"This Ain't no stinkin' Ironman!!"

My Race report written by Eddie Ette:

Steve and Clare arrived Lanzarote Thursday night, to stay one week and during that week be the first people to do the new Lanzarote Ultra. Steve intended to start the ultra on Friday in the pm.
It was great to see them on the island and hoped the weather would be ok for the start. The weather had been quite wet and windy and did not to look to change for a few days.



Friday came and by mid day with the weather the way it was it was decided to postpone the Ultra start until the next day. On Saturday it was decided to start that evening. The event started from the villa with a 45 mile run through the night. The plan was to be fit to swim from around the first light the Sunday morning which at this time of year is was about 7.30 am this was to ensure you did not swim into the night. Steve was the control and pace maker during the run for Claire and me. The plan he had was to walk the up hills and run the flats and down hills for 1hr 50 at a pace of around 11min miles then rest for 10mins and repeat that until finish.

The pace was picked because that suited both Claire and I. The Ultra run course is a variety of flats and climbs with stunning views over the sea and volcanoes, all on tarmac and paved paths. The run went really well, the weather was kind not to windy and no rain. Steve mentioned late into the run about a knee problem that had been bothering him for a while and Claire had a few blisters that were letting her know they were there. Both as expected carried on without complaint. The run finished back at the villa after 11hrs and 58mins with the swim and bike still to do.



Claire and I both knew that the swim would be the most difficult due to tiredness after the run and cold eating into the body core. Steve seemed optimistic and not phased at all. He had his mind prepped for a 6 or 7 hour swim. Myself I had given it no real thought until we all sat down and talked through the swim plan. I then had serious doubts and was really worried that the time in the water would be too much for me. Just before the planned time to leave the house to go to swim start Steve told me that Claire had decided not to swim.

It was cloudy and there was rain in the air and to be honest I new inside I had little chance to complete the swim myself as I get cold in the water, I need to have done some specific training for a swim of this length. We all drove from the villa to the swim start. Steve was his usual self showing no signs of the apprehension he must have been feeling.

Steve and I entered the water in torrential rain. I went to the water with no positive thoughts of finishing and after a lap got out. Steve very understanding continued and was strong. The weather continued with all the seasons coming and going in a day. Steve was averaging about 25mins a lap over the swim course and coming onto feed on high 5 and the odd hot drink with a treat. The weather kept changing but Steve remained positive and on top of it all, he mentioned one time it was slow going due to tide on one part of the course and only once said he was cold. After 6hrs and 41mins of swimming, Steve came into the finish looking strong and with a big smile on his face.

Great work. With only the bike left to do all the pressure was off. Steve changed and we went back to the house to eat and have a short rest before the bike start. The bike started from the villa 5 hours later and headed straight to the Fire mountains. The weather was cold and windy and dark. I was hoping the rain would stay away but as we headed to the north of Lanzarote you knew it is going to rain very soon.

Steve cycled a pace that suited the conditions. The wind was so strong at times that you had to work down hill and there was no let up. The first of the rain came as we arrived at Tinajo. When the rain comes it is very strong but not for long periods as the wind blows it over quickly, but if you get caught without cover it was more than enough to soak you to the skin and get you very cold due to wind chill.

So far we had been lucky as we managed to get Steve out the weather when it rained. Steve had shown little to no signs of tiredness until we hit the hills after Teguise. The weather had clagged in and was wet due to low cloud and light showers. Steve just kept going with shot stops when needed. The cold wind and wet started to get into Steve’s tired body and he started to show warning signs, he was visibly shaking for periods and had slowed down. It was decided to take stops more often and as soon as requested, to stop for as long as needed to feed, warm up and keep safe.

I have lived on Lanzarote for many years and only on very few occasions seen the weather that bad and to be I was sure no one else would be out cycling in it. Steve though cold and very tired kept his spirits high. I remember at one time laughing with him about the fact we delayed the event start 24hrs to miss getting wet!

Also at one stage when we thought the weather could get no worse we shouted full voice into the wind ‘ Is that all you got bring it on’ big mistake because what came later was horrible. We had planned to take a big stop with hot food at the Miradore then turn to head back to finish, but the weather was so bad we got off the mountain as quickly as possible. We made a stop for hot food at Arrietta but that turned out bad as the wind was so strong and the rain was getting into everywhere. The cooker could not heat up the food. So we moved on again.

After a few stops more to rest and escape some showers we started to approach the finish of the bike and event.
In the region of La Geria the rain became more persistent and it was decided after getting in and out of the support vehicle a few times and as there was only 12miles or so to finish, the wind now on his back, to try to keep going. Steve got back on the bike stormed the last miles and finished at the villa just before daylight on Monday morning.
A really tough bike on a good day and a monster bike on a day only half as bad as we had just seen. A quick change into dry clothes and a short chat around the kitchen table a happy tired Enduroman went to his bed.

A tip to anyone wishing to attempt this event, be prepared.


Claire's race report written by me:

Claire's plan, was to fly out on the Thursday and race 2 days after, leaving 4 days afterwards to rest and have a holiday. The weather had been grim for the previous few weeks and the race day forecast was no better so Claire made a decision to delay the start by a day.

It was Claire's first trip to Lanzarote which ended in a unforgettable rollacoaster of emotions and memories. The run course is nothing short of breathtaking. It starts with a lap through the lava fields and up through the volcanoes that overlook El Golfo. It then follows the old road down towards Playa Blanca, around the red mountain, along the 9km Playa Blanca prom, up the Femes mountains, past the Enduroman villa in Las Brenas and back around the El Golfo loop in the opposite direction.

Claire started her 45 mile run on Saturday 12th December. She picked up some nasty blisters and a foot injury caused by changing her running technique to compensate for these blisters. This was the longest ultra distance race that Claire had attempted, and it was chosen as an Arch to Arc stepping stone (which she attempts in July 2009), so the pace of the run was that similar to the pace that she wanted to run the A2A at. Claire cruised around the run course in just under 12 hours.

To protect the safety of the athlete and the integrity of the event both T1 and T2 was restricted to between 2 and 5 hours. During this time Claire decided that her mind was 'in the wrong place' and that she would not continue with the race. Over the next 24hrs Claire showed great strength of character and said that she wanted race again before she returned to the UK. After several phone calls to a very understanding family concerning child care, Claire decided that she would start the run again at midday on Thursday 18th December.

The run went to plan once again, and apart from the blister problems, Claire showed no sign of the fact that she had run 45 miles only 4 days previously. She completed the run in 14 hours and 20mins (not before slipping off the road into a lava field gaining a few nasty stratches). Claire was capable of running a faster time however she tactically timed the finish of the run so that she could take the full recovery in T1 before starting the swim at sunrise at 7.30am



Claire's attitude was completed different this time, but she was still very apprehensive about the mammoth swim that lay ahead as we sat in the Endurovan waiting for the sun to rise at Blaya Blanca beach. Claire started the swim at 7.20am and I provided support and feeds from the canoe. Claire really struggles with the cold but she showed no signs of this for the first half of the 11 mile swim clocking 3hrs 30mins at the half way point.

Without any warning, the weather started to turn, and Atlantic waves started to throw Claire around and I also had problems trying not to capsize the canoe. Claire stopped once to comment on the chop but just carried on as normal. I decided to canoe to shore to make the next feed on dry lind and I was told by the beach life guard that if the conditions got any worse, he would suggest stopping the event. This would have been a nightmare for Claire after showing such determination to attempt the swim for a second time.



I quickly worked out the mileage Claire still had to cover, sprinted back to the car to collect the garmin and canoed around a one third of a mile course in the next bay which offered not much, but a little more protection. Initially Claire looked please to get out and walk around the bay to the new course, however she didn't look that happy after swimming for nearly 4 hours when I told he she had to help me carry the canoe and all the bags!

The conditions in the new course was still worse than when I swam there a few days ago and the added mental torture of Claire having already completed 6 of a 12 lap course, then me explaining that she now had 17 laps to do didn't help matters but Claire just swam and didn't complain. It was obvious that Claire was now really suffering from the cold, I was already concerned that she had only consumed 500ml of sports drink in the first 6 hours of the swim, but now she was shivering so uncontrollably that she couldn't drink any hot tea as the drink just spilt into the ocean. This didn't help her core temperature and she seemed very distant during her feeds.

One thing was very apparent though, she never slowed down and her cadence remained high and constant. With about 4 miles to go, its was very clear that there was nothing that was going to stop Claire from finishing the swim. She became more focused and determined as the swim went on. Sometimes she would just swim straight past the feed station and at one point just shouted 'I'm not going to stop, I just want to finish this thing now'.



After just short of 10 hours swimming in rough conditions and water temperatures below 18 degrees, Claire emerged from the water with a big smile on her face. There was still the small matter of a bike to do though. All of Claire's worries about the wind and the hills of Lanzarote proved unjustified, as she flew up the mountains as if they weren't there. The wind was growing stronger. My heart missed a beat a few times, especially on the climb up the Miradore Del Rio as the wind gusts were visibly forcing Claire's bike towards the edge of the road, which was a 1000ft drop straight down into the Atlantic Ocean.

It was all downhill from here though, and apart from a short power snooze in the Endurovan at about the 7hr point Claire cruised back to the Enduroman villa finishing in a time of 44hrs and 17mins. Claire's performance was outstanding. To overturn the events of a few days previously and to run, swim and bike with such determination and conviction, Claire deserves all the praise and rewards that will come from this finishing this awesome and prestigious event. She has the qualities and guts that is needed to become the first Endurowoman next year.



Steve Haywood
Enduroman