Ironman 70.3 Langkawi 2019

Oh, Langkawi. I thought 2018 was hard. 2019 was brutal. Again I was lucky I did not sign up for the full distance.

SWIM

    (Always my favorite part of the swim leg, the swim exit. Photo by Fiz Said)


    BIKE

    I always bike conservatively and pace my effort at around 145bpm. This time tested strategy always allowed me to use my run strength later. But this time i was prepared to throw the dice and gamble. My average hr was around 165 bpm. I felt good up until 70km before I bonked spectacularly. There were many spikes on my effort especially when I had to overtake this particular peloton many times from Datai loop to the 3 sisters hills. This group of people drafts blatantly without showing any remorse. You know who you are and my advice is if you can’t respect the non-drafting rules you better stick to uncle Chan’s races. Okay, now that I tried to gamble with the bike, the end result was interesting. Last year I rode conservatively and still had plenty in the tank for the run. This time I rode hard but bonked as early as km 70, only managed a one minute quicker than last year with nothing left for the run. So next time I will be wiser. Anyways, I was still happy to know that I knew I could ride hard and stay with the fast cyclists, I just need more bike endurance.  (Bike : 2:59:18 ðŸ˜˜)
    (Attackkkk. That 's how I drop the peloton at Bukit Hantu and I ended up bonked myself. Photo by Fiz Said)
    (After the bonk. Photo by Fiz Said)

    (The beautiful northen coast of the island is my favourite part of the course. Photo by Fiz Said)


    RUN

    This is where my race starts usually. My plan was to run a consistent effort at 165bpm. This usually translated to 11.5 -12.5 kmh.  Well it didnt happen. It only lasted for 4 km. My pace drop faster than the Ringgit during the Asian Financial crisis 1998. The famous Langkawi heat claimed many victims especially around the Energy Lab (read airport road), and I paid the price for my gambling during the bike. Now I understand why gambling is haram in Islam. (Run: 2:15:33 🥵) (Total: 6:08:32 😭😭)

    (Sufferfest on the run. Photo by Fiz Said)

    Congratulations to all the participants and thank you to the volunteers, organiser @ironman_my and the supporters including the many freelance photographers who had braving the heat to make this race a memorable ones to us. Terima Kasih

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