I went 10:54 at 55yo in my first and only IM. At the time

FTP around 285 at 78kg (3.65). It was a flat course.
Swim just under 24m for a 1500m.
Run a bit under 41min 10km.

Swim and bike didn't change much since 50. Run slowed down.

 
That's a pretty good FTP; what was your bike split?

10:55 at 57 IMAZ 2019

Swim; Generally, I am about 1:15/100 scy and 1:20 scm with 10 secs rest.
Bike; FTP about 3.2 w/kg
run; 10k 48-49 mins

5:30 with some time sorting things out in medical tent and special needs. I am diabetic and had a glucose testing issue. Would have been 5:20 otherwise
4hr run. I regret the run. I got lazy at the end.
1:07 swim

 Thanks gents, I'm in the ballpark. But my swim is not even close to you guys. I've gone 11:21 and 11:31 at IMFL and 11:23 at IMLP. Trying to go sub 11 at IMFL next year.

This year I did in September a long distance in Podersdorf, Austria in 10:13.
Swim 1:12 (with wetsuit), Bike 5.16, Run 3:39.

I'm 59.

bike: In June I did 23 km out and back with an average of 40 km/h with Ø 229W which is 2,69W/kg for me.
I do not know my FTP

run: Last December I did 10k in 39.50.

swim: last year December I did a 400m in a 50m pool in 7:30 (without wetsuit: my weakest discipline).

I just wanted to say congrats. 3:39 run at 59 is impressive. I am 55 and just getting back too solid running in the last 8 months or so. This provides some serious inspiration. My swim and bike are in sub 11 shape, but have no clue if my run can get me to 4 hrs, 5 hrs or 7 hrs (my current 5km pb that I did in Oct was 22:29 and I ran 1:52 at Dubai 70.3, so that's not good enough to get me to sub 4).....but I likely have 2 years before I get to try one of these anyway (Dubai splits as a first year 55-59 were 32 in a wavey ocean swim which was under perform for me, 2:18 bike, 1:53 run.

Some stats that I am at now:

1. 1500m pool swim at masters nationals 23:34, 800m free 12:13
2. 5km solo at track 22:29
3. Bike FTP estimate 250W at 66 kilos ~3.8W per kilo

I have some mechanical limitation on the run so I dont know what I can really sustain over a long duration!

Went 10:25 at IMCoz at 51.

FTP was 276, 4.05W/Kg
5K times 19:20-19:30 range when in shape, sub 42 Oly run on a great day
USMS Hour Swim 1:48/100 scy, 1:38 100 scy repeats on 10 seconds rest, can get to about 7 before falling off pace

You're a frequent writer and mostly I read and appreciate your contributions. Do I remember right that you come backfrom an injury? I wish you all the best.

It is not easy to come back at age: I was able to run 1:21 on a HM when I was in my early twenties: and when I started again running in my late 30s I thought I can get back there soon: but no way. It costed me years to get back to 1:30.

yes, disc injury Nov 2015 and had to re learn how to walk as I could not use my left leg at all. I kept swimming that entire time, and have some coordination/force limiations with left leg that does not hurt bike at all, and only marginally creates a bit of drag in swim but its really limiting on run. But from March 2019 when I did my first run back to Sept 2020, I moved the 5km run from 33:27 down to 22:29. The 33:27 was a fight once I knew I could go sub 34. I pushed "really hard" to break 33:27....why that magic number....that was my 10km pb at age 25, so I wanted to see if I could have that as my new 5km PB at 55.

I was hoping for a full season of Olympic tris this year plus a few 70.3. 2019 after I got back to running I did 5 Olympic tris and my run splits were all 48:5x to 51:30. I had this "hope" to maybe get the Olympic tri 10km down to 45.xx this year which I think may have been doable IF I had the motivation of races to aim for, but in a way, it was probably good to have zero racing and basically everything from March to now has been a massive base building block !!!

I am pretty sure with the vaccine we will have a full round of Olympic tris next summer, so goal would be 23:xx + 1:05 + 46 +4 ~ 2:18. I think if I can get to that range, then on a flat course sub 11 is doable, but really if I want to go sub 11, it pretty well has to include a sub 4:15 run (65 + 5:34 + 4:14+ 6). I have some low hanging fruit being 4 kilos over my former race weight too.

The "double your half IM" and add an hour suggest that I can go sub 11 on a course equally fast to Dubai70.3 but that was a stupidly fast course. We were riding coned off on the passing lane of a highway with 2 lanes of traffic driving beside us at 50-100kph. For one 10km stretch, I was riding at 50 kph with a truck carrying a bunch of racing camels up the road to my right providing a massive draft. So I don't think that bike split is indicative of my real bike at this time.

To the OP thanks for startiing this thread. I just came off a roller ride watching a Kona video and was getting stupid ideas about trying another Ironman and what you asked about was exactly what I was thinking about riding with Jan Frodeno, Brownlee and Tim O'Donnell (LOL)

Hopefully some of the info about myself and my most recent IM race (Sept 2019 Chattanooga) will be of use to you.

I am currently 58 yrs, and when I raced IM Chattanooga, I was 57....sadly, no results from this year. Weight is a very steady 67kg (about 148lbs).

Bike: FTP is 251W
Run: On a solo marathon (ie not in a tri) I have run just under 3:00 on two occasions in the past five years. Last November, about 6 weeks after IM Chattanooga, I ran the NY Marathon in 3:02. Half marathon PB is 1:23:15
Swim: 1,000m in 17:00 (equates to a 1:42/100m pace...note that this test was done in a 50m pool); if I were just swimming a stand-alone 100m (in a 50m pool), I imagine that my time would be 1:35, plus or minus

IM Chattanooga results and comments
Swim: 57:59...the swim was downriver; no wetsuit (3rd fastest swim in my AG)
Bike: 5:32...the bike course was officially 186km (about 123miles); 183W; 1,126m (about 3,700 feet) of elevation gain: it was VERY hot on the day of the race, with the 3rd highest DNF rate in IM history (5th fastest bike in my AG)
Run: 4:07...I was very disappointed in my run; but again, it was brutally hot; 351m of elevation gain (about 1,150 feet); (2nd fastest run in AG)
Overall: 10:53 (2nd place in AG)

Good luck to you and let me know if I can be of any further help.

I am turning 50 next year and hoping for a Kona podium.

1) 4.4 W/kg

2) 6:15 minute/miles (or 3.55 minute/k) - that is the pace I do 10k tempo runs at in training.

3) 100m free- 60 (I was once a competitive swimmer.

Hoping to go faster than 9:30 in Kona.

Thanks to everyone who responded. I have some tangible targets now to shoot for to reach my goal of sub 11. It’s definitely within reach and I have 11 months of solid training to get there.

Good for you, but no help for the guy. He wants to break 11 hours, not podium in Kona. And you are not even 50 yet. Geessss louiiissss.

The Chattanooga bike course is 11 miles over? Good gawd... I thought it was only 4 over. I will have to mentally prepare for that next year

This is very impressive even at 49. Best of luck with the Kona podium next year

Apologies....you are correct. The bike course is about 6km or 4mi longer than standard IM distance.

Is there a specific reason why the bike course is 4mi long??? Not sure I understand why they can't get it correct.

---

Cheers, Ray

It's long on purpose. I believe to compensate for the down-river swim which can be insanely fast.

I like it, can IM please shorten all swims and add more bike!!

Haha, shorten the swim in half, but make it go upstream, and open up the dam!

Keep the swim lengthen the bike, cut the run to a 1/4 mile

You're going to want be be super duper comfy and have a great bike fit to be doing the IM FLA course & run well off being stuck in the aero position that long. Dial that thing in!

51 here & retired from Ironman racing for about 5 years now. Last one I did was 9 hrs & something...whatever...but about an hour swimmer, don't use a power meter any longer and just bike to enjoy biking and for running...depends on the "where" for run splits...hilly, flat, altitude, sea level. Being able to hold it together on a flat Ironman is really going to require a good core to hold it all together without terrain breaks. So...once that "goes" you're screwed. It's like the hinge on a door...if it isn't working you're not going to open that door, or close it. Doors are useless without a hinge. The upper & lower bodies don't work if the hinge is toast. Good luck!

I guess Alistair brownlee and an entire crew of pros found that out at Challenge Daytona long before turning 50!