So...the time finally came around to welcome Nick to Singapore ready for his second Ironman triathlon. I've never watched Nick compete before, even in the UK, so I was really excited about being able to support him for this event on the other side of the world! An early start on Sunday saw the four of us head towards East Coast Park, the road that runs directly out of the city towards the airport. Nick had dropped his bike off and collected his chip the day before when Rachel took some great black and white of shots of Nick looking like a true Ironman. The East Coast had been transformed into an Aviva Ironman Park!
The start of Nick's wave was a bit of a mess as the course had been set up so there were competitors running into swim as a wave of others were exciting the water...so much so that when Nick entered the water there were men pretty much taking out women quite aggressively as they were just completing the first circuit of their swim. There looked like there were a lot of very confused people in the water. It was horrible to watch but at least he was on his way! Go Nick Go!
The 1.2 mile (1.9km) swim took Nick 42 mins and we were lucky enough to be able to get as close to Nick as we possibly could every time he was in transition so as he came out of the water to head for his bike Tom, Rach and I stood cheering him on as he ran through the showers. I was amazed at this point that there were so many people taking part and so many varied people too. The oldest man was 74 and had completed 11 Ironman triathlons! What a legend! Competitors from all over the world and many running to raise money for the recent devastation in Japan.
Nick jumped on his bike to start his 56 mile (90km) ride. At this point it was starting to get quite warm and I think we were all concerned for how the temperature would effect his performance. Nick had entered the water at 8.30am. By the time he finished his ride 2 hours and 38 mins later the temperature had crept up to a very hot 31 degrees. However, he was on top form as he started his run, even if he was extremely hot! We had managed to get some seats on the path where the competitors started the run so we perched up with a few beers and sat in the sunshine waiting for Nick to do his laps clapping and cheering on the majority of runners. I can only imagine that it must be great to hear people supporting you at this stage when you must be feeling absolutely exhausted!
The elite athletes passed us first. Incredible. I'm so pleased that I managed to snap Kris Gemmell, the eventual winner, who completed the course in 3 hours 50 mins.
2 hours and 6 mins later, Nick crossed the finish line. A fantastic 5 hours and 39 minutes after he first jumped into the sea. A fantastic effort. Watching how tired he was made me realise that these guys are just incredible sports men and women. Putting themselves through such tough conditions. Just watching them was exhausting so I have no idea how they must have all felt! I had a fantastic day not just supporting Nick, but all the other men and women who were competing. So there he is. "Nick Ironman and a half Morgan" just as he crossed the finish line! Well done Nick...really proud of you!
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