I finally found the time to recover and document my thoughts on the Marseille olympic triathlon organized by the WTC Ironman organization in late July, so here goes…

This was hands-down the toughest triathlon I’ve ever raced. Strong, gale-force winds wreaked havoc with the swim course, rendering high waves and low visibility. Not to mention the sparsely-patrolled bay which allowed a large group to accidentally pull off and u-turn at the mid-point, causing several near-miss head-on collisions. In brief, survival mode. On the plus side, the water temperature was wonderful, and thankfully the jellyfish were absent.

The bike course made me hanker to return to the swim. The winds seemed to be directly head-on during the climbs and tailing – or worse, gusting – during the descents, the most challenging combination for whimps like me. Oh and those climbs… brutally steep ! Perhaps the most nefarious effect of the wind was its ability to conceal the impact of the sweltering Marseille July sun.

This last point reared its ugly head on the run segment, where a number of dehydrated casualties resulted in an active paramedic crew. I swallowed my pride and over-hydrated at the aid stations, giving me my slowest pace on record overall but allowing me to finish intact and with dignity. The absolute highlight was racing alongside my two Ironman family members, an honor I look forward to repeating.