Ultraman 2018

Nov 8, 18 16:59

Post #1 of 82 Views: 5884

We are just 2 weeks away from the 2018 Ultraman World Champs... this is going to be an interesting year!

The course has changed due to the lava flows earlier this year:
- Day 1 is an out and back from Kona to Ocean View and back, should be about 30-40 mins faster
- Day 2 is totally new, Kona to Waikoloa then up over Saddle Rd, topping out at 6700ft before descending to Hilo. Up the coast, over to Waimea and then back down to the Queen K before climbing to Hawi. 13k+ ft elevation over 171 miles, probably at least 30-40 mins slower than before.
- Day 3 is the same

The level of competition is very high this year!
- I'm in better shape than ever, but so are the other guys!
- Richard Thompson won UM Australia and set the world record when he did so. As an athlete I feel he's potentially faster than me across all 3 disciplines. The question is whether or not I can "out-optimize" him. Most people know that I pay a lot of attention to my gear, and this year is no exception. Most of my gear (other than the actual bike) is different to last year. Over the distance of the two bike legs, that optimization can add up to many minutes.
- Petr Vabrousek needs no introduction to the endurance world. Winner UM Florida 2018, 180+ professional Ironmans? Many pro Kona races. Winner of crazy races like the Antarctica marathon. There is no doubt that he has as strong a mindset as anyone in the endurance community. And mindset is one of the most important factors in this race.
- David Hainish: Winner UM Florida 2017 with new bike course record. He spent last year focused on breaking the Canadian hour record on the track.
- Possibly some others that I don't yet know much about?
- There are 8 women taking part this year. That's more than some previous years, but I'd really like to see more women doing Ultraman, in general they do really well at these long races.

So my strategy of out-biking people, to start day 3 with a big lead is probably not going to work this year. Also, the fact that I'm the only one with previous course experience doesn't matter, since the course is mostly new. It's highly likely that we get to day 3 and I'm not starting in first place. That's going to make the run exciting and decisive. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all pans out!

They will post FB updates that will be pulled through on ultramanworlds.com. My crew will be doing a bunch of Facebook live stuff on my Ultraman FB page, hopefully making it easier for you to follow what's going on at the front of the race. If there is anything you'd like to see behind the scenes (before, during, after) let me know and we'll try to make it happen!

____________________________________

Are you ready to do an Ultraman? | How I calculate Ironman race fueling | Strength Training for Athletes |

Re: Ultraman 2018 [robgray] [ In reply to ]

Nov 8, 18 17:07

Post #2 of 82 Views: 5870

Good luck Rob.

Re: Ultraman 2018 [robgray] [ In reply to ]

Nov 8, 18 19:48

Post #3 of 82 Views: 5764

Great rundown Rob. I agree with everything you have said, although I'd say Day 2 is more like 40-60min slower, perhaps even more for the back of the pack. In fact, I'll go on record and say that 20-40% of the field will miss the day 2 cutoff, especially if there is a headwind up the Hamakua Coast (which there hasn't been for the past few years, but it does happen).

In terms of competition, I don't see anyone contending other than the 3 you have identified. I know David personally and he lives just a 30min drive from me, so he is a sentimental favourite, but you are right that Richard is the #1 guy to mark. I can tell you that both of them are gunning for this race with 100% focus. I'm not as sure about Petr as I have no idea how he is approaching this race. Regardless, you are the only contender this year who has done this race before (nevermind the fact that you are the defending champion), and that is a significant advantage.

Good luck and safe racing to all - I'm excited to watch the race unfold!

Are YOU in the Zone?
http://www.discomfortzone.com

Re: Ultraman 2018 [robgray] [ In reply to ]

Nov 8, 18 21:31

Post #4 of 82 Views: 5714

Good luck brother. Will be following the race and e-cheering you on

the world's still turning? >>>>>>> the world's still turning

Re: Ultraman 2018 [Callin'] [ In reply to ]

Nov 8, 18 23:46

Post #5 of 82 Views: 5656

Kona didn't have Jan.

Ultra won't have Dave M.

How tragic.

How tragic indeed.

http://www.fitspeek.com the Fraser Valley's fitness, wellness, and endurance sports podcast

Re: Ultraman 2018 [Hydrosloth] [ In reply to ]

Nov 9, 18 0:44

Post #6 of 82 Views: 5642

I thought Dave M was racing?

Maurice

Re: Ultraman 2018 [robgray] [ In reply to ]

Nov 9, 18 4:23

Post #7 of 82 Views: 5576

great analysis and good luck Rob!!!

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Re: Ultraman 2018 [mauricemaher] [ In reply to ]

Nov 9, 18 6:16

Post #8 of 82 Views: 5509

Whhoa, if he is - my mistake! Exciting times ahead!

http://www.fitspeek.com the Fraser Valley's fitness, wellness, and endurance sports podcast

Re: Ultraman 2018 [Hydrosloth] [ In reply to ]

Nov 9, 18 6:33

Post #9 of 82 Views: 5480

Hydrosloth wrote:

Whhoa, if he is - my mistake! Exciting times ahead!

I thought I heard that, but not on the start list. I think I’m mistaken on this one.

Cheers,
Maurice

Re: Ultraman 2018 [mauricemaher] [ In reply to ]

Nov 9, 18 6:37

Post #10 of 82 Views: 5472

One Canadian bumps into another Canadian. Both apologize. Are you guilty?

http://www.fitspeek.com the Fraser Valley's fitness, wellness, and endurance sports podcast

Re: Ultraman 2018 [robgray] [ In reply to ]

Nov 9, 18 6:38

Post #11 of 82 Views: 5471

I'll be eagerly following and will be pulling for you.

Have a great race.

Re: Ultraman 2018 [robgray] [ In reply to ]

Nov 9, 18 8:19

Post #12 of 82 Views: 5418

Thanks for the heads, up, I always enjoy watching this race unfold each thanksgiving.

And for those that are not putting Petr in your top pick, I think that is a mistake. This guy does like a dozen ironman a year in the pro divisions, and usually is sub 9 on neutral courses, and top 10 or better..He is long in the tooth, but I don't think there has been anyone ever in our sport that had such recuperative powers. He is a diesel engine that just goes and goes, like that Japanese marathon runner that runs one a month at least, and actually won Boston last year when it was super tough..

If he is in his normal shape, I would pick him, no offense to the standard bearers of the Ultraman podiums..Have a great race out there, there is a fan base around the world that follows, so keep the updates coming...

Re: Ultraman 2018 [mcoughlin] [ In reply to ]

Nov 9, 18 10:55

Post #13 of 82 Views: 5360

good points Mike, now that I think about it, experience of that run course is actually pretty valuable (especially if you've had a bad experience like I did in 2016!)

____________________________________

Are you ready to do an Ultraman? | How I calculate Ironman race fueling | Strength Training for Athletes |

Re: Ultraman 2018 [monty] [ In reply to ]

Nov 9, 18 11:23

Post #14 of 82 Views: 5331

I agree, I think Petr is very consistent and unlikely to make a mistake. I also don't know anyone in the world with more race experience, which I think counts for a lot. My hunch is that some people will outswim him, but I think he has the head to keep cool and not blow himself up trying to catch up. It's highly motivating for me to be racing guys like this.

____________________________________

Are you ready to do an Ultraman? | How I calculate Ironman race fueling | Strength Training for Athletes |

Re: Ultraman 2018 [Hydrosloth] [ In reply to ]

Nov 9, 18 12:18

Post #15 of 82 Views: 5290

Hydrosloth wrote:

Kona didn't have Jan.

Ultra won't have Dave M.

How tragic.

How tragic indeed.

Luckily Patrick still turned up for Kona

____________________________________

Are you ready to do an Ultraman? | How I calculate Ironman race fueling | Strength Training for Athletes |

Re: Ultraman 2018 [robgray] [ In reply to ]

Nov 10, 18 23:09

Post #16 of 82 Views: 5048

Good luck Rob, you’ve got my vote!

Re: Ultraman 2018 [robgray] [ In reply to ]

Nov 11, 18 5:41

Post #17 of 82 Views: 4943

robgray wrote:

We are just 2 weeks away from the 2018 Ultraman World Champs... this is going to be an interesting year!

The course has changed due to the lava flows earlier this year:
- Day 1 is an out and back from Kona to Ocean View and back, should be about 30-40 mins faster
- Day 2 is totally new, Kona to Waikoloa then up over Saddle Rd, topping out at 6700ft before descending to Hilo. Up the coast, over to Waimea and then back down to the Queen K before climbing to Hawi. 13k+ ft elevation over 171 miles, probably at least 30-40 mins slower than before.
- Day 3 is the same

The level of competition is very high this year!
- I'm in better shape than ever, but so are the other guys!
- Richard Thompson won UM Australia and set the world record when he did so. As an athlete I feel he's potentially faster than me across all 3 disciplines. The question is whether or not I can "out-optimize" him. Most people know that I pay a lot of attention to my gear, and this year is no exception. Most of my gear (other than the actual bike) is different to last year. Over the distance of the two bike legs, that optimization can add up to many minutes.
- Petr Vabrousek needs no introduction to the endurance world. Winner UM Florida 2018, 180+ professional Ironmans? Many pro Kona races. Winner of crazy races like the Antarctica marathon. There is no doubt that he has as strong a mindset as anyone in the endurance community. And mindset is one of the most important factors in this race.
- David Hainish: Winner UM Florida 2017 with new bike course record. He spent last year focused on breaking the Canadian hour record on the track.
- Possibly some others that I don't yet know much about?
- There are 8 women taking part this year. That's more than some previous years, but I'd really like to see more women doing Ultraman, in general they do really well at these long races.

So my strategy of out-biking people, to start day 3 with a big lead is probably not going to work this year. Also, the fact that I'm the only one with previous course experience doesn't matter, since the course is mostly new. It's highly likely that we get to day 3 and I'm not starting in first place. That's going to make the run exciting and decisive. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all pans out!

They will post FB updates that will be pulled through on ultramanworlds.com. My crew will be doing a bunch of Facebook live stuff on my Ultraman FB page, hopefully making it easier for you to follow what's going on at the front of the race. If there is anything you'd like to see behind the scenes (before, during, after) let me know and we'll try to make it happen!

Blah blah blah on the gear optimization....I just want to know if you have fat load optimized so that you can win all the downhill time trial legs on day 1 and day 2 and all the way down to Kawaihai on day 3. After that being fat and just burning into that infinite tank and you can take VanBrousek!!!!

GO ROB!

Re: Ultraman 2018 [robgray] [ In reply to ]

Nov 11, 18 5:42

Post #18 of 82 Views: 4942

Oh, and just be thankful that Ms. Wellington is not showing up for a tourist day on the Island like she did the first time in 2007 in October!!!!

Re: Ultraman 2018 [robgray] [ In reply to ]

Nov 11, 18 16:19

Post #19 of 82 Views: 4847

Can't wait to see things unfold.
See you in a week!

Re: Ultraman 2018 [robgray] [ In reply to ]

Nov 11, 18 19:21

Post #20 of 82 Views: 4764

Pulling for ya

2024: Bevoman, Galveston, Alcatraz, Marble Falls, Santa Cruz

Re: Ultraman 2018 [robgray] [ In reply to ]

Nov 12, 18 7:06

Post #21 of 82 Views: 4649

The course may be slightly different, but you still have a ton of experience with being on the island doing this stuff. That's a huge advantage. The course being different might actually make it more interesting, giving you some pep in your step. And if the run hasn't changed, that's very important because day 3 is where you put it all together. Good luck!

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Re: Ultraman 2018 [robgray] [ In reply to ]

Nov 12, 18 8:30

Post #22 of 82 Views: 4612

Good luck Rob! Miro and Gary W. back again - those guys are like Energizer Bunnies.

For the women - I'd go with Tara Norton.

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Re: Ultraman 2018 [robgray] [ In reply to ]

Nov 12, 18 15:36

Post #23 of 82 Views: 4509

robgray wrote:

I agree, I think Petr is very consistent and unlikely to make a mistake. I also don't know anyone in the world with more race experience, which I think counts for a lot. My hunch is that some people will outswim him, but I think he has the head to keep cool and not blow himself up trying to catch up. It's highly motivating for me to be racing guys like this.

"Just because they're the strong doesn't mean they can't get their asses kicked...!" *Nike Inspirational Ad 2010*

Now go crush it.

Re: Ultraman 2018 [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]

Nov 12, 18 18:49

Post #24 of 82 Views: 4444

devashish_paul wrote:

Oh, and just be thankful that Ms. Wellington is not showing up for a tourist day on the Island like she did the first time in 2007 in October!!!!

I'm also quite happy that Ryf seems to not be bored with winning all these other races all the time... I think she could probably outbike all of us, based on her Kona bike performance this year...

____________________________________

Are you ready to do an Ultraman? | How I calculate Ironman race fueling | Strength Training for Athletes |

Re: Ultraman 2018 [Rocky M] [ In reply to ]

Nov 12, 18 18:52

Post #25 of 82 Views: 4437

Rocky M wrote:

robgray wrote:

I agree, I think Petr is very consistent and unlikely to make a mistake. I also don't know anyone in the world with more race experience, which I think counts for a lot. My hunch is that some people will outswim him, but I think he has the head to keep cool and not blow himself up trying to catch up. It's highly motivating for me to be racing guys like this.

"Just because they're the strong doesn't mean they can't get their asses kicked...!" *Nike Inspirational Ad 2010*

Now go crush it.

haha awesome quote!

____________________________________

Are you ready to do an Ultraman? | How I calculate Ironman race fueling | Strength Training for Athletes |

Re: Ultraman 2018 [ironclm] [ In reply to ]

Nov 12, 18 18:53

Post #26 of 82 Views: 3179

ironclm wrote:

Good luck Rob! Miro and Gary W. back again - those guys are like Energizer Bunnies.

For the women - I'd go with Tara Norton.

Gary is a legend. Last year I walked into Kona Bike works with my two bikes, ready for inspection, and he's walking around the store choosing which bike he's going to RENT for the race!

____________________________________

Are you ready to do an Ultraman? | How I calculate Ironman race fueling | Strength Training for Athletes |

Re: Ultraman 2018 [robgray] [ In reply to ]

Nov 12, 18 19:54

Post #27 of 82 Views: 3161

robgray wrote:

devashish_paul wrote:

Oh, and just be thankful that Ms. Wellington is not showing up for a tourist day on the Island like she did the first time in 2007 in October!!!!

I'm also quite happy that Ryf seems to not be bored with winning all these other races all the time... I think she could probably outbike all of us, based on her Kona bike performance this year...

Well at least she outbiked Javier Gomez from Hawi back...she's got the Hawi to Kona leg nailed so if she got really bored and wanted to outrun all the men at ultraman on the same leg and just do a week of running in a day as part of a Sutton approved training block, well there might be a battle between her and Chrissie, but it sounds like you guys are all safe from having to deal with being second fiddle in that battle. See Rob, it's easier to battle with guys because unlike women, you can actually dupe with them letting their male egos and testosterone (or what is left after Ultraman training) get in the way of rational pacing. Men have to use some semblance of either brain power or google cloud optimized neural network to totally control their bodies to get the most out of their engines. Those women pros, they don't have testosterone in the way, and nor do they need to get into any highly optimized intellectual calculation....they have it nailed like a Boeing 787 dreamliner flying San Francisco to Hong Kong on a steady and even fuel efficient keel. Almost impossible to beat that.

Post deleted by Anna s [ In reply to ]

Nov 13, 18 3:14

Post #28 of 82 Views: 3127

Re: Ultraman 2018 [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]

Nov 13, 18 4:32

Post #29 of 82 Views: 3105

devashish_paul wrote:

See Rob, it's easier to battle with guys because unlike women, you can actually dupe with them letting their male egos and testosterone (or what is left after Ultraman training) get in the way of rational pacing.

There is actually a strong kernel of truth here!

____________________________________

Are you ready to do an Ultraman? | How I calculate Ironman race fueling | Strength Training for Athletes |

Re: Ultraman 2018 [Anna s] [ In reply to ]

Nov 13, 18 4:34

Post #30 of 82 Views: 3103

Anna s wrote:

Thanks for posting this preview Rob. Good luck! Can't wait to follow the race again this year.

Thanks Anna - hopefully we can do a lot more FB live kind of stuff on day 1/2 this year since we'll actually have internet connection in Kona (unlike Volcano where there was not much at all)

____________________________________

Are you ready to do an Ultraman? | How I calculate Ironman race fueling | Strength Training for Athletes |

Re: Ultraman 2018 [jeremyebrock] [ In reply to ]

Nov 15, 18 14:25

Post #31 of 82 Views: 3017

jeremyebrock wrote:

Good luck Rob, you’ve got my vote!

Thanks Jeremy!

____________________________________

Are you ready to do an Ultraman? | How I calculate Ironman race fueling | Strength Training for Athletes |

Re: Ultraman 2018 [robgray] [ In reply to ]

Nov 15, 18 15:55

Post #32 of 82 Views: 2993

robgray wrote:

jeremyebrock wrote:

Good luck Rob, you’ve got my vote!

Thanks Jeremy!

What's all this talk about voting like it's a mid term election and Rob Gray is going for Senator for the big Island? But hey, if Arnold can be a body building movie star from Austria and take over California, certainly a tech geek from South Africa, via London, Silicon Valley and Boulder can run to take over the state of Hawaii? Or are you guys voting for Petr Vanbrousek, who comes from next door to Austria from where Arnold hails and comes to the big island after pretty well doing every Ironman on the planet each 10x.

I was going to vote for the first woman Senator of Ultraman, but Chrissie Wellington is slacking off....so I am stuck with voting for the South African Google Guy who rides bikes without seat posts.

Last edited by: devashish_paul: Nov 15, 18 15:56

Re: Ultraman 2018 [robgray] [ In reply to ]

Nov 23, 18 5:49

Post #33 of 82 Views: 2881

Friday morning in Kona! It's on....three days of stage racing on the Island....Rob vs Petr Vanbrousek (among many more).

Re: Ultraman 2018 [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]

Nov 23, 18 8:33

Post #34 of 82 Views: 2812

wetsuits?
also is there a starter list?

Lar Dog

Post deleted by Anna s [ In reply to ]

Nov 23, 18 8:58

Post #35 of 82 Views: 2789

Re: Ultraman 2018 [Anna s] [ In reply to ]

Nov 23, 18 11:18

Post #36 of 82 Views: 2744

Any updates?

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Re: Ultraman 2018 [ericMPro] [ In reply to ]

Nov 23, 18 14:00

Post #37 of 82 Views: 2695

Looks like Rob is first out of the water in 2:44:04. Richard Thompson in second in 2:47:47 and Mary Knott (1st female) in 2:56:03

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Re: Ultraman 2018 [RowToTri] [ In reply to ]

Nov 23, 18 16:33

Post #38 of 82 Views: 2608

RowToTri wrote:

Looks like Rob is first out of the water in 2:44:04. Richard Thompson in second in 2:47:47 and Mary Knott (1st female) in 2:56:03

https://www.facebook.com/.../?type=3&theater

What kind of a tourist time is this for Rob? He's probably lost his built in bioprene layer on the Macca cabbage and water diet and is less "floaty". Hopefully he has enough fat on his to get through the next 2 days!!!

Go Rob.

dev

Re: Ultraman 2018 [ericMPro] [ In reply to ]

Nov 23, 18 16:59

Post #39 of 82 Views: 2592

Day 1 finishers so far...

Richard Thompson: 6:52:51
Rob Gray: 6:59:36
Petr Vabrousek: 7:30:42
David Hainish: 7:49:48
Gary Kelly: 8:00:33
Trout Wayth: 8:01:41

Richard and Rob were together at the bike turnaround - Richard must have really put the hammer down to put almost 7min into Rob on the net downhill back to town.

No women across the line yet but Tara Norton was pulling away from the field as expected last I saw.

Are YOU in the Zone?
http://www.discomfortzone.com

Re: Ultraman 2018 [ericMPro] [ In reply to ]

Nov 23, 18 17:15

Post #40 of 82 Views: 2575

Update on Women's Race

Tara Norton takes Day 1 in 8:16:51. Mary Knott keeps her deficit to Tara to under 15min with an 8:31:48. They are both in the top 10 overall as well.

Are YOU in the Zone?
http://www.discomfortzone.com

Last edited by: mcoughlin: Nov 23, 18 17:16

Re: Ultraman 2018 [mcoughlin] [ In reply to ]

Nov 23, 18 18:39

Post #41 of 82 Views: 2506

mcoughlin wrote:

Day 1 finishers so far...

Richard Thompson: 6:52:51
Rob Gray: 6:59:36
Petr Vabrousek: 7:30:42
David Hainish: 7:49:48
Gary Kelly: 8:00:33
Trout Wayth: 8:01:41

Richard and Rob were together at the bike turnaround - Richard must have really put the hammer down to put almost 7min into Rob on the net downhill back to town.

No women across the line yet but Tara Norton was pulling away from the field as expected last I saw.

See this is what happens when you go on the Macca diet. You lose all fat and get droppe downhills. I suggest Rob go on the ice cream and oreos program tonite!

Re: Ultraman 2018 [mcoughlin] [ In reply to ]

Nov 23, 18 21:32

Post #42 of 82 Views: 2420

mcoughlin wrote:

Day 1 finishers so far...

Richard Thompson: 6:52:51
Rob Gray: 6:59:36
Petr Vabrousek: 7:30:42
David Hainish: 7:49:48
Gary Kelly: 8:00:33
Trout Wayth: 8:01:41

Richard and Rob were together at the bike turnaround - Richard must have really put the hammer down to put almost 7min into Rob on the net downhill back to town.

No women across the line yet but Tara Norton was pulling away from the field as expected last I saw.

it was a tough swim today, on any other year my effort would have got me sub 2:30.
Richard was actually quite far ahead of me in the swim and then had some type of problem and I overtook him. We had a massive current at the end, I was swimming all out and was going nowhere! Richard rode really hard to catch me, we rode together for a while but then I let him go because I felt the effort we were riding was going to affect my day 2 if I carried on with that. He put in a massive surge, honestly I'm surprised the gap at the end was only 7 mins. With the way he was riding I was expecting closer to 15. We find out tomorrow if he burned too many matches today! But he's looking really good on the bike.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day. By my predictions I don't think I'm going to ride much faster than 8:30... that's a long time to be on a bike!

____________________________________

Are you ready to do an Ultraman? | How I calculate Ironman race fueling | Strength Training for Athletes |

Post deleted by Anna s [ In reply to ]

Nov 24, 18 0:18

Post #43 of 82 Views: 2355

Re: Ultraman 2018 [ericMPro] [ In reply to ]

Nov 24, 18 5:30

Post #44 of 82 Views: 2271

Roboultra on instagram has lots of video of yesterday if you go to the "stories" part. Looked like decent conditions and a lot of fun.

Re: Ultraman 2018 [robgray] [ In reply to ]

Nov 24, 18 5:35

Post #45 of 82 Views: 2259

robgray wrote:

mcoughlin wrote:

Day 1 finishers so far...

Richard Thompson: 6:52:51
Rob Gray: 6:59:36
Petr Vabrousek: 7:30:42
David Hainish: 7:49:48
Gary Kelly: 8:00:33
Trout Wayth: 8:01:41

Richard and Rob were together at the bike turnaround - Richard must have really put the hammer down to put almost 7min into Rob on the net downhill back to town.

No women across the line yet but Tara Norton was pulling away from the field as expected last I saw.

it was a tough swim today, on any other year my effort would have got me sub 2:30.
Richard was actually quite far ahead of me in the swim and then had some type of problem and I overtook him. We had a massive current at the end, I was swimming all out and was going nowhere! Richard rode really hard to catch me, we rode together for a while but then I let him go because I felt the effort we were riding was going to affect my day 2 if I carried on with that. He put in a massive surge, honestly I'm surprised the gap at the end was only 7 mins. With the way he was riding I was expecting closer to 15. We find out tomorrow if he burned too many matches today! But he's looking really good on the bike.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day. By my predictions I don't think I'm going to ride much faster than 8:30... that's a long time to be on a bike!

Yeah yeah....but you know what happened to Crowie when he thought Macca was burning too many matches! Hammer then all into the ground at all times like Cam Wurf LOL!!!

Re: Ultraman 2018 [Anna s] [ In reply to ]

Nov 24, 18 11:41

Post #46 of 82 Views: 2147

Anna s wrote:

Thanks for the updates! Both Tara and Mary were super strong on day1. Two women in the top 10 is brilliant! Excited to see what Tara can do on the bike today and I hope Mary can keep the deficit to a minimum. Go ladies!

Yeah, it looks like Tara had a really solid day!

Re: Ultraman 2018 [robgray] [ In reply to ]

Nov 24, 18 11:43

Post #47 of 82 Views: 2145

Rob, you better watch out for that Vanbrousek guy. He seems to have swam like a wet noodle (for a former pro), but kind of matched your pace on the bike on day 1. I assume he gets stronger and stronger over day 2 and day 3!

Re: Ultraman 2018 [Anna s] [ In reply to ]

Nov 24, 18 13:17

Post #48 of 82 Views: 2092

GO MARY KNOTT GOOOOOOOOO

http://www.TriScottsdale.org

Re: Ultraman 2018 [robgray] [ In reply to ]

Nov 24, 18 17:08

Post #49 of 82 Views: 1995

So what happened on the bike today? Even with the time change from CA here, they should be done, no???

Saw a bunch of facebook small clips of the ride today earlier, looks like some close riding by some of the folks..Do they use the pro rules or AG ones for spacing??

Re: Ultraman 2018 [monty] [ In reply to ]

Nov 24, 18 18:09

Post #50 of 82 Views: 1954

Looks like Vanbrousek was 2nd and Rob 3rd today

Richard Thompson 8:20
Vanbrouske 8:28
Rob Gray 8:34

Great job Rob!

Re: Ultraman 2018 [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]

Nov 24, 18 18:20

Post #51 of 82 Views: 3242

Does this mean Rob's overall gap from 1st is 21 minutes now?

-------------
Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
Instagram • Facebook

Re: Ultraman 2018 [RowToTri] [ In reply to ]

Nov 24, 18 18:57

Post #52 of 82 Views: 3203

RowToTri wrote:

Does this mean Rob's overall gap from 1st is 21 minutes now?

Yes, this is roughly correct. And his buffer on Vanbrousek is down to around 24 minutes.

Re: Ultraman 2018 [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]

Nov 24, 18 20:50

Post #53 of 82 Views: 3123

devashish_paul wrote:

Looks like Vanbrousek was 2nd and Rob 3rd today

Richard Thompson 8:20
Vanbrouske 8:28
Rob Gray 8:34

Great job Rob!

They have my time wrong, I came in just after Petr.
It was a brutal day, the hardest bike ride I've ever done. I have no idea if I can run tomorrow, but I'm sure gonna try!

____________________________________

Are you ready to do an Ultraman? | How I calculate Ironman race fueling | Strength Training for Athletes |

Re: Ultraman 2018 [monty] [ In reply to ]

Nov 24, 18 20:57

Post #54 of 82 Views: 3116

monty wrote:

So what happened on the bike today? Even with the time change from CA here, they should be done, no???

Saw a bunch of facebook small clips of the ride today earlier, looks like some close riding by some of the folks..Do they use the pro rules or AG ones for spacing??

It was a pretty epic day. The first few hours Richard, Petr, David and me were going back and forth at the front. Richard kept on going off the back so it seemed like he was struggling. But close to the top of saddle road he came back, and them him and Petr rode out of sight. I caught them by the bottom of the climb (I just went full gas in aero all the way down never touched the brakes). From Hilo it was the 3 of us. At some point the two of them went off, I was going through a rough patch. I came right on the climb to Waimea and caught Petr by the end. He finished about 30 seconds in front of me. Richard rode really well, very solid day.

____________________________________

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Post deleted by Anna s [ In reply to ]

Nov 24, 18 23:54

Post #55 of 82 Views: 3041

Last edited by: Anna s: Nov 25, 18 11:54

Re: Ultraman 2018 [ In reply to ]

Nov 25, 18 4:16

Post #56 of 82 Views: 2946

Did Rob get a penalty on day 2? I noticed that his time on day 2 is shown in red on the leader board.

Last edited by: test: Nov 25, 18 4:18

Re: Ultraman 2018 [test] [ In reply to ]

Nov 25, 18 7:44

Post #57 of 82 Views: 2871

test wrote:

Did Rob get a penalty on day 2? I noticed that his time on day 2 is shown in red on the leader board.

I believe so yes. I'm not sure why, nobody told us. But from what I hear it's because I turned right on red at a light, and apparently was not meant to do that.

____________________________________

Are you ready to do an Ultraman? | How I calculate Ironman race fueling | Strength Training for Athletes |

Re: Ultraman 2018 [robgray] [ In reply to ]

Nov 25, 18 9:51

Post #58 of 82 Views: 2798

how does the start and timing work for the run? Do they all start at once and subtract time differences at the finish or do they start in order of finish from Day 2 and go off on the interval?

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Re: Ultraman 2018 [ericMPro] [ In reply to ]

Nov 25, 18 9:56

Post #59 of 82 Views: 2786

ericMPro wrote:

how does the start and timing work for the run? Do they all start at once and subtract time differences at the finish or do they start in order of finish from Day 2 and go off on the interval?

Unless they’re changed it, everyone starts together and they sort it out at the end. Remember, they all have to finish in 12 hours each day. No way you could run 25 clocks or however many entrants there are. The year that I accrued my guy took nearly 13 1/2 hours on day three. He finished but was not official.

clm
Nashville, TN
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Re: Ultraman 2018 [ericMPro] [ In reply to ]

Nov 25, 18 10:06

Post #60 of 82 Views: 2769

ericMPro wrote:

how does the start and timing work for the run? Do they all start at once and subtract time differences at the finish or do they start in order of finish from Day 2 and go off on the interval?

Mass start, delta at the end of the day for the run. It's a drag race of testosterone from Hawi down to Kawaihai and then after that the real "racing" starts.

Re: Ultraman 2018 [Anna s] [ In reply to ]

Nov 25, 18 10:09

Post #61 of 82 Views: 2766

Anna s wrote:

Rob, thanks for the updates from day 1 and 2. Looks like all three of you had a solid bike day, but burnt a few matches. In another thread you once said "nothing reveals the truth more than a 170 mile TT", think this was true for yesterday.

Good luck for today, it's going to be exciting after yesterday.

BTW, after discussing this race with my family, my 14yr old dd said you're all like the Titans of the triathlon world. I think this analogie it very fitting :-)

Hang on....i detect that based on the discussion with family, this was a first "seed" to allow them to enter the hallowed ground of the aforementioned titans. Knowing the DNA of endurance sport junkies, and knowing the techniques we all apply to family management to get the "get out of jail free and train as much as you want card", I detect there is more to this elevation of the likes of Rob or Tara than what can be read at face value in this thread.

Not that I would encourage you to do ultraman or anything like that!!!!

Re: Ultraman 2018 [robgray] [ In reply to ]

Nov 25, 18 10:12

Post #62 of 82 Views: 2761

robgray wrote:

monty wrote:

So what happened on the bike today? Even with the time change from CA here, they should be done, no???

Saw a bunch of facebook small clips of the ride today earlier, looks like some close riding by some of the folks..Do they use the pro rules or AG ones for spacing??

It was a pretty epic day. The first few hours Richard, Petr, David and me were going back and forth at the front. Richard kept on going off the back so it seemed like he was struggling. But close to the top of saddle road he came back, and them him and Petr rode out of sight. I caught them by the bottom of the climb (I just went full gas in aero all the way down never touched the brakes). From Hilo it was the 3 of us. At some point the two of them went off, I was going through a rough patch. I came right on the climb to Waimea and caught Petr by the end. He finished about 30 seconds in front of me. Richard rode really well, very solid day.

Are you saying the same chicken rider who rode the brakes down into St. Croix from the ridge and repeated the same scenarios on Silvercreek and Mount Hamilton is a transformed Paolo Salvedelli-esque descending South African Falcon who takes things back routinely on descents? It so, we're all proud of you.

As for the penalty, well, heck, I think they just gave you a penalty for being more aero than Bradley Wiggins at the World Hour Record.

Re: Ultraman 2018 [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]

Nov 25, 18 12:28

Post #63 of 82 Views: 2666

The way this run is at the end of the first marathon it’s going to be real close for 3rd place.

Petr being gapped and the 30min lead he had to 4th is falling.

Rhymenocerus wrote:

I think everyone should consult ST before they do anything.

Re: Ultraman 2018 [PJC] [ In reply to ]

Nov 25, 18 12:45

Post #64 of 82 Views: 2636

PJC wrote:

The way this run is at the end of the first marathon it’s going to be real close for 3rd place.

Petr being gapped and the 30min lead he had to 4th is falling.

Yep gonna be close

Re: Ultraman 2018 [test] [ In reply to ]

Nov 25, 18 12:49

Post #65 of 82 Views: 2629

test wrote:

PJC wrote:

The way this run is at the end of the first marathon it’s going to be real close for 3rd place.

Petr being gapped and the 30min lead he had to 4th is falling.

Yep gonna be close

Pretty kick ass paces coming off two, really hard days and with another marathon left to run.

These athletes are tough!

----------------------------
Jason
None of the secrets of success will work unless you do.

Re: Ultraman 2018 [wannabefaster] [ In reply to ]

Nov 25, 18 13:11

Post #66 of 82 Views: 2592

wannabefaster wrote:

test wrote:

PJC wrote:

The way this run is at the end of the first marathon it’s going to be real close for 3rd place.

Petr being gapped and the 30min lead he had to 4th is falling.

Yep gonna be close

Pretty kick ass paces coming off two, really hard days and with another marathon left to run.

These athletes are tough!

Richard is on fire. Let's see what happens in the second half. Rob is super lightweight this year

Post deleted by Anna s [ In reply to ]

Nov 25, 18 14:44

Post #67 of 82 Views: 2514

Post deleted by Anna s [ In reply to ]

Nov 25, 18 14:54

Post #68 of 82 Views: 2494

Last edited by: Anna s: Nov 25, 18 14:59

Re: Ultraman 2018 [Anna s] [ In reply to ]

Nov 25, 18 14:59

Post #69 of 82 Views: 2481

Richard goes sub 7:00 for the two marathons and wins the whole thing......

22 + hours of pushing in three days. Just another level. So impressed.

I'm rooting for Rob Gray to finish strong.

----------------------------
Jason
None of the secrets of success will work unless you do.

Post deleted by Anna s [ In reply to ]

Nov 25, 18 15:01

Post #70 of 82 Views: 2476

Re: Ultraman 2018 [Anna s] [ In reply to ]

Nov 25, 18 16:36

Post #71 of 82 Views: 2358

Anna s wrote:

Me too. Come on Rob!

He's done. Second overall.

----------------------------
Jason
None of the secrets of success will work unless you do.

Re: Ultraman 2018 [wannabefaster] [ In reply to ]

Nov 25, 18 16:55

Post #72 of 82 Views: 2333

wannabefaster wrote:

Anna s wrote:

Me too. Come on Rob!

He's done. Second overall.

OK great news. Now he can go on the Jan Ulrich December diet of black forest cake lest he wither into aerobic nothingness

Re: Ultraman 2018 [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]

Nov 26, 18 0:14

Post #73 of 82 Views: 2070

devashish_paul wrote:

Are you saying the same chicken rider who rode the brakes down into St. Croix from the ridge and repeated the same scenarios on Silvercreek and Mount Hamilton is a transformed Paolo Salvedelli-esque descending South African Falcon who takes things back routinely on descents? It so, we're all proud of you.

As for the penalty, well, heck, I think they just gave you a penalty for being more aero than Bradley Wiggins at the World Hour Record.

Exactly Dev, you'd have been proud of my descending. I also made up a minute to Petr on the descent from Waimea to Kawaihaie. By that stage I'd been on the bike for so long it felt like part of me. Also, I was not afraid of crashing because then at least an ambulance would take me to a comfy hospital bed.

____________________________________

Are you ready to do an Ultraman? | How I calculate Ironman race fueling | Strength Training for Athletes |

Last edited by: robgray: Nov 26, 18 0:18

Re: Ultraman 2018 [Anna s] [ In reply to ]

Nov 26, 18 0:16

Post #74 of 82 Views: 2065

Anna s wrote:

Richard is on another level this weekend, still super strong after yesterday's brutal bike day. Just watched the short film of him on facebook - still smiling and has a spring in his step. Amazing, less than 10k to go.

Pretty incredible. After day 2 bike I was lying on my back unable to move and he looked fresh as a daisy. Great athlete.

____________________________________

Are you ready to do an Ultraman? | How I calculate Ironman race fueling | Strength Training for Athletes |

Re: Ultraman 2018 [PJC] [ In reply to ]

Nov 26, 18 0:23

Post #75 of 82 Views: 1621

PJC wrote:

The way this run is at the end of the first marathon it’s going to be real close for 3rd place.

Petr being gapped and the 30min lead he had to 4th is falling.

Petr had it under control. I was with him for over 4 hours today. He got a bit concerned towards the end because the gap opened a lot faster than it had before, and then he upped the pace to the end. He was just managing his effort since he knew he wasn't going to make up 24 mins on me, and he also has two Ironmans coming up in January (of course he does!). He's a really great guy. It's amazing how easily you can form a friendship when you spend a few hours running down the Queen K together!

____________________________________

Are you ready to do an Ultraman? | How I calculate Ironman race fueling | Strength Training for Athletes |

Re: Ultraman 2018 [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]

Nov 26, 18 0:27

Post #76 of 82 Views: 1455

devashish_paul wrote:

wannabefaster wrote:

Anna s wrote:

Me too. Come on Rob!

He's done. Second overall.

OK great news. Now he can go on the Jan Ulrich December diet of black forest cake lest he wither into aerobic nothingness

I experienced a weird problem this race. Really swollen hands after day 2 (and swollen eyelids that distorted my vision). And today I weighed myself after the marathon and I'm 5 lbs heavier than my starting weight. Something causing water retention, and I didn't have a huge amount of sodium or anything. And definitely not as fun as eating cake.

____________________________________

Are you ready to do an Ultraman? | How I calculate Ironman race fueling | Strength Training for Athletes |

Re: Ultraman 2018 [robgray] [ In reply to ]

Nov 26, 18 5:16

Post #77 of 82 Views: 1360

robgray wrote:

devashish_paul wrote:

wannabefaster wrote:

Anna s wrote:

Me too. Come on Rob!

He's done. Second overall.

OK great news. Now he can go on the Jan Ulrich December diet of black forest cake lest he wither into aerobic nothingness

I experienced a weird problem this race. Really swollen hands after day 2 (and swollen eyelids that distorted my vision). And today I weighed myself after the marathon and I'm 5 lbs heavier than my starting weight. Something causing water retention, and I didn't have a huge amount of sodium or anything. And definitely not as fun as eating cake.

Rob, based on what you are saying you would have been hypervolemic hyponatremic. That's the bad one where you blood sodium is a bit lower than it should be and you have overconsumed water relative to your sweat rate. It is possible that given that you have lost weight, you have a thinner layer of the Jan Ullrich trademarked bioprene meaning after having lost that built in wetsuit, you regulate heat better and need to sweat less, which means you're losing less liquid through sweating and only through respiration and peeing. So if you kept a similar intake to previous years and are sweating less water then that would explain it. if you felt you were losing muscle force on the bike and run it could be that. Were you craving salty stuff every evening really badly? Also did you notice for example on the bike the definition in your forearms was less the longer you went into the day (if so, definitely you were retaining water and over drinking).

Anyway, putting all the analysis paralysis aside, 2nd, 1st and 2nd over three years is an amazing record in one of the hardest tris around. I assume in a different way, this is harder than Norseman!

Re: Ultraman 2018 [robgray] [ In reply to ]

Nov 26, 18 5:36

Post #78 of 82 Views: 1338

robgray wrote:

devashish_paul wrote:

wannabefaster wrote:

Anna s wrote:

Me too. Come on Rob!

He's done. Second overall.

OK great news. Now he can go on the Jan Ulrich December diet of black forest cake lest he wither into aerobic nothingness

I experienced a weird problem this race. Really swollen hands after day 2 (and swollen eyelids that distorted my vision). And today I weighed myself after the marathon and I'm 5 lbs heavier than my starting weight. Something causing water retention, and I didn't have a huge amount of sodium or anything. And definitely not as fun as eating cake.

Thank you for posting here, Rob. I can't wait to see your detailed analysis of the race and competition.
Recover well.

"Good genes are not a requirement, just the obsession to beat ones brains out daily"...the Griz

Re: Ultraman 2018 [robgray] [ In reply to ]

Nov 26, 18 9:34

Post #79 of 82 Views: 1226

Yeah, I noticed you looked a little more plumped up at the finish line than somebody who's lost the normal 5 lbs or more doing an all-day run in the Sun. Did you have to pee a bunch after you finished to shed the extra fluids?

Re: Ultraman 2018 [ZenTriBrett] [ In reply to ]

Nov 26, 18 9:42

Post #80 of 82 Views: 1212

ZenTriBrett wrote:

Yeah, I noticed you looked a little more plumped up at the finish line than somebody who's lost the normal 5 lbs or more doing an all-day run in the Sun. Did you have to pee a bunch after you finished to shed the extra fluids?

No I didn't pee much at all during or after the run. During my sweat tests the week before the race, I was losing about 4 lbs per hour in fluids, and I'm only drinking maybe 2lbs per hour. So I expected to lose a lot of fluids during the run. I didn't have a scale with me on day 2 but geez I had wrists and hands like the Michelin Man. At least I now have another thing to figure out - it never ends!

____________________________________

Are you ready to do an Ultraman? | How I calculate Ironman race fueling | Strength Training for Athletes |

Re: Ultraman 2018 [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]

Nov 26, 18 9:52

Post #81 of 82 Views: 1192

devashish_paul wrote:

Rob, based on what you are saying you would have been hypervolemic hyponatremic. That's the bad one where you blood sodium is a bit lower than it should be and you have overconsumed water relative to your sweat rate. It is possible that given that you have lost weight, you have a thinner layer of the Jan Ullrich trademarked bioprene meaning after having lost that built in wetsuit, you regulate heat better and need to sweat less, which means you're losing less liquid through sweating and only through respiration and peeing. So if you kept a similar intake to previous years and are sweating less water then that would explain it. if you felt you were losing muscle force on the bike and run it could be that. Were you craving salty stuff every evening really badly? Also did you notice for example on the bike the definition in your forearms was less the longer you went into the day (if so, definitely you were retaining water and over drinking).

Anyway, putting all the analysis paralysis aside, 2nd, 1st and 2nd over three years is an amazing record in one of the hardest tris around. I assume in a different way, this is harder than Norseman!

Thanks Dev
- no I didn't crave salty stuff. Or anything really, I had to force myself to eat.
- I didn't drink a lot of fluids (I was mainly going to thirst)
- I couldn't see my forearms because I was wearing the Endura Encapsulator suit and also gloves. But when I got to the end of day 2, you could not even see a single vein or tendon in my hand.
- After I was done with day 2 it slowly got better. By the end of the day 3 run most of the puffiness was gone, but still there a little.
- The only other thing that happened was jellyfish sting on day 1, but that seems like a long time to react to something like that.
- Do you think it could happen from too much sodium? This is the first year I've actually taken electrolytes during the race. Not much, just what is in Skratch. And then at the summit saddle rd I took in actual salt flakes directly into my mouth. Maybe a half teaspoon or so. The swelling only happened after that point.

____________________________________

Are you ready to do an Ultraman? | How I calculate Ironman race fueling | Strength Training for Athletes |

Re: Ultraman 2018 [robgray] [ In reply to ]

Nov 26, 18 10:44

Post #82 of 82 Views: 1143

Amazing job again Rob! That is some impressive consistency year on year!

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