At long last the Padre, Eugene Owen, has concluded his 12 month triathlon season which has included more mileage than a gonzo journalist in a cadillac on route 66. Half measures is not a phrase often used when speaking about the Padre. And the rumours that his spine and knee joints are reinforced with carbon fibres have not as yet been proved. Or disproved.

I was not going to do a race report on IMUK as I'd done several reports in the last 6 months, and was leaving it to the 2 debutantes who became Ironmen in such emphatic style on 20 Aug. But their excellent race reports inspired me one last time to bore you with my own version. Apologies in advance. And for me to get closure on a long season probably packed with too many long races.

When Dawie was buying his 1st bike I was getting ready for my triple header in SA which included my IM debut on a stormy day at IMSA. Six months later I was finishing off my season with him, doing my 2nd IM race, this time on a windy day in the Dorset hills. A far cry from the Alps I visited a month before, but a beautiful place packed with .....well let's call them "undulations".

My preparation for this race was very different to that for IMSA and I had a lot of doubts. Not whether I could do it - I think you only have those once and that's on debut, but just what the day would bring me and if this was one race too many, much like my NY marathon the year before... For IMSA I'd run a lot of mileage in training (more for Two Oceans 4 weeks later but none the less I ran them) and biked exclusively on the turbo trainer bar the one ride outside each week. No racing - it was off season in the UK and middle of winter.

IMUK was preceded by a very hot summer with lots of riding outside (yet not as structured and focussed as the indoor Spinerval sessions), and way too many races. But very little running was done in training as I was nursing a quad strain all season picked up in May.. My wife was in the early stages of pregnancy with severe nausea and I had to cut back totally on the early morning training to look after our daughter for a few extra hours. Then the Etape smashed my legs and I was wondering whether that would come back to haunt me on that windy day in Sherborne. Everyone has doubts and I also had mine.

But in the end all that got me was the Diet Coke on an otherwise almost perfect race day...

Nigel saved me from camping in the mud when my accommodation fell through last minute, and we travelled together to the race on Saturday morning. The old man (naturally) had doubts and was faffing a lot, and even brought with a life-saving personal assistant in the form of Mark Pattison. In my mind, however, there was no doubt that he was about to embark on an amazing IM debut.

Race morning was uneventful as we swam the 200m through the lillypads to the startline. "Just get me to my bike", was my silent prayer as the gun went - 2 laps of 1.9kms, almost dead straight swimming with 1200 others. Knocked a few elbows time to time but else uneventful by mass start standards, and I got out in 1:10. Mmmm... I thought, maybe a short swim but who cares, much better than expected and my race starts now. I knew my 2 SAUK friends would be out in front of a non-swimmer like me, as I ran to T1 feeling good. Passed both their PAs (Mark & Kerry who were both amazing on race day) on route to my bike bag.

The bike was 3 loops and again mostly uneventful for me. Caught up to Dawie just before the 1st loop's turn and he was looking strong. A few words about how happy we were with our swims and then head down on the tribars. After the turn you come back into the wind and into the hills. Grind grind grind. Lap 2 - I dropped the pace slightly and concentrated on nutrition, and was also forced to make a stop when my chain came off on one of the many long uphill drags, jamming against the frame (Nigel that's why I like to stay in my 53!).

My legs were a little tender and I could feel the Etape's cramp damage from a month ago, but eventually this feeling went (or I forgot about it...) and on my last lap I felt awesome. Caught the old man on the turn for home and chatted a bit, before we each went our own way. I invited him to stick with me, but left it open for him to decide by passing and then not looking round. I've learnt in long races, not just IM, that when you feel good, you have to ride that wave, and if you have a bad patch, you ease off accordingly. Everyone feels good/bad at different times and you just have to go with how you feel. It's a long day packed with mind games.

Into T2 with a 5:39 bike split. The middle loop felt short without the stretch back to transition, and the clock probably read closer to 175k that 180k, but on a windy, hilly day I was happy with that. What I was even "happier" about was the feeling in my legs. Not total jelly like at IMSA and my energy levels felt "good".

A quick T2 and onto the run. Fairly flat initially before a long and steep grind of 1.5 miles to the turn, then down and loop round the back of Sherborne Castle to complete the 5 mile loop. In 40:42 - awesome (for me)!.... I needed a 4:04 marathon leaving T2 to break 11 and with that spilt this was doable. The stomach was a little tender (maybe overdid the eating in the last 10km of bike) so I stuck to "Coke" for the 1st 2 x 5 mile loops hoping it will settle.....it's early days. Nigel was not far behind looking very strong. At mile 8 I started slowing down. My legs were "fine" but I was feeling dizzy. "This is an IM just focus and run through it" I kept telling myself. By mile 9 I'm in trouble and by mile 10 I don't know who I am and why I'm there.

Nigel catches me and gives me a few jelly sweets. We walk to the aid station and I have my 1st gel of the run. I'm flushing hot-cold, feeling dizzy and like passing out. "Go on", I tell him, "there is nothing you can do for me I can't run with you - I'm in big trouble". He refuses at 1st but eventually relents when I assure him I'll come out of the slump - just not now. Meanwhile "DNF" is going through my head as I walk further, and if I was forced into a DNF I wanted to do so alone - not with a mate watching. "What is wrong with me?" I kept asking myself. Bonking is "normal" I have felt it many times before, but not like this. I was perfect and now I'm nowhere. My legs are fine but my mind is spaced out. The gels and/or sweets kick in just before mile 12 and I slowly come out of the trance. I start running again and can even hold some sort of decent pace, but I've lost the last 2 miles and a lot of time. Plus the damage is done the spaced out feeling never totally goes.... but it's bearable. On we go.

The steps up and down the footbridge to the 2nd part of the run course, and the windy stretch twice down the undulating A30, is agony, but uneventful again as I'm now in survival mode. The old man looking like a beast is about 1.5 miles ahead of me and I'm sort of keeping my distance feeling better every mile. I catch Dawie on his 1st voyage down the A30. Sub 11 ambitions have now faded with my spaced out brain and menopause flushes; my new mission is to help him as much as I can on his 1st lap. And it's company during a very dark time of the race. The next 8km passes "quickly" and I tell him to "Vasbyt" before heading for home at 24 miles while he does another lap. Over the footbridge I say thank you that I made it back there - when I crossed it the 1st time I was almost sure I was not returning on my own steam. People are still coming the other way to start the last 16 miles....I say a prayer for them.

Two strong last miles brought me home in 11:14:11. A PB from IMSA by 14 min on a course that is definitely more challenging, but a day when I had the chance to go sub 11 and blew it. Nutrition is important and in an IM it's the most important part. Delaying on the run until mile 10 to take your 1st gel is not a good move and almost brought me a DNF instead of a 2nd IM medal. Having one early on and maybe having to go to the loo for 4min as a result, would have been better than losing the plot totally for 2 miles. The fact that for some unexplained reason they were handing out DIET COLA as if it was real Coke probably caused my dramatic crash midway into the run to a large extent, but one has to take responsibility for your own race and not look for excuses. Lessons were learnt. Always read the label, even if it's under the table.

A massive thumbs up to Nigel for a superb 11:04 debut (me bonking and therefore him slowing, indirectly cost him sub 11, so sorry about that mate), and Dawie.... you showed a lot of guts (and/or insanity) entering this race, and a hell of lot of character while you were in a very dark place during the race. Congrats to both of you - I'm sure the future holds many more IM medals and definately faster times.

My season is pretty much over, and over for quite a while. I'll have to get into baby mode again and out of racing mode pretty quickly over the next few months.

Thanks to all of you for your support and esp. Keeto and Rob for your advice through a long season.

The 2006 season included the following highlights:

1. Cape Argus 108km Cycle
2. Ironman South Africa (debut)
3. Two Oceans 56km Ultra
4. Tour of Wessex 160km Cycle
5. UK Ironman 70.3
6. Etape du Tour 191km Cycle
7. London Olympic Tri
8. Ironman UK

'Till we race again.

Eugene