Ironman Wales through the eyes of first time Ironman Steph Waring

After weeks of increasingly sleepless nights, the big day had arrived. An early start to get the breakfast and nutrition started, before meeting up with the other Aces and their supporters and head up to the transition area.

Once in transition, the bike was checked for the last time, the nerves disappeared and it all felt surreal looking around to see myself surrounded by hundreds of bodies wriggling into black neoprene.

Then it was finally time to leave transition and walk through town, with the shouts of encouragement getting louder the closer the beach got, down the zig zags and onto the sandy start line.

The national anthem was sung, loud and proud. It was at this moment that I thought, wow, all those videos I’d seen on social media of just this moment, which had given me goosebumps as I’d watch them, and here I was, part of the iconic moment!

We were all blessed with great sea conditions and the swim was lovely. The run through town to T1 was just incredible, seeing lots of people (especially my family and friends wearing their supporters t-shirts) and just hearing the shouts of support, just awesome!

Heading out on the bike and experiencing all those shouts once again, the smiling just continued and with a wave to the kids and Gary, it was out of town and settling into the long bike portion.

It was unbelievable just how many people came out to support all the athletes and there were people literally everywhere, popping up even in random country lanes, sitting outside cottage gates and setting up their camp-chairs in the hedgerows!

There were so many children, too, who who had made signs, were clapping and cheering like crazy, and it was wonderful to think they were (hopefully!) being inspired by what they were seeing and would be encouraged to be physically active, if they weren’t already.

With a bit of banter with some of the other athletes on the course, the hours on the bike just seemed to fly by and before I knew it, Wiseman’s Bridge had been conquered for the second time and it was on to Saundersfoot.

The crowds on Heartbreak Hill and up Broadfield were totally beyond what I had expected and I honestly would have ridden up there all day long to just experience all the cheers, the drums, the atmosphere was just epic!

The number of people who had made the effort to dress up in fancy dress was fantastic; the Grim Reapers were one of my favourites, they were brilliant - stepping off the kerb slightly as you approached with dead-pan faces. When I laughingly said “no it’s ok, I don’t need you.” the guy simply stepped back onto the pavement, nothing said and not a facial muscle moved. It was hilarious!

Coming back along New Hedges bypass, heading down Broadwell Hayes and waving madly as I passed my little band of supporters again, my smile was growing bigger and bigger as I headed down to the deafening noise awaiting us all on The Green.

It was with relief and joy that I then turned left to go back up into town, thanking my lucky stars to Heaven and beyond that I had got round with no mechanicals, no issues and had thoroughly enjoyed every minute on the bike.

With an unexpected chat and more words of encouragement in T2 from Aces member, the lovely Mr. John Hubbard, it was now time to run. Would my legs hold out? Running after 112 miles on the bike, this was all very new territory.

Again, the crowds as I left transition and started to head through town were just epic and now I was running, rather than riding, there was time to see the faces of the voices shouting encouragement, which was really nice.

Going up Narberth Road for the first time was hard and I did think to myself ‘Oh no, I’ve got to do this 4 times!’, but that thought was quickly swept away with the weight of the positive words of support of the crowd, and seeing Teaghan and Eddie for a quick (sweaty!) kiss at the bottom of Upper Hill Park gave my legs another lease of life and I was off, New Hedges and my first arm band, here I come!

And so it continued for the whole marathon, the crowds sweeping me along on a tide of noise, encouragement and support, which kept me smiling pretty much the whole time. The run route was brilliant as it meant you could see lots of other runners doing their run, no matter what lap they were on, so you could have a quick word as you passed people going in the opposite direction, and seeing other Aces members was a real boost.

Before I knew it, it was the last lap and I was heading back into town to finish. It was kind of bittersweet as I knew the day that I had trained so hard for, for so long, was about to come to an end.

Running down the red carpet was again one of those surreal moments and even now, seems like it happened to someone else. Being able to see the kids, Gary, friends and family there, cheering like crazy and smiling as broadly as me as I high-fived them, was something so so special.

Going under the iconic Ironman gantry with arms held aloft, receiving the coveted medal from the Mayor and knowing I was an Ironman, wow, it just blew me away, the exhilaration and total delight that were bubbling out of me now that Ironman medal was hanging from my neck! It made all those many months of early morning/late night training sessions, weekends spent missing out on family time and all the sweat, determination and sore muscles, worth it.

I had set out on my Ironman journey late last year with the aim of embracing the challenge, relishing the hard training sessions to get fitter, stronger and better. I wanted my kids to be able to see what can happen when you work to achieve your goals and be proud of me for what I was doing. I think they are!

I wanted to inspire them to follow their dreams - believe and achieve!

I have to say the biggest ever thank you my family for being just the best support crew in the world: I couldn’t have done the training without them, so couldn’t have enjoyed the day as much as I did. It was a team effort and they earnt that Ironman medal just as much as I did!

Huge thanks must also go to all the Tenby Aces club members who gave me advice, support and pushed me to improve; there are just too many people to mention, but you know who you are!

I am also very grateful indeed to all the people who stayed out all day to support us athletes. I know it’s a long, long day and sore feet and hands are often the result! To all the very many volunteers, too, without you guys, the day couldn’t happen and so we all owe you a massive round of applause for your time and efforts.

Finally, to anyone thinking of entering Ironman Wales 2017, if you can dedicate the time needed to train, I would say it would be one of the best days you will ever experience. It’s a long and hard journey to get to the start line, but well worth it. I actually had sore cheek muscles the next day from smiling so much the whole day long. That’s how Ace it was!

Dale 10k and Half Marathon

Pembrokeshire Half Marathon and 10k, based at the beautiful location of Dale, were held last weekend, organised by Pembrokeshire Triathlon Club. The races cater for serious and fun runners alike. Both races are on country roads and take in some fantastic coastal and rural views.

We had two members taking part in this event, with Melanie Morgan competing in the 10k event and her husband Neil taking on the half marathon distance; Neil moved up from taking on the 10k last year.

Mel completed the course in 49:21 and was fourth veteran and 28th overall and Neil completed the half marathon in a time of 1:41, coming over the line as sixth veteran and 22nd overall. Well done to both.

Activities for the coming week

Friday, September 30 - Slacky’s Swim Session for those booked in. Tenby Leisure Centre at 7 pm.

Sunday, October 2 - Club Ride, meet at Tenby Leisure Centre at 8 am.

Wednesday, October 5 - Aces Run Session, meet at Tenby Leisure Centre at 6.30 pm.

Thursday, October 6 - Club Ride, meet at Tenby Leisure Centre at 6 pm.