Ironman Malaysia 2010 Race Report
Posted on 01. Mar, 2010 by hillarybiscay in Blog | 18 Comments
I kicked off my 2010 season last weekend with Ironman Malaysia. Because you will be subjected to at least seven more ironman race reports this year, I thought we would start with a slightly different format for the first one. Ironman is inevitably a contest of maximizing the day’s highs and managing its lows in order to make the best of the circumstances one is dealt, so I’ve recapped my day here in these terms.
Highlight: Winning the swim: first woman out of the water.
Lowlight: Realizing within the first hour of the bike that the reason I was sliding off the front of my bike seat was because it had moved and was like this / .
Highlight: Getting ahold of an allen wrench about kilometer 70.
Lowlight: After spending several minutes on the side of the road removing my back bottle cage system to access the bolt to tighten my seat clamp, my sweaty hands couldn’t do the trick, and I soon found myself riding in the same funky position I’d been in . . .
Highlight: Even after 39 ironman finishes, I come away from every race with important lessons learned. I love my new bike, but no matter how good the bike, two weeks is simply not enough time to get a new bike dialed and all of the kinks sorted out. I knew better; I took a risk, and I paid for it. I will not make this mistake again.
Lowlight: I lost a lot of time on the ride, and came off the bike well down on Belinda (Granger) and Edith (Niederfriniger).
Highlight: I started the run in third and was determined to hang onto this position.
Lowlight: The prevalent sensation in this marathon is one of running in a sauna. There were certain particularly-hot sections of each of the five run loops during which I felt as if my head were about to explode and/or one of my shaky legs was going to buckle beneath me.
Highlight: Amazingly, none of these things actually occurred. I stayed focused on myself and my own run, knowing that I could control only this and not the girls chasing me, and managed to have several stretches of the run during which I felt relatively “good.”
Lowlight: The outbound portion of the final run loop: I felt like I was doing a slow-motion impression of running, better described by my Australian friends as “running up and down on the spot.”
Highlight: I had to deal with a few challenges on race day, but in spite of this being a hot-and-sweaty sweatfest, blisters were not one of them. Ironman Malaysia is a true test of run shoes, as many athletes are taken out by things like blisters. Yet I had the luxury of drenching myself with water every couple of kilometers without worry, because my K-Swiss K-Onas drain in a second. I was so thankful for them!
Highlight (Yes, I realize I am interrupting my pattern here, but of course I’ve got more highs than lows–why else would I engage in this crazy business?!): Not getting run down. I crossed the line in third place, accomplishing my goal of an Ironman Malaysia podium finish, and my 15th career iron-distance podium finish.
Lowlight: New WTC rules say that I am not eligible for the third-place $4000 USD prize money: after 10 hours and 10 minutes of hard racing, my time falls 2 minutes outside of 8% of the winning time. According to the new “8% rule,” finishing 8.3% off of the winning time means I don’t get paid. Unfortunately, this money does not get redistributed to Belinda, Edith, or the four men who finished within the prize money cutoff. It “disappears.”
Highlight: My amazing sponsors who help make it possible for me to make a living in this great sport: K-Swiss, PowerBar, ISM, Zipp, Wilier, FSA, and CycleOps.
Highlight: Celebrating the big 4-0–my fortieth iron-distance finish–by completing one of the toughest ironmans on the circuit here in Langkawi.
Lowlight: New WTC rules say that I am not eligible for the Kona-qualifying slot because I finished outside of 5% above the winning finish time.
Highlight: I have four more Kona-qualifying opportunities before this year’s World Championships. It’s only February and I will only get faster and stronger as the season goes along!
18 Responses to “Ironman Malaysia 2010 Race Report”
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Hillary’s Time in Madison, WI
Congratulations on another amazing race!
WTC has some new bogus rules. You worked your tail off out there! But I am sure you will race another day and show WTC who they’re dealing with.
Well done on getting through a very hard day. Great stuff and excellent blog.
I understand the 8% rule and trying to get people faster but not redistributing the money that is just stealing from the PROs.
Also, 3rd is 3rd in a race. Why have Hawaii qualifying slots tied to a finish time, or worse to an arbitrary an even stricter time rule? That makes no sense to me at all. What difference does that make to the WTC if they get 20 PROs starting in the WCs or 300 if you’re all paying your $750 for it at the start of the year. Sounds like a hegde fund trying to cream off profits and shooting itself in the foot in the long run.
I think we’ll see all sorts of crazy tactics from the PROs in the future trying to save themselves for the next pay day if things aren’t going well on the day.
Recover well
Neill
Outstanding performance. Number 40 rocked. Paid or not… you are a tremendous inspiration!
Why dont the PRO’s all agree pre-race that the finishing line is 10m out from the real one, and then wait at that 10m mark for the top 5 to come together, and proceed across the line in an orderly fashion.
All within %1, satisfying the new ‘rules’ and at the same time making a complete mockery of some truly absurd rules.
Shame on the WTC, but well done anyway!
Totally agree with Glen – there should be an unspoken rule now with the pro’s not to harm each other when it comes to prize money placement. It seems clear that the WTC has only implemented this new rule after calculating all of the prior Ironman performance results, and how much money they would have saved under this scenario in the past. You guys walk away with so little as it is. Great job out there and good luck for the rest of the season.
I was thinking the same thing as Glen! Just sit down and wait and then walk across one after another. Actually, the pro’s need to form a union. Right now you are basically the same as performers in the WWE. There is really only one game, so you have to play by their rules. 8% or 10% rules don’t increase competition; it just cheats you guys. If the races pay well, there will always be competition?
Do ANY other sports to that? If a golfer wins by 10 strokes does the 2nd place finisher walk away with 0? How about a car race?
The 8% rule is nothing new…except to WTC. It’s a shame they can’t be flexible (ie, up to 8.99%???).
Neill, Glen, Dave and Phoenix are all right on. WTC is jumping over dollars to save pennies…and they’ll claim it’s all in the name of having better competition, only top-tier pros racing, etc., but they’ll never admit it’s about saving money.
Hillary, you earned your money and your Kona slot fair and square. Have a great season and use this as FUEL to kick even more butt this season!
congrats, hillary! it was my first ironman and i had a blast! the K-Ona worked wonders for me en route also to a first marathon!
Congrats Hillary!
Solid effort. Ironman Distance is tough on any day of the week. The miles, effort, and sacrifice does not compare to the dismal payout. I will be brutally honest, the sport for Ironman Distance does not look promising for a variety of reasons for money, sponsorships, etc. Easy solution for the 8% rule. Get with your racers and just make an off-record statement that the top 5 or 7 need to stay within the 8% percent time limit. Watch the Tour De France a 100 deals exist during the race with teams and individuals. Sports is also about cognitive development and strategy. You must form a pact before the race and form alliances. Than throw down in Kona all out with a few rubles to your pocket leading up to the day. If they want a tighter race than give it to them. That $2K is a joke and it is about the same payout and time effort as Le Bron James changing into his boxers before his game. Alliances will make you all survive in this sport.
I guess you pros will have to get together and say whoever reaches the 26 mile mark first wins, wait for the next 4 and walk across the line together. Problem solved. All finish in the order you should of within seconds of each other and you get the money and the Kona slots. Then do the same at Kona. Will take the gas out of the WTC sails.
Wow – WTF to the WTC!! Didn’t realize how the new rules would be implemented – sorry they screwed you over Hillary. You’ve got the experience and the guts to throw down an amazing race that will get you paid and to Kona
Hill,
You’re my girl – I believe in you! I too am upset with the rules this year and felt the 7.5% crunch at Roth last year…all that work for NOTHING!!! Good think I enjoyed some beir while in Germany!
Love ya! And Good luck!
Jess Jacobs
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Congrats on a good race. That new 8% rule sounds like total crap. 3rd place is 3rd place and you deserve to get paid.
You’ll have to tell Belinda, that next time she needs to get a time split on where you are before she crosses the finnish line so 3rd place can get paid! LOL
Heya Craig
Believe me- i did get splits- Luke McKenzie was on the run course and I asked him on my 4th lap how far back Hills was and to try and work out the splits. Honestly Luke ad I tried to do it but it is so bloody difficult- well my brain certainly doesn’t work at the best of times when it comes to maths let alone 35kms into a marathon. Luke thought it was too far so I just kept running- but believe me I wasn not pushing it- I was smashed and not running well at all. I was devastated when I was told there was only 2mins in it- nobody was more upset than me. I hate the new rule- what sport in the world does not reward third place- it is the podium for god’s sake!!!! I have no fear that Hillary will be well and truly within the cut-off next M-dot race- no problem at all.
Belinda, you are amazing to try and figure out splits like that! You are a true hero in the sport. Keep-up the great work!