Tables of contents
East coast
To cut a long story short, this race was a blast. The result, the experience, and the adventure full of obstacles to get there, I found myself again, and I think I unlocked even more things within me! And to top it off, since it’s November, I have a mustache for Movember 😎 Doing an IRONMAN with a mustache makes it super special.
Two months after the half IRONMAN World Championships in Finland in Lahti, where I finally got good sensations, it was time to go for the A race of the season, the IRONMAN Florida. Two objectives here: validate the progress made in training by going under the 9-hour mark (now we’re talkingl), and secure a second qualification for the IRONMAN World Championships in Hawaii, scheduled for October 2024. This will give us time to prepare for the trip or plan another race if I fail to qualify. Still, some ambition going in, because I believe I have progressed well, and I think the hard work my coach Romain had me do is starting to pay off. I did three weeks with 21 hours of training per week, which surprisingly went well (probably because the coach and the athlete did their job well!).
Unfortunately, I was leaving for this destination without my wife and daughters because, you know, between the expenses, the time difference, school holidays, etc., it was a bit complicated. But I wasn’t alone, as my sister Emilie would make the trip with me! And because we are great sisters and brothers, we convinced our other sister Chloé to join us. In the end, it would be a family trip, even though our big sister Marie was still missing, but that’s for next time!
We all met at the Paris airport, and I realised my sisters had prepared a surprise. They prepared badges with our faces on them, announcing that they were my support team, and that we were the “Team OG.” So cool! We couldn’t count the number of people who stared at the badges intently throughout the trip (because we wore them everywhere 😂). I even had several people come up to me and ask if I was a professional athlete. The badges were really, really cool.
What a journey to PCB
Anyway, the first flight left almost 1 hour late, and we had a connection in Atlanta, with 2 hours to reach the other boarding gate. Sounds like a lot. Except when you arrive in the United States and have to go through customs, pick up your bike suitcase, give it back 100 metres away, go through hand luggage control again, and walk through half of the gigantic airport. We missed the connection by 5 minutes 😑
It’s almost 22:00 (local time), and here we are at the airline counter to see what we can do. In the end, we have to wait until the next day to take the first flight at 9:50. At least the airline was quite accommodating; since the delay was their fault, they paid for a night in the hotel of our choice. We also had 2 free meals each at the airport. Considering that the hotel we chose was almost €400 per night, we slept well! Not too stressed, just tired; the three of us were together, so it was okay.
Finally, we arrived in Panama City Beach, PCB as they say there, and the first surprise upon leaving the airport was that it was 9 degrees, and with the wind, it felt even colder.
It can be cold anywhere, even in Florida! In the end, the weather warmed up during the week. We arrived at our hotel, a 27-story building on the beach, impressive 😂 It isn’t the tourist season, so the building is quite empty, and we have all the facilities just for us: the huge outdoor pool (in case you’re bored with the ocean), the gym, the jacuzzi, the sauna, the cinema (yes, the cinema, with two films a day), and probably other things we didn’t see 😂 Well, after these travel adventures, the jacuzzi with a direct view of the sun setting over the ocean was very enjoyable.
Going back to the apartment, we even bumped into Arthur Horseau, whom I recognized immediately (he didn’t recognize me, despite our super badges!! 😂😂). It’s not often that you can meet an athlete of this calibre (he won the Embrunman and finished 6th in the IRONMAN World Championships in Nice this year) in an elevator. Plus, he’s super nice!
The final training sessions are done, the bike and body are good. On purpose, I eased off with my coach Romain to arrive fresh for the race, and I made the most of this rest to remove the traces of the journey.
I’ve also developed the habit in recent races of adjusting to the race wake-up time almost a week before, so my body gets used to going to bed and waking up early. It’s weird to go to bed at 8:30 pm to wake up at 5 am, but on the morning of the race, you’re happy when you’ve slept well! Check-in done, everything is ready for the race, and I still have a lot of fun with my sisters; it’s really cool to share such a special moment with them. Emilie took over my social medias; I think there has never been so much content in such a short time 😂
Race day
Race morning, a calm wake-up at 5 am, we are a 10-minute walk from the start, which is at 6:50 am. I had been stressing a lot (like really) the day before and during the first half of the night, until around 1:30 am when I thought to myself, “whatever happens tomorrow, you’ve done everything you could to prepare properly. If there’s an unexpected event, we’ll see at that moment. The ONLY thing you can do until the start is to sleep as well as possible.” Believe it or not, the stress vanished, and I fell asleep like a baby. The power of your mind.
We head to the race start, a brief video call with my wife a couple thousands of kilometres away for a final cheer on, it’s 14 degrees outside, so it’s okay! The temperature will rise to 26 in the afternoon, so great weather overall! I settle my bike, fill my transition bags, everything is in place, and I’m genuinely relaxed; it’s cool. We head to the start line; we have the American anthem sung a cappella, it’s very moving. Americans are really serious about the anthem; we felt like time had stopped, no one moved! Big hugs with my sisters (quite a few tears from me), the organisation puts some music on: Lose Yourself by Eminem. Big adrenaline rush, I tell myself that I’m not here for fun. Fair enough, I won’t make the same mistake as in Finland; I go to the very front in the starting line. ALL THE WAY TO THE FRONT. The pro men start at 6:40 am, the pro women at 6:45 am, and us at 6:50 am. So, I started at 6:50 am, not 51, at 50 because I finally took responsibility 😂
Swim
The swimming consists of 2 loops of 1900m, with an Australian exit on the sand, why not! The first loop goes very well, the water temperature was 23 degrees, so almost too warm with the wetsuit on, and the rising sun is splendid. I feel a bit of current, but there aren’t too many waves, so it’s quite easy to swim. There are thousands of small jellyfish in the water, it’s quite funny to pass my hand through them, it reminds me of jelly 😂 They don’t sting though, so no risk, but talking to other athletes after the race, I’m the only one who found it amusing. A quick run on the sand to start the second loop, with my sisters making more noise than the entire audience combined, impressive 😮
I completed the first loop in 28', right on time to redo a 56' swim like in Austria, right on track. I start the second loop, but this time with the whole crowd, because the other athletes haven’t yet started in the water. A bit tricky to keep the right pace in the middle of packs of swimmers who aren’t swimming as fast as me. I lose a bit of time on the second loop, and finished in 58 ‘51", a bit slower than planned but still well below what I could do before. Quite satisfied overall.
No time to wonder, I rush into the bike transition, still fueled by the cheers of my sisters, and with top-notch energy, I feel good. I put my helmet on, grab my nutrition, my lucky charm bracelet (always the same one made for me by Paola 💙), hop on the bike, and I set off for a 180 km ride of flat terrain.
Bike
Quite windy out there on the road, but it’s manageable, better than the previous days. For those who would say ‘it’s easy when it’s flat’, go outside and ride 180 km on flat terrain. The subtlety is that if you stop pedalling, there won’t be a downhill to maintain speed, so you have to pedal all the time, with zero break. And that can really hurt your legs. The same goes for the aero position on the aerobars; except for a few U-turns or stops at the aid stations, you stay in that position, and it’s truly exhausting. I rode all alone (literally all alone) until the first aid station at kilometre 50, without moving out from my aerobars, so about 1 hour and 15 minutes in the same position. I had sore trapezius muscles after the race 😂
Anyway, it’s going well; I catch up with other athletes, including some pro women, they are so impressive 😮 Again, some of the athletes don’t follow the drafting rules, but this time I tell them off myself 😂, especially when they try to hide behind me. I don’t know where the referees are once again, so be it. Anyway, we’re riding strong, and my legs feel good. I’m holding the watts I had planned, with the good position I’ve worked on and the disc wheel, it’s going fast!
The scenery is quite nice, but you have to enjoy long straight lines. In the end, I don’t really notice the time passing; I stick to my hydration/nutrition plan and make sure to wet myself with water as often as possible. It’s getting hot compared to the beginning of the bike, so it’s better not to start overheating. I started feeling the urge to pee after 3 hours (important detail!), the first time it has happened to me during a race. Let’s be clear on that, I kept the contents of my bladder INSIDE my bladder. And there you go, that was the standout moment on the bike!
To sum up the bike leg, I’m quite satisfied with my performance. I had energy throughout the course, was able to push even towards the end of the 180 km, overtaking a few people who didn’t seem as fresh as me. Romain had warned me that I might get tired around 130-140 km and would need to push through, but it didn’t happen. Looking back, I might have been a bit too conservative. I already know he’s got some surprises prepared for me in next year’s bike training sessions! 😂
I finish the bike leg after a final long straight stretch along the seaside, no time to look at the splendid houses. It took me 4 hours, 36 minutes, and 34 seconds to complete 180 km, averaging 39.2 km/h. I’ve made good progress 😂😂.
Run
My two sisters are at the bike transition to cheer me on! To be honest I didn’t quite catch everything they were saying, because of the wind in my ears, being careful not to fall while getting off the bike, and my urge to pee. Too much information to process.
I head straight to the toilet; I thought it would never end. It actually scared Emilie when she saw me heading that way; she thought I had belly issues. But no, I was feeling great!
A smooth transition, moving quickly but making sure not to forget anything. As all coaches say, ‘Don’t confuse speed with haste’ 😂 (at least that’s what French coaches say!) I grab my sunglasses, a cap, my nutrition, and hydration in my hands and start running. I then place them in the right spots (nutrition in the back pockets of the tri suit, cap on my head, etc. you get the idea), a little trick to save time in transition.
I rush out of transition to start the marathon, hearing Chloé telling me I’m 4th in my age group, the two ahead are less than 2 minutes away, and the first is 6 minutes ahead. Let the hunt start.
Two loops of 21 km for this marathon. Romain and I had discussed a strategy for the marathon. Start the first 10 km coasting, maintain a good pace for the next 20 km to let fatigue set in, and then let it go (as much as possible 😅) in the last 10. The first kilometre feels really good, even at almost 15 km/h, it feels like an easy jog. I manage myself and don’t get carried away; I stick to an easy pace, as the coach said. I pass a pro female athlete (a Canadian) who catches up just after, and she asks if I’m aiming for a sub-3-hour marathon. I say yes. She looks thrilled and asks if she can run with me, why not!
After my fantastic experience with Read during the World Championships in Finland, here I am embarking on another adventure with Erin Snelgrove. The kilometres pass effortlessly at 4'09"/km (14.5 km/h), in a controlled stride and taking enough water at each aid station. It’s 26 degrees with bright sunshine. It’s great to run with Erin; she has a beautiful stride and tells me she’s currently 7th among the pros and wants to finish 5th.
We run into Emilie after 13 or 14 kilometres. She tells me I’m in 3rd place (I overtook a competitor without realising it), the 2nd is 1 minute ahead but starting to struggle, and the leader is now only 3 minutes ahead. The chase continues.
End of the first loop, 21 km without a hitch, still with Erin by my side, who tells me that I’m a real metronome; it’s indeed one of my strengths 😀.
I head out for the second loop, and I sense after an aid station that Erin is struggling to pick up the pace, she might have a slight dip in energy. I try to wait for her, but she doesn’t catch up, and with a bit of sadness, I resume my pace. It’s still an individual race, and I still have the first two to catch!
I run pass Chloé at 23rd kilometre, who tells me I’ve passed the 2nd (I don’t know when 🤷) and that the leader is now only 2 minutes ahead. Three thoughts cross my mind:
- I’m going to finish the race easily; I still have energy.
- I’m going to chase down the first one.
- I’m sure I’ll qualify for Hawaii if I keep this up.
For whatever reason, I speed up a bit (0.5 km/h faster) because it feels effortless. A few kilometres later, I see Emilie, who tells me that I’m only a minute and thirty seconds behind the first and that Romain told her he has never run a marathon in less than 3 hours, so I have the advantage. She manages to convey all this information and add encouragementon top of it in record time; she spoke so loudly that you probably heard the echo all the way to France 😂 As I mentioned before, my sisters were an incredible support team! Before the race, we discussed the information I wanted to have during the race and the trigger phrases to motivate me. They executed it perfectly.
I reach the 28th kilometre, and I start to feel that it’s getting challenging, even though I’m gradually gaining time. I haven’t made the last U-turn for the final 10 kilometres yet. I didn’t have leg pain, but I began to feel a bit of fatigue. Even though we’re closer to the end of the race than the beginning, 14 km can feel very, very long if you’re struggling. The 4'09"/km pace I’ve been maintaining since the start slows down to 4'20"/km for 3 km, and the fatigue persists. I get to the next aid station, which is 50 metres before the U-turn, and I think to myself, ‘Okay, you can walk for 5 seconds, then get back to it.’ I take a good sip of water, walk easily, counting 5 seconds in my head, then resume and make the U-turn. And I was back in the game. I have 10 km left to enjoy and make the most of the end of this race, which has gone exceptionally well so far, to go after the first place and crush my time on the distance. I get back into the right pace, although honestly… it hurts 😅.
I start a countdown in my head, only 8 kilometers left. 7 kilometers. I pass a guy who looks strong. He has a ton of sponsors on his tri suit. I have a look at his bib, and I see that he’s a pro. I’ve just overtaken a pro triathlete, even though he started 10 minutes before me. I think he must be having a very bad day, and I also think that I’ve made significant progress. It’s important for my personal pride 😂.
500 metres later, I hear the first athlete who is going to overtake me during this marathon, and it’s not an athlete but a female athlete. It’s Erin, who has finally caught up with me. She says something, but I’m not sure what because I’m a bit struggling. However, I stay just behind her and try to hang on. Only 4 kilometres left. I see a tall building not so far away and set myself a goal to get back next to Erin (not behind her) starting from that building. We reach the building, and here we are, side by side again for the final 3 kilometres. There’s much more atmosphere in this part of the race, and even though my legs are starting to send me distress signals, there’s no way I’m slowing down.
1 kilometre to go, my hamstrings are on the brink of cramping. I’m fully focused not to make a misstep; otherwise, I’m probably going to have a hard time getting back up. Erin picks up the pace even more, breaching by a few metres. I tell her to go on and keep going. Less than a hundred metres to go, I see Chloé one last time, who tells me the leader is 20 seconds ahead. A little shot of adrenaline, and I pick up the pace too.
Last right turn to head towards the end. I see the finish line, and it feels like I’ve launched into a crazy sprint. In my head, it’s like I’m running at least at 20 km/h. In reality, it’s 16 km/h 😂 but not too bad for the end of an IRONMAN marathon. I finished it in 2 hours and 58 minutes. Here’s the sub 3h marathon! No idea what happens next; I’m shattered. A volunteer talks to me and walks with me to the finish tent. I must have told her my life, but I don’t exactly remember what. I just recall being really happy with my race, relieved to have finished, and I gave her the bracelet we received as a gift to thank her for participating in organising the race.
I meet Erin just after that; she tells me she finally finished 4th in the race, beyond her expectations! And she says it was so cool to have run together. I can’t agree more!
I finished 2nd in 8h42’04”, just 50 seconds behind Victor, not 20 seconds. He was indeed 20 seconds ahead of me when Chloé saw him (because she actually started a timer when she saw him pass by), but he must have started 30 seconds behind me at the beginning! It just goes to show that in the end, it’s the little details that matter. Those 50 seconds are probably about the time I spent in the toilets during the transition after the bike 😑.
Talking to him the next day, he’ll tell me he was really scared because his wife told him I was catching up to him. It was close! I jokingly told him we would meet again in Hawaii for a rematch. We both laughed, but we also know we weren’t joking at all, and we’ll do our best to beat the other ah ah ah 😂. We still are competitors even if we respect each other.
Anyway, I leave the post-race tent and meet my sisters, and we can all let our emotions out; there’s quite a bunch to release 😂. I need to sit for a bit at a table because I don’t feel great, I’m starting to get cold, and I’m a bit nauseous, but it goes away in a few minutes. I’ve never experienced this after a race, but it makes me realise that I truly gave it all in the race.
I video call Audrey; I can finally tell her that we did it, and we’re going back to Hawaii 😀 (I’m taking a break in writing the report to grab some tissues ahahah). While I was on the phone, my sisters went to get ice cream to recharge. So many emotions during this race!
Once again, I’ve shared quite a bit about my life! But there were some adventures to tell. I didn’t come to Florida for fun! Now, it’s time for the 2024 season, with Hawaii as the highlight, and this time the race report will be a good one!
Thank you for reading this far. The 2023 season ended on a positive note, and there’s a lot of hope and expectations for the next one 😀
What can I say, other than a massive thank you to all the people who support me in my adventures—my beloved daughters, my family, my friends, my colleagues (current or former), my coach Romain Guillaume, my partners (Tacher Acogex, Culture Vélo Le Havre, Precision Fuel & Hydration), my physio Antoine, my osteopath Pierre-Antoine, my club the HAC Triathlon, my beloved SRE team 💚💙 (they are direct witnesses of how hard Thursday training days can be 😂), my company Doctolib, and my village of Mannevillette (it was so funny when the speaker mentioned my name and village to call me on the podium).
A special mention to my two sisters, my crew for this race, who must have been as tired as me after the race given how much energy they spent. We had a lovely week together on another continent, and we have so many new memories. Mum, I took good care of my sisters, and they took good care of me 😂.
Audrey, even 7,000 km away, you were with me 💙💙💙.
Data time!
The whole race data:
Swim:
- Strava - Swim
- 58’51”
- 1’32”/100m
- 113 sTSS
Bike:
- Strava - Bike
- 4h36’34”
- Average speed: 39,2km/h
- Max speed: 60,1km/h
- Normalised power: 222 Watts (Romain said 230 minimum, hope he’s not going to look at the stats)
- Max power: 546 Watts
- Elevation gain: 507m
- 232 TSS
Run:
- Strava - Run
- 2h58’02” (Romain marathon PB on an IRONMAN is 2h57, that cheeky told me after the race… I swear I’ll beat him on the nex IRONMAN!)
- Average pace: 4’13”/km (14,2km/h)
- Max pace: 3’40”/km (16,4km/h)
- Elevation gain: 83m
- 237 rTSS
Fueling and hydration, all with Precision Fuel & Hydration (PF&H) products:
- Before swim:
- 1 PF&H caffeine gel 30g
- T1:
- 1 PF&H caffeine gel 30g
- Bike:
- 2 bottles (1L each) with 120g of PF&H mix (120g carbs/2000mg sodium)
- 1 bottle (800 mL) with 1 PF&H gel 90g & 1 packet of PF&H 1000 (90g carbs/1000mg sodium)
- ~3 water bottles (500mL each)
- 1 PF&H caffeine gel 30g
- 1 PF&H gel 90g
- 3 PF&H gel 30g
- T2:
- 1 PF&H caffeine gel 30g
- Run:
- 1 PF&H gel 90g
- 2 PF&H gel 30g
- 1 soft flask (500mL) with 1 PF&H gel 30g and 1 packet of PF&H 1000 (30g carbs et 1000mg sodium)
- 4 electrolyte capsules (250mg sodium each)
- 1 glass of water (~100 mL) per aid station (20 in total)
So that gives around 94,18g carbs, 813mg of sodium and 790mL of water per hour for this race. Quite close to what I did during the race in Finlande, but for twice as long. More sodium and water, but that’s not a surprise given the fact that it was hotter (and it wasn’t raining!).
See you next time!