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Nov 25, 2012 · Cozumel, Mexico · Bib 1381 · M30-34
Ironman
Cozumel
2.4 mi swim · 112 mi bike · 26.2 mi run · 140.6 miles total
12:54:00
Official Finish — Ironman Finisher
The Story
From the blog, December 2012 — in my own words, the whole thing.
Our trip to Cozumel was absolutely amazing. We stayed in an amazing house less than a mile from the ocean, we swam with the dolphins, drove around the entire island on scooters, snorkeled, drank, ate... and I became an Ironman. We took the trip with Mom and Jeff and I have to say it was another great vacation together.
This was my first (and most likely last) Ironman event. I trained for 7 months and it was a lot of training. I logged over 212 hours covering over 2,300 miles. It was HARD.
The training was totally worth it though — when I finished the Ironman, though I was tired and worn out, I wasn't broken and I was able to enjoy the rest of the trip. Here is a quick breakdown of the three events:
The swim — It was a trip... 2,500 people floating... waiting for the gun and then boom... off we went. It was hard to focus on my swimming when you could see awesome fish and bat rays below me.
The bike — This leg rocked! I got to pass the family 3 times... what an energy boost to see your son, daughter, wife, mom and step dad cheering you on! It was hard though, the wind was wicked on the back end of each pass and really slowed me down.
The run — SUCKED... man was it a killer. That first loop really took a toll on me and the second one was even worse... but as I rounded the corner for the final lap, gave Carter and Hailey a high five, I knew I was solid for this. Tag on the fact that as I was running the last 4 miles I realized that if I picked up the pace a bit I could actually finish under 13 hours and then boom... the race was over.
Swim = 1:26:19 · Bike = 6:29:35 · Run = 4:43:40 · Total = 12:54:00. Not bad for my first ever. As I said, the road to here was not an easy one, both for me and for the family. But crossing that finish line was pretty frickin' sweet — and so was this vacation!
The Training
Seven months. A 30-week IronFit "Competitive" plan, started April 30, 2012. The log doesn't lie.
212:18
Hours Logged
Jan–Nov 2012, per the training log
2,309
Miles Covered
Swimming, biking, and running — Reno to New York, basically
149,332
Calories Burned
Roughly 270 burritos
20
Biggest Week (Hrs)
Week 27 of 30 — peak phase, three weeks before the race
The plan's race-day prediction: 1:15 swim, 7:00 bike, 4:30 run — 12:45 total. The actual day: 12:54. Seven months of work, nine minutes off the forecast.
The Numbers
850
Overall Rank
of 1,774 finishers — top 48% of the field
150
Division Rank
M30-34 — the fastest age group in the sport. No pressure.
712
Gender Rank
All men in the race
2,213
Points
Ironman All World Athlete points
The Splits
1:26:19
Swim · 2.4 mi
Rank 906 · 2:14/100m
6:29:35
Bike · 112 mi
Rank 984 · 17.2 mph
4:43:40
Run · 26.2 mi
Rank 850 · 10:50/mi
14:26
Total Transitions
Under the 17 min national average. Free speed.
Me vs. The Average Ironman
National averages for male age-group finishers across Ironman races: 1:18 swim, 6:13 bike, 4:50 run, 12:38 overall.
Swim
8 min over average — call it warming up
Bike
17 min over average — Cozumel headwinds are real
Run
6 min FASTER than average — closed strong
Overall
16 min over the male average · 5 min over the all-finisher average of 12:49
Faster than average on the run, faster than average through transitions, and beat more than half the field overall. The bike and I have agreed to disagree.
Me vs. Cozumel 2012
National averages don't tell the whole story. That day in Cozumel was the slowest in the race's history to that point — an unexpected current wrecked the swim, and 27% of registered athletes either never started or missed the swim cutoff. The field average: 12:58, twenty minutes slower than Cozumel 2011.
Swim
Faster than the day's average — in the year the current ate the field
Finish
4 minutes faster than the field average
Slower than the average Ironman finisher nationally, faster than the average finisher in the race I actually ran — on the day a quarter of the field never made it past the water. Context is everything.
The Field
First across the line, me, and the athlete who outlasted everyone to take the final spot.
8:15:07
Winner
Iván Raña · Spain · Pro
Olympic triathlete turned Ironman champ. Won his Ironman debut. Beat me by 4 hours 39 minutes — enough time to finish, shower, eat lunch, and take a nap before I crossed.
12:54:00
Me
Rob Gaedtke · USA · M30-34
850th of 1,774. Finished ahead of 924 people and one very tired Spaniard's lunch schedule.
1,774th
Final Finisher
Nerina Black · Canada · F45-49
The last official finisher of the day. Roughly 17 hours out there. Anyone who races the cutoff and wins deserves as much respect as the podium.
How the Day Stacked Up
Each bar is a full race day, scaled to my 12:54 finish.
Iván Raña (Winner)8:15:07
Me12:54:00
Swim
Bike 6:29:35
Run 4:43:40
Avg Male Finisher12:38:00
Swim
Transitions
Bike
Run
