Why do you start walking sooner or later?
The Ironman marathon is no ordinary marathon.
It arrives after 3.8 km of swimming and 180 km of cycling
And everything you do before T2 decides if you will run . . . or you will walk.
Many recreational athletes make the same mistakes 👇 over and over again.
Here are common mistakes many Ironman triathletes make during the race that impact their Ironman Marathon.
Inefficient 🏊 ♂️ swimming
Push for speed when instead you should aim for efficiency.
And you pay the bill hours later.
Bike managed without strategy 🚴 ♂️
Rhythms by sensation.
Too many peaks.
Little intensity management.
The bike is long, but it’s not the only fraction that counts.
Wrong cadence on the bike ⚙️
Always pedal too hard overloading muscles before you even start running.
Improvised 🍌 fueling
In the Ironman you don’t eat “when you’re hungry”.
You count the grams of carbohydrates per hour . . . tried and tested in training.
Incomplete 🧠💪 preparation
The long training sessions should not be done only by bike. They must be done in swimming, cycling and running.
And you also need combined training in the right distances to physiologically adapt the body to the race.
Overestimated ⏱️ marathon pace
Based on long dry courses or on marathons made fresh.
In Ironman, the pace is often 15–30% slower.
The result?
You arrive at T2 convinced that you are okay and after 10–15 km… you start walking.
It helps to have a trained coach
👉 The Ironman marathon is run with strategy, management and preparation, not with the ego.
Considering the investment in time necessary to best prepare for the Ironman, it’s smart to hire an experienced triathlon coach.
Mario is an “IronMan Certified Coach” at the prestigious IronMan University, is a 20 times Ironman Finisher, qualified for Ironman World Champion race in Kona, and lives an Ironman lifestyle.
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