After a four year hiatus (cheers COVID!), #TeamTCUK athlete, Bethany Simmonds, took on her first triathlon since competing at IM 70.3 Barcelona in 2019. She chose IM 70.3 Vichy to return to racing and, despite sustaining an injury six weeks out, she had a great race and would recommend the event - especially if you like a hilly bike!

Pre-race
How were your preparations leading up to the race? Did you feel that your training had prepared you sufficiently?

After a four year hiatus, due to COVID, this was my first triathlon since Barcelona 70.3 in 2019 and although I had been training during that time, typically, I got injured six weeks before the event. I did the usual thing of being busy, training and not doing enough stretching or rolling. Therefore, even with Matt’s best efforts to get me in the best position to preform, I had not run over 11 miles before the event. I also still had back and hip pain on the bike. Swimming had also been challenging, as I had only swum in the sea since 2020 and the conditions this summer have not been ideal! With the waves smashing into my face and frequent sewage spillages. All-in-all, I was not convinced that I would be able to get around the course at Vichy with the hills and heat (forecast 36 degrees), especially when the day before I walked to the event and nearly passed out in the heat!

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Swim
Time: 37.28
How did it go?

Well in comparison with the sea, it was a doddle! At 26 degrees, there were no wetsuits allowed but, I didn’t mind as it was flat. I found a few big men to draft and that kept me occupied, so before I knew it, I was done.

What were the positives/negatives?
The big positive was the fun of swimming with others and using others to motivate me on. But the really special moment was looking up on the second half and seeing the sun rise – it was absolutely stunning – it’s these special moments, that make getting up at 4am to do a race worthwhile!

The negative was my time. Swimming was always my strongest event and my PB for 1.9km in a race was 29.05mins and 5 hours 8 mins overall, so, 37 is a little more than I was hoping for, but coming third in my age group was a silver lining.

T1
Time: 3:38
How did it go? What were the positives/negatives?

Good, I had a low number which was easy to remember, and Matt suggested taking photos of the transition areas to visualise where I would be running in / out etc. This was really useful, as I have in the past wasted time looking for my bike! The only negative was trying to get out of the lake, the runway was so slippery!

Bike
Time: 3.21
How did it go? What were the positives/negatives?

Bike was lovely. The week before I did the first hill, so knew it was fairly long but not too steep. I decided due to the injury and prospect of running the half marathon without proper training, I would spin up the hills and go at my own pace, which meant that everyone seemed to overtake me! In the past this would have annoyed me, but this time, I just ignored what other people were doing and just thought, this is my long ride and to enjoy the scenery. The countryside was absolutely stunning; creamy cows with bells around their necks on hillsides and breathtaking views. The support in the towns was astonishing, they really love their cycling in France – who knew! I just heard ‘Allez, allez’ for about a full three hours! I stopped once to refill my water bottle, but otherwise threw water over my head at every feed station. The second half included some lovely hairpin bend descents, nothing like the short sharp descents in Dorset or Wales.  Overtook a couple of people in this section which was good for my confidence. I wasn’t as bad at descending as I thought. I then saw a 30km to go sign and started to take the foot off the gas a little, then after some really fun technical sections where I could put my cornering into practice, I was to my surprise in Vichy again.

T2
Time: 3:11
How did it go? What were the positives/negatives?

Very much like the first transition, very smooth thanks to Matt and visualisation. Put my gels in my race belt, hat on, sunglasses, socks, shoes and away I went.

Run
Time: 2:20
How did it go?

It started okay, felt slow and a GB woman overtook me at pace, but I knew this would be my nemesis bearing in mind my lack of training (and hot weather training). The plan was to only stop on the second loop at aid stations, but the first stretch was so hot with no shade, I felt my energy draining from my body. There were sections under trees and good support, but it was very much mind over matter! I took the first loop within a low heart rate, then the second loop, the pain began to creep in. The plan was to take the last five miles and give it everything, but I didn’t have much left. When I saw the bridge on the second loop I knew I was nearly there and so gave it a final push. I actually ran the last km, but otherwise, I felt like I was shuffling. Luckily I wasn’t alone, as there were many people suffering in the heat and walking, but I didn’t give into the urge to walk, I thought, the only way for this to end as quickly as possible, is to keep running!

What were the positives/negatives?
The positives were the support and the end when I went through the finish line – that feeling can never be replicated! And I managed it in the worst form I had been in before a middle-distance race. The negatives were the time and just the suffering in the temperature, but this in a way made the finish line even more enjoyable.

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Post race
How have you recovered from the race? Now that it’s done, what are your future race plans?

Recovery a few days after the race was lovely but also very painful. I couldn’t walk down stairs or get up off the floor but after a massage, some rolling and good nutrition, I was back to functioning again. On the Sunday was the full Ironman in even hotter conditions, so I did go to the pub and drink a few pints cheering on the insane participants! After a few weeks, I felt fully recovered and started thinking about my future plans. This event gave me confidence to know I can get around a middle distance event and do okay, even in not the best conditions/form. I will however be planning to do Swansea in similar conditions to my training conditions next year and do a few preparation races to get myself fitter and more competitive in my age group.

Race review
Vichy is a beautiful spa town, like Bath in the UK. The town is small and friendly, with large leafy parks and a river with a beach, which you can access for free. The event is a 30/40 min walk from the centre and accessible. The volunteers very helpful and mostly spoke English or could find someone who did. It did take 18 hours to get there via road and ferry, but if you don’t mind a bit of European driving, it’s a great place to visit for a short break before or after the event. The food is great and high quality, with lots of lovely restaurants and bars. The course is good if you like hills on the bike, the swim is easy if you’re not a strong swimmer. I would recommend Ironman 70.3 Vichy as an event.