Triathlon
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Ironman Italy Emilia-Romagna 20.09.2025
Cervia welcomed me on Wednesday. Bike built, bags unpacked, and already the nerves buzzing. Thursday kicked off with a wetsuit swim in the Adriatic, just to taste what was coming. A quick recon spin on the bike, registration, and then straight into the sacred ritual: carb loading. Friday was calm, a short 25min shakeout run, lunch with a friend, bike check-in, early dinner, and bed by 8pm. I knew what was waiting.
Race morning: 3:45am alarm, toast with honey (my go-to), and down to transition with bottles and gels in hand. Then the announcement wetsuit legal at 24°C. Relief. One less demon to wrestle with.
The swim was almost too comfortable. I glided along, calm and controlled, clocking 1:20. should have pushed harder to finish in my planned 1:15. Anyway…
But Ironman doesn’t let you off easy. In T1 my legs locked up, cramps had me stretching in the tent for what felt like an eternity (6–8 minutes). I stumbled onto the bike praying they’d release. And slowly, mercifully, they did. Power came back, the rhythm returned, and I pushed through 180km in just under 5 hours on a flat course with two shorter climbs.Then the marathon. Oh, the marathon. The first 2k felt fine until the side stitches hit like a punch, forcing me to walk. Heat rising, 28°C burning the asphalt, every aid station became an oasis. I clawed my way back into running slower than I’d hoped, but moving forward. Every kilometer was a negotiation with the body: cramps whispering, legs heavy, mind screaming “quit.” But step by step, aid station to aid station, I kept going. Somehow, I found enough left to close it out with a 3:38 marathon.
Final time: 10:18.
It hurt, badly. But that’s the Ironman deal: you bargain with suffering, and if you hold up your end, the finish line repays you. Very happy, very humbled. A full Ironman is truly a different beast.
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@Dmart great write up and fantastic effort to push through all the difficulty. you must be very pleased. when's the next one?
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I did my first ever Ironman in Copenhagen a little over a month ago. Surprised how well the swim and bike went, but the run humbled me
From km 13 and forward I felt like throwing up, and after 3 visits to inspect the porta potty's it was hard to keep the pace up.
Super pleased to finish in 9:48 though.
IG steffhpedersen
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Your face says it all, so many facets to what you accomplished, that smile is all yours for your determination and resolve. Congratulations.
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@Dmart I work at SRAM as the Zipp Brand Manager, and this is always a big event for Zipp. We'll be in the expo showing off some sick bikes and doing an activation with one of our athletes, Skye Moench. Also hopefully sipping some drinks with umbrellas in them and catching some sun haha. Sneaking in a few bike rides as well.
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@Dmart i’ll make sure to share some photos from the big island!
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@Perpetual_beta Not even close
The guy that qualified from my age group (35-39) did 8:36:05IG steffhpedersen
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@XPender TImes have gotten so insanely fast. That time would have been top 3 overall way back when I raced.
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@Dmart That was the winning time for NZ in 91. Most of us ran a good part of the swim. The organizers had not paid attention to the tidal schedule. Those were the days... You also needed a physician's attestation that you are in good health to start.
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@Perpetual_beta The physical attestation is still required for most of the Ironman events, at least I needed them for the last events. But yes, times are going through the roof now and even on the long distances, athletes are getting younger and younger.
