After my last full Ironman (IM) race in 2017 (IM Canada) I had decided that this was it for me with these 140.6 races. I continue to enjoy the half Ironman events as they are easier to train for, probably healthier than the full event in the long run, and it helped me keep in shape. As the 2025 season rolled in and as I rolled over into a new age group - some of my team mates convinced me to do one more full IM with them. Although I was not really into it I convinced myself to go for it. The training was good. I managed to get some really good miles in on the bike and was feeling pretty solid. IM California is a flat course, but has had weather related issues over the last few years (heavy rain, wind, etc.). Keeping with the mantra of 'manage what is within your grasp' I tuned all that out and went into the training fully committed. The new Maurten gels and sports drink was working really well for me so I was pretty confident on getting in a decent race. I did quit the Whatsapp group as the constant weather updates was getting annoying :).
We drove to Sacramento on Friday and met up with the Team Asha athletes for the check in, Jayant, Chalana, and I checked in together. It was Chalana, Vaidehhi, and Jayant's first Full IM and I was super excited for them. Radhika who was also training with us unfortunately picked up an injury and had to drop out at the last minute. Heartbreaking stuff - as the training and time management throughout the season takes a toll on everyone. It is only a matter of time, she will get to the finish line soon enough.
Few of us (Sumit, Maneesh, Vishal) had booked into the Governers Inn Hotel. A decent place and walking distance to the swim start. It was perfect! The hotel had really catered to the event and had breakfast ready for us at 4:00AM! I had signed up to join the trial swim on Friday 17th - Vishal, Chalana and Jayant came along as well. It was my first swim in the American River (AR) - and I was pleasantly surprised to find it deep enough for a decent swim. 1900 yards along Discovery Park and finishing just before the AR joined the Sacramento River (SR). Water temp was 64F - very comfortable. I swam in my shorty wetsuit. We had heard that the SR was a lot colder and the flow was a lot faster than the AR and we had to be carful about that left turn as if one did not swim to the far right before the turn you would miss the buoy. Given this I had decided to wear my full wetsuit on race day.
Rest of the weekend was uneventful, bike checked in, run and bike bags checked in. All was set. We all met for lunch and the excitement was high! The only thing that was bothered me was the lack of sleep. For some reason I just could not sleep - Friday and Saturday night I was up most of the night trying to fix the AC temp - I just tossed around in bed. Other than that I was all set.
The goal was to nail the swim, stay calm on the bike, and run a good marathon. I was in decent running shape and was looking forward to a good run. And I had intended to RUN the marathon. All my bricks were good, and I had nothing to worry about. The quote, "I never won a fight in the ring; I always won in preparation." by Muhammad Ali, is spot on - and I had trained pretty well for this.
Swim:
Race day morning: Other than Vishal and Maneesh, we had all decided to go to the transition and check our bikes in the morning and then head to the swim start. The hotel had arranged a bus for us to get to the transition so that saved Renuka a trip in the early AM. After checking on the bikes - we took the race organized shuttle to the swim start. It was a crowded area - with a narrow chute leading into the water. We squeezed in and waited. The team looked excited and nervous - what a journey it had been for them! From learning how to tackle open water to finally getting to the start of an Ironman race! It was years in the making! It was a great day and as usual for me - all I was hoping for was for them to have a safe swim - the rest of the event is fine! They were well trained. It is always the swim that can spook folks and wishing them a safe swim was all I wished for. Once we got the the start I took off. The water was nice, I found some clean water and got into a nice rhythm. Even though we were warned about the left turn into the SR at the merge - it caught me off guard! The power of the Sacramento river was more than I had anticipated and I barely made it around the turn buoy! There were 10-12 folks hanging onto the buoy and some were really struggling to stay calm. I stayed away from those flailing arms and legs and managed to make a safe turn. The SR was not only flowing a lot faster it was also a lot colder than the AR. It was a bit of a shock and I was glad I had my full wetsuit on :). Given it was a down river swim I was done in about 63 mins.
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| Swim leg |
Bike:
The bike route was two loops and pretty flat. We were expecting headwinds on the second loop and I figured I'd suffer for those 26 miles :). First loop went well and I was doing fine with my nutrition (300 calories/hr) and water. I did see all our teammates, Chalana, Jayant, Maneesh, Vaidehhi on that loop and it was nice to cheer and get cheered!
Loop 2: for some strange reason I missed the first aid station at the start of the second loop - I just did not see it! Around mile 66/70 I ran out of water and was super thirsty. I just plodded on hoping to see the next aid station. Finally I stopped at the next aid station - topped up and literally had a bath :) - around mile 80 I got really bored with the ride - it was one of those moments where I really lost interest and was hoping this was over and done with. I chatted with some other riders and just plodded on. I kept up the calorie intake - but may have already caused an issue with hydration and electrolytes with that aid station miss. By mile 100 I just done with this ride. Such a boring course - I was hot, bored, and not enjoying this at all. I hoped the run would be better! I managed to crawl into transition - saw Ajay there - he was volunteering (an amazing person - always so helpful!) - he said 'this is your leg now, go get it!' I may have mumbled something and plodded on to the change tent :).
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| Bike leg |
As a great philosopher once said - 'Everyone has a plan until they are punched in the face' - that was Mike Tyson of course! :)
Run:
It was a weird loopy course but flat. I started well enough - but by mile 4 I knew I was not running this marathon! That really did it for me. The thought of walking 22.2 miles...ugh! As I crossed the huge Team Asha (TA) cheering squad I managed a smile - what a fantastic group! They had driven to Sacramento in the early hours to come and cheer all of us! But my race was falling apart. I knew I was in trouble as I started feeling lightheaded. Shashi came by and walked for a bit, he looked at my fingers (mildly swollen) and said "Hydration! Salt! Have some chicken soup." I stopped and had a small glass of soup and felt better. He left me to look after some of the other TA athletes. I had even forgotten to pack a headlamp! So Shashi got one for me. I saw Renuka around mile 6 she was sure I would be fine if I sat for a while and picked up the run in a bit, I had plenty of time. But mentally I was done - I just did not have the motivation to walk the rest of the way. I met Vaidehhi and she said she would walk with me "I will not let you drop out coach!" :) too cute! But knowing how things change in these long races I urged her to get going and finish - I'll be fine! She danced her way to the finish - what a super athlete and person she is! As I crossed the bridge (probably mile 11) I met with Rohan, Shashi and Renuka - I was ready to stop - Renuka was more upset than I was :) - 'sit for a while and you can start after some rest' - even though she was right - I just did not have the interest. I had pushed mile 7, 8, 9 only to make sure that I would not wake up the next morning regretting my decision to drop out. I knew I would not regret it. Along the way I saw Maneesh, Chalana, Sumit, Vishal, Vaidehhi, I don't think I saw Jayant on the run. But he and all of them finished with aplomb! Sumit, nailed the race and got a PR! We've trained together for a few years now and he is such a talented athlete! Like Vishal and Maneesh, Sumit too had done IM California before. As for me - Shashi and Renuka took me to the medical tent where I was kept warm and given some gatorade. I hung around there for 40 mins or so and then Protima very kindly dropped us back to the hotel.
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| Run leg |
The only regret I had was that I missed seeing my team mates finish the race! Or had a chance to thank the cheering squad. Vishal and Maneesh sign up for this event every year! Such strong athletes! Maneesh who loves to swim and bike and is a beast on the bike had another IM finish! Vishal who runs like the wind (and coaches the East Bay run program) is one of those special people. I've not met anyone with his bubbly and upbeat attitude! Having overcome some drastic injuries - he has always been super positive! Chalana - I remember her first swim with us - it was during Covid! She is a superwoman - has been coordinating the program for years (officially and unofficially) and has been a coach for the tri program for a few years too. Her focus and diligence is unmatched! Vaidehhi - a serial marathon runner :) and a magnet for getting flats on the bike! She battled her open water demons over the last few years and made her dream of finishing an Ironman. Huge congratulations! Jayant - who was coaching the TA biking program, joined the triathlon program - already a good biker, he worked hard on his swim and having finished a few 70.3 races over the years has become a coach for the triathlon program. It is just so nice to look back at the journey all of them have made - I'm not sure they remember, but I remember their first steps into the world of triathlon! Super proud of all of them! Thank you to all the cheering squad!
As they were finishing their Ironman - I was back in the hotel, had a shower, and was dead to the world - woke up fresh the next morning! And I had no regrets of having dropped out. I am just sure that I am not yet mentally ready for another full Ironman and probably will not be ready for the foreseeable future!
This makes it my third DNF (Did Not Finish)! All of them around the same mile on the run. The DNFs are catching up with my 11 finishes ;)
