Some races are about numbers. Others are about digging deep. This one was both.
When I signed up for Ironman 70.3 Warsaw, I had one clear goal: go sub-6. Training had gone well — I was fitter, stronger, and better prepared than ever before. Weekly hours hovered around 13, with long bricks, interval work, and structured recovery all falling into place. Add to that a renewed focus on strength training and nutrition (massive thanks to Strength Genesys), and I felt ready.
Race day arrived crisp and cool — a rare treat in June.
🏊♂️ The Swim — 42 minutes
The lake looked calm. I waded in, grateful for the gentle start — a long run-in helped ward off the usual cold shock (water temp was around 19.5°C). I felt smooth and strong. I found a good rhythm, drafted when I could, and sighted cleanly — no zigzagging this time.
Around midway though, I took a rogue goggle hit from a breaststroker that blurred vision in one eye. Not ideal. That fog stuck with me into T1 and beyond, but I didn’t let it mess with my momentum.
🚴♂️ The Bike — Avg ~31.5 km/h
This was where things clicked.
The course was mostly flat but threw headwinds at us during some highway climbs. Still, I held steady — stayed aero, stayed disciplined. Nutrition and hydration went exactly as planned: gels and carb mixes in bottles.
The bike almost didn’t make it, though. While flying from India, the rear derailleur went out of alignment due to a shifter dislodging from the housing. Naveen from Cycle Station came through big time before I flew, and a local bike shop in Warsaw rescued the setup. Race morning, after a night of rain, I was just thankful I’d carried wet lube.
No mechanicals. No drama. Just execution.
🏃♂️ The Run — 2h 40m
First km was chill. Legs were waking up. I built into it and by km 3, I was hitting target pace — hovering around 5:35/km. That’s when I took an on-course electrolyte.
Big mistake.
Within the next 2km, my stomach revolted. Severe cramps kicked in, and my pace went out the window. I had to walk stretches, duck into portaloos thrice, and abandon all pace goals. Switched to just water, gels, and salt tabs — no more aid station drinks.
There were moments where I genuinely wanted to DNF. But I couldn’t. Wouldn’t. I’d come too far. So I kept moving — slow, steady, hurting, but moving.
🏁 Finish Time: 6h 33m
No, I didn’t break sub-6.
But yes, this was my fastest Ironman yet.
And more importantly, I walked away from the race not broken — unlike Westfriesland, where I could barely move post-race, this time I was up for a hike the very next day.
🙌 Gratitude
- To Coach Sridhar, for the structured build-up that set me up for this performance.
- To swim coach Nisha, for the stroke work that gave me a calm and confident swim.
- To Strength Genesys, for the consistent, intelligent plans that elevated my conditioning.
- And to Cycle Station, for always keeping my bike race-day ready.
🧠 Reflections
What did I learn?
- Aid station electrolytes are not to be trusted — I’ll control my own nutrition next time.
- Mental grit can carry you through where the body falters.
- Sub-6 isn’t far. It’s right there. I’ve touched the edges of it. And I’ll be back for it.
Onward. Stronger. Smarter. Closer.
