Back to Kielder for the Norhumbrian Iron Man

Train4 Body&Mind returned to Kielder this weekend as Mario competed in the Northumbrian Iron Man 70.3.

We stayed at the same campsite as always in Kielder, the Kielder campsite. This time the weather was slightly warmer, so we stayed in our tent. Our friend Steve was there and as always, he welcomed us in the best way. It was nice to see him again!

We had a relaxed evening to ensure Mario was rested and had plenty of energy for his challenge. We had rice and chicken, and Mario had a pastry and a granola bar for dessert (this followed the rigorous carb-loading phase that Mario takes so diligently. He had been chugging doughnuts and biscuits the day before the race, too!).

The race started at 6.15 am, not early enough as all the midges had already done the swim leg and were in the transition area.

The swim leg took place in Kielder water. Apart from a few interchanges of slapping with fellow competitors, it went well. The water was relatively calm, and the wind low. This positively impacted the time, as the estimated time was cut down by 10 minutes!

The transition from swimming to bike took longer than expected as it is still a new discipline. The bike course was excellent, with undulating terrain and great views. The beautiful bike route occurred between England and Scotland in the Northumbria area. The weather was rather adverse in the first part, with strong winds and rain, although it did calm down towards the end. The course nutrition was great, Maurten provided excellent products, and he stayed on top of his food for the whole bike leg, as practised during his training.

The bike-2-run transition went smoothly. The run was in the Bull Crag (Part of the Kielder Marathon forest). Mario did great during the run and arrived fresh, feeling strong. Knowing this was his strong leg, he still had plenty of adrenaline. He passed many competitors and pushed a strong pace for the whole run, only to slow down on the last uphill, where he was pushing to the limit.

Mario managed his energy throughout the challenge, allowing him to put in more effort toward the end. He found that many people struggled during the run, either for trying too hard on the bike or not getting their nutrition right.

Mario made it to the finish line over an hour earlier than expected! Train4 Body&Mind was so proud of his performance as well as how well he did during his training.

Meanwhile, Irene was trying to survive the horrible midges invasion. We have never seen anything similar!!