than propelling your body 140.6 miles. There is a certain spectacle and energy for the day. The gathering of so many like minded people, who’ve all put in countless hours of training and sacrificed so much of their lives to make THIS day possible, creates a palpable excitement. The crowds of family members and friends along the course pump energy into the athletes racing. The army of volunteers and race personnel keep the day running smoothly.

In contrast, when you decide to do this on your own, I’d recommend having a couple great friends and family members there to help you through the day, because it is a long one.

Leading into race day, I couldn’t believe how calm my nerves were. It really felt like just another long training day. I slept great the night before and was really looking forward to getting out there to get the last setup done and getting the show on the road.

The Swim

Went so much better than I could have possible asked for. Since everything shut down in March, I hadn’t been swimming for about 9 weeks. So two weeks before doing 2.4 miles, I finally got back into the water again, and it did not go well. Every time I’d go out, my legs would start cramping. I tried countless different things to get back on track, changing my diet, additional magnesium, more stretching, more water and salts even ice baths in case it was the cold causing it. Nothing seemed to help much, so I was nervous about cramping in the swim, but it went off perfectly. I took my time, and just kept going forward, I was actually a bit surprised when the finish came. Of course not having to swim in choppy water with a couple thousand others may be been a pretty huge advantage too.

The Bike

Outside of the first 1.3 mils being on gravel, the bike started out great. I was feeling good, and enjoying the course, and a bit of company with Bradley out there with me. Chad took a lap on the scooter and my Mom was out doing her thing on the course too, insisting that I not slow down for her. Well, 40 miles into it, I was doing all I could to keep up. Around the 3rd of the 11 mile loops, I started feeling poorly. Headache was setting in and my energy was sagging, while nausea was rising.

By the end of the 5th loop, I was ready to be done. I was struggling to hang on to any power, was completely tunnel visioned, my head was pounding and I couldn’t focus on anything in front of me. At this point, Chad asked how much I’d eaten, since I wasn’t feeling well, not enough. I’d only put away about 500 calories and covered 2.4 miles swimming and 55 on the bike at this point, or about 3500 calories of output. So, the crew got some food in me, force fed me really, and I set out on loop 6. Halfway through, I had to stop to get off the bike, feeling more nausea than ever, but thankfully that subsided and I actually started to feel better.

Now, I’ve bonked before, but never like this. This felt like everything was shutting down, my body had enough of me, and was just going to stop, whether I liked it or not. Once the energy started to return though, it was such a very strange feeling. Almost like waking up, where slowly your limbs start to come alive again. My legs felt like I could keep pushing, and thankfully the headache finally started to subside.

The loops continued, and by the 8th I was feeling great again. My mood had improved drastically and the day was becoming fun again. I was through the woods and ready to finish up the last bit of the bike before tackling the marathon.

The Run

I’ve enjoyed running for years, and within triathlon, when I get to this stage, I can feel the end being near. The start of every run segment I have to force myself to slow down, with legs that are used to moving at a much faster cadence on the bike, slowing them down becomes quite import, so as not to burn up in the first couple miles. This run was no different, the first 3 loops were a bit too quick, but I was feeling good, so I kept at it.

Throughout the run I was really happy to have Andy and Chad run with. My mom was able to do a couple loops with me on her bike, and I even got to walk one with my wife. Sharing the day was really quite special, and having someone to talk with for 26 miles was fantastic.

The run wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows though, the bonk on the bike took it’s toll on me, and by the half marathon point, my legs were getting extremely tight. Fatigue was setting in and the twinges of cramps were ever present. By mile 20 I was doing a bit more walking (including almost 2 full miles with Kelly), and a little less running. However, I was moving, and that is the key at this point. Keep pushing forward, stopping is the worst thing that can happen.

Coming up to the finish line, I decided to walk the last .2 miles with my mom and Kelly. This was the best decision I made all day, and hopefully made up for the finishing chute last year in Madison where I wasn’t able to see them on the way in.

Final Thoughts

Ending this momentous day with close friends and family was, to me, just as special as Mike Reilly calling me in. Truly fortunate for the support of everyone that came to help out. They literally made the day possible, as if I were by myself, I never would have finished the bike section.

Thank you to my videographer for the day Steve Ruppel! And a huge THANK YOU to everyone who came to swim / bike / run / crew for me throughout the day. It made the day so much more fun to share pieces with you.

I will also be doing Ironman Tulsa on the postponed date for next year. Training starts now for that race, going to do my best to put up a better time.

Gear I race with:

• Xterra Wetsuit
• Felt bike on Continental 4000s with P1 Powertap pedals and Garmin Edge 130.
• Brooks Adrenaline GTS19 and Garmin Forerunner 245.
• I was also rocking a Wattie Ink Hit Squad kit for the day.