Sunshine coast half ironman is nice quick bike course but in the hot conditions on the run with little cover is to make sure hydrate and salt tablets
Sunshine Coast race itself is in amazing location. A real seaside type town vibe that is a must for any triathletes in Australia – well worth adding to the bucket list. For scenery and to get a PB I would pick it over Port Macquarie half ironman which I did a few months earlier.
The weather was epic for the weekend. It was a great city for a weekend with lots of amenities and breath-taking views of whales migrating up the coast which was a pleasant distraction on Saturday.
Our accommodation was by the sea with spectacular views of the migrating whales.
Sunshine Coast 70.3 Race Day
The transition was a good size and easy to navigate. The swim course was straight forward and little areas to go off track. I saw a gold cap and stuck to their feet for most of it. I was really happy to PB in the water getting it done in 37mins with 2min kms followed by
The bike course is 2 laps that goes out and back on the freeway, making it pretty quick, where I got another PB on the bike at 2.39mins. It seemed like nutrition with tailwind worked well on the bike using the new hydration kit on front.
The run course I got excited after my other 2 PBs so took off quickly with a plan to just go for it. That was silly. My first km was under 5min/km and I got a 10K PB (53:55).
The run course itself has a hill which you go up each side once per the lap twice. Which means you are finishing climbing it before a 1km to the finish line which felt like 3km.
The weather in Sunshine Coast was like a summers day which was a shock to the system since coming from wet cold rainy Perth coming end of winter. The course had very little to no shade and even though on the coast there wasn’t much sea breeze which made that run harder than it should of been.
Nearly Did Not Finish
Going out too quick was a huge mistake. At the time I was blaming the heat but the data doesn’t lie and starting on tempo pace killed me at the end. Last two kms was 7.17 and 7.24. Even after I got up the hill and just had run down to finish line in my head I had convinced myself that this was my worst ever 70.3 and pointless even finishing.
I couldn’t actually motivate myself but struggled over the line at 2.02 which is my second best run time. Great reminder of the mental battle these events can be.
I ended up in first aid tent mainly to get shade and some ice to cool down. They measured my temperature at 39.7 degrees which was slightly alarming but came down gradually. The staff were really helpful even helping me look up my race time (which I didn’t believe) and had some cold chocolate milk was amazing.
Overall still a 20min PB and sub 5.30 which was the goal so have to be happy.
Ironman Facilities & Setup
There was a serious lack of toilets in the morning of the race with huge queues which wasn’t great. The Ironman finish line setup was disappointing with no marque or sort of tents with some shade and recovery nutrition. Lots of watermelon but that’s a bout it. For $750 registration fee, you would expect a small bit more.
Atmosphere wise, it wasn’t great. The bike route on freeway gave little places for spectators but when you came through town there wasn’t many people out on the streets. The same with the run, very little atmosphere besides the people at the aid stations. Even the triathlon club area seemed small and quiet. Such a difference compared to Port Macquarie 70.3 or Busselton.
Not sure if that’s because this was just a 70.3 event not paired with an Ironman full distance but they charge the same so expected a similar type of event. Supposed will see if its common when go to other just 70.3 events.
Happy I did it with friends and got a PB but due to poor facilities and lack of atmosphere wouldn’t be rushing back there just for the race. Next up full Ironman in 10 weeks in Busselton where I hope to get sub 12 hours and have a proper paced run.