Just over a week has passed since completing Challenge Roth for the second time. Anyone who has raced there knows just what an amazing spectacle it is. You’ll also know just how difficult it is to get across in words the scale of the occasion. I’ll give it a try though.
The drive up to Roth from Zurich normally takes around 4 hours but German holiday traffic meant it took a little longer on the Friday before the race. Arriving around 6pm we headed straight to the expo area so I could register. Last year when I raced I went by myself but this time my wife and kids came along. My parents also made the trip over for the weekend and we were meeting them in the race village. Start number in hand, family and parents in tow, we headed out to our rented accommodation in a small town about 10 minutes away.
The plan for Saturday morning was to get in a short swim in the canal during the official training hours and to do a short ride to check the bike and wake up the legs. With pre-race sessions done I headed back to the apartment and got the rest of my things ready for the bike check-in. Roth has split transitions with T1 and T2 in different places. This meant also having to make sure everything I wanted for the run was also ready as there was no way to get to that bag on race morning. This is always a nervous moment when I check 20 times to make sure I have everything. Even with lists something always seems to go wrong. No different this time and it was only afterwards I realised I’d forgotten to put my sunglasses in the bag. Anyway, with bike checked-in I headed back to Roth for the pre-race briefing and then spend the rest of the day preparing the final things and relax with the family.
Race morning I was awake at 4am. Nerves were pretty good and I was able to eat my breakfast, put on the number tattoos and gather everything I’d need for the swim and after-race. My parents took me down to the start. My wife had made it clear she’d come and support me but she wouldn’t be waking up at that time to take me. I’ve done a few races now but nothing compares to Roth on race-morning. Walking over the bridge you get an elevated view of the swim start and T1 which was already a hive of action. Thousands of spectators were jostling for position to get a view even though there was still over an hour to go until the pros set off.
Got into T1 and filled up the drinks bottles and checked the bike over. The back tyre was worrying pretty flat so I borrowed a pump and that was sorted. Queued for the portaloo and then spent the next 40 minutes or so hanging around until the start at 7am. But before that the pros were going to be setting off at 6:30am. The boom of the cannon is a spine-tingling moment and at that point you know it’s for real. When my time came I shuffled into the water and waited a few minutes until we were given the go. Bang!!
The swim was fairly straightforward and unspectacular. I improved on my time last year by about a minute. For the improvements I’ve seen in the pool though I would’ve hoped for quicker but at the end of the day it’s never going to be my strength. I’m glad I wasn’t slower. Got to the end without incident and into T1. Grabbed my bag and into the tent to get out of my wetsuit. All went smoothly. Out to my bike, helmet on, sunglasses for run in back pocket. Only option after forgetting to put them into my run bag. Grabbed the bike and go!
I felt it as soon as I hit the tarmac. My back tyre seemed very flat. I run tubeless on my bike but something was wrong. Jumped on anyway and cycled the first 500m or so and decided I needed to stop. Jumped off, took the CO2 canister and filled up the tyre. Seemed to solve the problem and I’d maybe lost a minute. On to more serious matters, cycling 180km.
The ride went well and I was determined to stick to the plan I’d discussed with my coach. Watched my power numbers closely. I knew that people coming by me were either stronger bikers or they were burning a lot of matches early on and would pay the price later. Nutrition went well and the timer set on my head unit reminded me to fuel every 20 minutes. Otherwise the only other time I stopped was for a quick comfort break. Made sure to do it at the top of a small climb so Incouls get back up to speed quickly on the descent. Also gave another quick pump of the tyre just in case.
The highlight of the bike course is Solar Hill. I’d ridden it last year but getting their an hour earlier this time meant it was even more mental. Unless you’ve ridden in the Tour de France I don’t think you can ever experience anything comparable as an amateur. A channel a little over a metre opens up and the crowds swallow you. I know I had a smile on my face. Impossible not to. The second time around the crowd had thinned but it was still a spectacle. The other highlight for me was unexpectedly seeing my family cheering me on at the 165km mark. I’d thought I’d only see them on the run. Seeing my kids’ faces gave me the extra incentive and power to get to the end. I got into T2 around 20 minutes quicker than 2017 and feeling good. Picked up my bag and into the changing tent.
I made sure to put plenty of cream on my feet to ward off any potential blisters and then it was go. The simple task of running 42.2km was all I had to do.
Last year I made the mistake of setting off too quickly and by 12km I had to start doing a walk/run to allow myself some sort of recovery. This time I was determined to not make the same mistake. I therefore set off at what I felt was a much more manageable pace and so it proved. Well over half of the run course is along the canal and whilst this is a little mind-numbing, it gives a consistent surface and finding a rhythm was relatively easy. I saw the family again a couple of times along the canal and this gave me another lift.
I kept on moving for about the first 20km and then only slowed to a brisk walking pace through the aid stations to make sure I got water and anything else I wanted. My paces had slowed a touch by this point but I was moving well and passing a lot of people who were walking already. The biggest challenge on the run course comes inside the final 7km. A shallow but seemingly never ending climb up to Büchenbach. I knew the course so it wasn’t a surprise but still something which needed to be done. Kept the pace steady on the way up and at the final turn around point I knew I had it in the bag. I was in the home stretch.
The finish at Roth is also something special. Arriving in the amphitheater, doing a loop and then under the famous arch. I was considerably less emotional this time but no less relieved. Almost everything had gone to plan and when I checked my watch I saw that I’d finished nearly 30 mins ahead of my previous time. Time to get showered, eat and meet up with the family. My goal for the year had been achieved. The only other thing to do was to join in the festivities at the finishline party later in the evening. I’ve already waffled on long enough so won’t bore with the details but again it is another great part of what makes Roth one of the must-dos on the triathlon bucket list.
The final thing to do is to thank my family for their support, in the preparation and on the day. Also thanks to my coaches at My Sport for the training and advice. Compliments to Mountain Fuel for creating great products for endurance athletes. No stomach problems and plenty of energy in the tank. Also a big congrats to everybody else who competed and completed.
Will I be giving Roth another try? Definitely. Will it be in 2019? No. I’ve just missed the registration. I need to take some time to think about what and where. One thing’s for sure though. It’ll need to be something special to get anywhere near to the Roth experience.
whytri.ch 