UNDER THE IRON SUN

On a mission to reignite his love of racing, Nick Brooks heads to the United States of America for a 70.3 under the Californian sun. But things don’t quite go according to plan…

- NICK BROOKS

What am I even doing here? Ten years ago the only thing I could run was a bath. Maybe things were easier back then. Now I’m slogging my body through the California desert with 1,700athletes, like some slightly crazed, otherworldly, Lycra-clad migration under the beating, unrelenting sun. Some running, most walking, with the vacant, dejected stare that only those who’ve pushed themselves far past what most would consider normal possess. This is supposed to be fun, right?

IRONMAN DEBUT

We’d been planning to race Ironman 70.3 Oceanside for a year. It would be my wife Annie’s first 70.3 race, and my first experience at an Ironmanbranded event, having raced the same distance with other organisations in the past.

What lay ahead? The not insignificant challenge of a sea swim, fast bike with a few punchy climbs and a promenade run accompanied by a cool breeze. It ticked all the boxes for us to take part in the race, before grabbing a hire car for a road-trip adventure around California.

It was scheduled for 4 April 2020. Although not unexpected, it was devastating to see the race cancelled two weeks before we were due to travel. A week later, the United States border was closed, and the whole three-week trip came crashing to a halt.

In an attempt to hedge our bets as far as possible, we selected the option furthest away (in date) in hope of events being back to relative normal. That led us to Ironman 70.3 Indian Wells La Quinta. We ticked the box and crossed our fingers. I can’t say I gave the weather conditions much thought, if I’m honest.