21/06/2026
Race Review – IRONMAN Austria 2026 🇦🇹
🏊 Swim – 1:15:03
Definitely a swim of two halves. The first section went brilliantly – I stayed wide, avoided the crowds, and found some feet to follow. After the turn, we were heading directly into the rising sun, making it almost impossible to sight the canal entrance.
Once into the canal, I quickly realised I probably should have seeded myself a little higher. I spent a lot of time working through groups of pink caps, which made overtaking difficult. Things then took a turn for the worse approaching the swim exit when I got swum over, causing my whole body to tense up and both calves to cramp. I spent around 90 seconds trying to get them under control before continuing.
That said, if you’d told me before race day that the swim would be my strongest discipline, I wouldn’t have believed you.
🚴 Bike – 5:57:53
The first lap was relatively uneventful, other than being able to enjoy what is one of the most spectacular bike courses I’ve ridden. Beautiful scenery, smooth roads, and fantastic support throughout.
The second lap was where the challenges started. After collecting bottles and rice bars from my personal needs bag, I realised I’d lost one of the bars on a descent and had to stop to retrieve it, costing some momentum. Then, at the top of the first climb, my chain jammed against the frame. For a moment I genuinely thought my race might be over and I’d be waiting for mechanical support.
Thankfully, I managed to free it myself, but when getting back on the bike, I kicked one of my carb mix bottles from behind the saddle, cracking it and losing around three-quarters of its contents. I regrouped and managed to settle back into a good rhythm for the remainder of the ride.
🏃 Run – 4:38:16
Looking back, my biggest mistake was not hydrating well enough during the final part of the bike and the opening kilometres of the run.
By 14km, it hit me like a train. To keep moving forward, I switched to an 8-minute run, 2-minute walk strategy, using each walking break to fuel and hydrate properly. It wasn’t the run I’d planned, but it was the run I had on the day, and it got me to the finish line.