Paging @Matthew_Spooner 
Interesting that no females went sub-9, though 
I know it’s just an AG race, but still.
Some of the M40-44 times are utterly bonkers, too.
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Same with M35 - the top 7 all came in under 9, the winner was 8:19 FFS!
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Tailwind and crowd 
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The course must be downhill
Seems like an AG arms race - all the units must target it!
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What arms? 
Who has the most noodle/pipe cleaner ones versus legs the size of a Redwood
It’ll be the next BCN soon.
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This is why it was recommended to Spooner by me - fast course but no rep for drafting. Don’t want to influence the race reports but it’s a key thing Im looking out for.
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The course has a lot going for it:
Lagoon swim,
Seemingly rapid bike course
And a flat run course.
Plus Copenhagen is a fantastic city to visit
Seems like a winner, looking forward to the war stories
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Assuming it’s for this year Keith qualified ages ago. I think Andrew might get the chance, assuming he wants to go. Andrew was going to try at Majorca but was injured and had to defer
Neil also has a slot.
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Congrats to all that finished. Love this race. Obvs just a swim bike for me so it was great fun playing with everyone. Some good benchmarking gained to see where I need to be. I did rack my run gear, but I ended up running/limping through T1 so thought it’d be a bad idea to run off. Numbers weren’t crazy, all within the plan, just think it was a fast day out there.
Caught up with Paul Lunn and his partner Lou post race. What a lovely couple. Paul pulled up on the run with GI stuff.
If I can get my running/Achilles sorted, I think I can be podium potential. One more year in 50-54, then I’m outta there
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Sorry for the long post that’s incoming! Almost certainly too much detail
After doing Staffordshire 70.3 in 2018 and 2019, I made the decision to sign up for Ironman Copenhagen for 2020. Training had been going OK until Covid which saw the race get cancelled, which also happened to be around the same time I picked up a knee injury.
Over 1 year of inactivity followed as I gained weight and lost motivation. Personally, I found the pandemic difficult, living in a 1-bed flat in London wasn’t ideal. Thankfully, there was also the option to defer my 2021 entry, and I started to set my mind to the 2022 race.
I’d not ran a marathon before and I wanted to get this ticked off before my IM training plan started in January. After some google searches of ‘December marathons’ I found myself running the Malaga marathon, which was a stroke of luck as I absolutely loved the race there in the winter sun. 3:42 time
From January, I followed the Don Fink intermediate plan pretty religiously. I’d now moved into a house, lockdowns were over, I was feeling good and losing the weight I’d gained. The only thing I couldn’t maintain in the plan was the swim distance. 2500m for midweek swims was a challenge before work so I usually did 1500m
In June I did Ironman Westfriesland 70.3 in Holland and wrote about this in one of the other threads. It was a great event and a real confidence booster. It was the flattest course I’ve ever done (even after doing Copenhagen!) and I got my 70.3 PB, 5:18
Training continued going pretty smoothly and I went into this weekend feeling confident and well prepared. My main aim going into the race was to finish without completely blowing up, and I thought if things went smoothly then I should sneak in under 12 hours so I also had this goal in the back of my mind.
I was very nervous on Saturday, but felt extremely lucky to have my fiancée, my parents and a close friend all make the effort to come and support me. This helped to calm the nerves.
2 to 3 hours sleep and I was ready to go. I stayed at the CPH Studio hotel, just a short walk from swim start. It was a lovely morning and the lagoon looked calm.
Swim:
It was a rolling start and I’d seeded myself at around 1:15 - 1:20. The course was fantastic, such calm waters and a big single loop. The only slight negative was the seaweed at one end of the course which was getting on my face and at one point got stuck in my goggles but no major dramas.
I stayed steady the whole loop and felt great as I exited in 1:16. Exactly like my training swims, 2:00/100m.
Bike:
Uneventful T1 and I got started on the bike. The first 10km wasn’t the best as I worked my way out of the city. Lots of turns and changes in road surface. It was worth it though, as soon I hit the wide coastal road heading north and it was spectacular. Flat and fast with great views.
I don’t have a power meter and usually go off heart rate alone. I stayed steady in Z2 which was my plan for the whole ride, hoping to average a little over 30km/hr to squeeze in under 6 hours. The course was fast though, and I was averaging closer to 32km/hr through the first loop.
Geel’s bakke hill (not really a big hill!) was awesome, with lots of people lining the roads. I can’t imagine it’s anywhere close to Roth or Wales, but it still felt awesome.
Unfortunately on lap 2 my front derailleur started acted up and was struggling moving between cogs. Frustrating as I’d had the bike serviced (I’m not the best mechanic!) and everything seemed OK pre-race. Twice I had to get off the bike and put my chain back on which was annoying, but it could have been a lot worse (my nerves before the race had all been about bike mechanicals ruining my race).
Eventually decided to stop changing gears on the front which was easier on this course than others!
Re. drafting. Only twice did I have a moto come past and monitor the drafting. I was surprised, as in Holland 70.3 the motos were a constant presence. This may be because I wasn’t at the pointy end of the race. I did see a few mini draft packs of 2 or 3 people but nothing ridiculous and most people seemed to be following the rules.
5:44 bike split for me, I’d beaten my 6 hour target and I felt great heading into T2.
Run:
Handing over my bike to the bike catcher I felt huge relief. The sun was out and temperature about 24. I took my time in T2 and took a moment to mentally prepare myself for the marathon. I reminded myself of the main aim which was to finish. I usually run myself into a hole in triathlons and I didn’t want to do that here, I couldn’t risk a DNF.
I left T2 with a big grin on my face. The run course was so well supported and I felt good. I probably got a bit too carried away and my first splits were sub 5min/km pace. Too fast. My mental preparation in T2 clearly hadn’t worked!
I soon slowed down and found my rhythm. I made the decision to walk the aid stations to ensure I got my nutrition right, and also to walk the mini gradients as I was seeing others cramp on these. More conservative than I’ve ever been before, but I was laser focused on avoiding a blow-up.
One negative of the day was that one of the main aid stations ran out of cups, sponges and gels relatively early into the run. Pretty annoying and would’ve messed up some nutrition plans I’m sure.
Overall though, I loved the run course (despite the cobbles) and I enjoyed my time getting round. Even on my fourth and final lap I stuck to the task at hand, walking the aid stations and making sure I got home safely where my support team would be waiting.
Approaching the finish line I felt amazing. So many hours went into the training and I felt pride at how well I’d stuck to the plan. The finish line experience was great and I’d finally become an Ironman.
A 4:06 marathon gave me a total time of 11:21. I was buzzing to smash my target of going under 12 hours. Overall it was a great experience and a brilliant course.
Yesterday as I made my way around Copenhagen doing the tourist things in the sun, I did start to dwell on how I’d approached the race and whether I should have gone for sub-11. I think it was achievable. I lost time with the derailleur/chain issues, spent 13 mins overall in transition, and took a conservative approach on the run. I got that nagging feeling that I could’ve done better, but after a few beers last night this soon washed away and I’m left feeling really satisfied about how it went.
Maybe I’ll do another Ironman in the future and I can target sub-11 then. But for now I need to plan a wedding and catch up on all the socialising I’ve missed the last few months!
Thanks again for the msgs of support. I’m not a regular poster here but am an active reader and really enjoy the forum.
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Fantastic stuff mate. It was pretty toastie for you guys on the run. I was sweating just drinking my beer and watching you. Wear that medal with pride, well earned!!
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Sounds like a brilliantly executed race to me buddy. Well done. I know it’s easy to do so, but I wouldn’t dwell on what ifs after a race like that. Instead, take them as easy targets when you do your next one.
I’d say the mechanicals can be subtracted for free. Easily take a chunk out of the transitions without feeling rushed or stressy. But the disciplined run probably helped you in the long run (pun intended). I did the same at my first (only) at Wales. And I think that grim discipline is what got me through the run despite GI issues.
Then you can start working on improving the other elemtns bit by bit. If you want to of course!
Good write up though, and sounds like a great race!
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Great write up and congratulations 
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Top write up and well done on a well executed race.
Sounds like you’re already planning for the next one
Get some beers down you and enjoy your achievement!
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Great write-up! Almost enough to tempt me into doing something really stupid 
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do it!
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Excellent write up and fantastic execution. ‘Doing better’ is something to consider next time. You beat your target by a long way, that’s the take away. Most people just want to finish and you did more than than that.
You might have run faster had you not worn bowling shoes though!
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Well done and a great report, frustrating about the mech issues. Better to go steadier on your first race than have a bad experience and not want to do another. Sub 11 sounds very possible.
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Superb! Well done!
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