IronMan Cascais
Triathlon
Cascais, Portugal · 20.10.2025
At a Glance
| Event | IronMan Cascais |
| Distance | Full IM |
| Date | 20.10.2025 |
| Location | Cascais, Portugal |
| Conditions | Overcast with light drizzle and mist, air temperature around 20–23 °C, and sea temperature ~17.1 °C |
| Kit Highlights | Scott Plasma RC Ultimate |
Distances
| Swim | T1 | Bike | T2 | Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.8k sea | 600m & hilly | 180k hilly | – | 42.2k rolling |
Goals
| Goal | Target | Result |
|---|---|---|
| One goal only: finish | N/A | ✅ |
Results
| Finish Time | Age Group | Gender | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11:57:19 | 60th | 608th | 635th |
Pre-Race
Travel & Logistics
After a branded IronMan (Nice), a hilly extreme IronMan distance (JurassiMan), an IronMan distance over three days (Long Course Weekend Wales), and the best triathlon on the planet (Challenge Roth), it was time for IronMan Cascais. IronMan distance number 5.
Except that two weeks before the race, I was still considering a DNS. Six months earlier, a car hit me. Broke my collarbone. Training had been very light since.
I booked a flat about 6 km from the start line, a return flight, and a car. The plan was simple: if the body says no, it’s a long weekend in Portugal. No pressure.
While British Airways is often more expensive, I love that it flies from Heathrow and offers a bike box at no extra cost — assuming you let them know in advance. Worth every penny.
Friday night, I met some of an ex-colleague’s friends and had a lovely local dinner. Also got to see where bits of my registration fees went: beach fireworks. Not bad.
Saturday was village day. Registered. Tried my bike, which decided it only wanted to work on 11 speeds instead of 12. Met one of my clubmates. Still not sure if I’d race the next day, I planned to rack my bike anyway. But before doing so — after faffing around all day — I decided to see a mechanic at 3 p.m. to sort the gear issue.
After queuing for about an hour, the mechanics closed the stand. Cue a frantic run to find someone capable of winning a fight with SRAM. Turns out there was the most unbelievable mechanic within the transition area, who recalibrated everything in no time. He sorted about five people before me. All different bikes, all different issues. This guy is a bike genius. Actually, he might have a twin brother in the UK working for my favourite bike shop, Athlete Service in Henley.
The Night Before / Morning Of
I thought the parking situation in the morning would be stressful, so I managed to organise a lift from one of my ex-colleague’s friends. Thank you.
Now I’m by the beach. The 70.3 is about to go. Goosebumps. But still not sure I can do it.
Then on the beach. The athletes. The music. The motivational speech.
I need to go.
Race Narrative
Swim
Pleasantly, I felt great. The water wasn’t too cold — 16°C, wetsuit on — and my shoulder wasn’t hurting. But after a while, it started to feel a bit long. And I still hadn’t turned around. It’s pretty much 2 km out and 2 km back.
Then the turn came. And it started to get harder. More current. Pushing back against the pull buoy. So much that I nearly drowned under one.
Cramps starting to build up.
And at last, a visual on the finish. Out of the water. 1 h 46 on the watch.
It’s going to be a VERY long day.
3,896 m — 1:46:07 — Pace: 2:43/100 m — Avg HR: 126 bpm
T1
If Roth’s transition is a 5-star hotel, Cascais is a hiking trip. Uphill, then 600 m to your bike. Possibly the longest transition on the circuit. 7 minutes and 23 seconds of pure cardio before I even touched my bike.
Bike
I’m on a machine. I’m going to nail this. The coach said 200 W max due to my current form. Ignore that. I’m going to push. She was right, of course.
TT position, 45 km/h, and … pain on the right shoulder. No way I can maintain a TT position for 180 km. Luckily, we’re about to start a climb.
The scenery is lovely. And it gets even better when you enter the Estoril F1 circuit. The bike route goes all the way to the mythical bridge and back along the coast. It’s a lovely day out. I can appreciate it more since I’m not pushing as much as I could.
Unfortunately, I was unable to maintain a constant TT position. About 10% on the TT bars, 90% on the handlebars like a road cyclist. Not ideal for an IronMan, but the shoulder wasn’t having it.
Nutrition was Styrkr all the way — gels, bars, and drink mixes. No bottle-cage drama this time (looking at you, Roth).
Back in T2 under 6 hours.
178.67 km — 5:48:13 — 1,888 m elevation — Avg: 30.8 km/h — Avg Power: 182 W (194 W weighted) — Max: 61.6 km/h — Avg HR: 126 bpm — Bike: Bruno
T2
Smooth transition. 5 minutes and 5 seconds. Off I go for the last 42.2 km.
Run
I should have checked the course. It’s not flat. It’s up and down. Three laps of 14 km.
Started well — around 5:10/km. First lap done. I see my clubmate running the opposite way. I start doing some maths. Can I catch him? Maybe.
I catch him.
One more lap to go. That’s it. No doubt. I will finish this. 7 km to go — I will crawl if I have to. But I’m going to finish it.
As usual, my fuelling by the end of the first lap is all over the place. I take a bit of everything and anything. Coca-Cola, orange, banana, electrolytes. Anything to keep me moving forward and crossing that line.
The splits tell the story: started around 5:10/km, held mid-5s through the middle, and then the wheels came off in the 30s with some 6:30–7:30/km appearing. But the final kilometres saw me digging deep — back down to 5:30s and 5:40s for the last push.
41.96 km — 3:59:21 — 196 m elevation — Avg HR: ~120 bpm
The Finish Line
It’s cruel — there’s a ramp up before the finish line. But the crowd is amazing. It’s dark and quite chilly. And suddenly you’re carried away. Your 6 min/km becomes a 4 min/km. Or at least it feels like it.
Medal around the neck.
And possibly the biggest achievement of my triathlon career. It’s IronMan distance number 6. But this one is special. Six months ago, I was hit by a car. Broke my collarbone. And here I am. Finishing IronMan Cascais under 12 hours.
Time Chip
| Swim | T1 | Bike | T2 | Run | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01:46:15 | 00:11:10 | 05:51:09 | 00:09:18 | 03:59:27 | 11:57:19 |
Post-Race
Recovery & Celebrations
Food is a step up from Weymouth 70.3 (not hard), but IronMan has a lot to learn from Challenge Family.
The next day was lovely — meeting my clubmate and his wife for a great lunch. And my ex-colleague in an Irish pub in the afternoon. And the day after, exploring the area. In a car, only touch the bike to put it back in its box.
What Went Well
- The decision to race — overcoming the DNS doubt and trusting my body after the collarbone. The hardest part was the start line, not the finish.
- The swim — shoulder held up, felt great in the water despite very limited training. No panic, no pain.
- The bike — a strong sub-6-hour ride despite being unable to hold TT position for most of it. 194 W weighted average with a broken wing? I’ll take it.
- Mental resilience on the run — catching my club mate, never doubting the finish once I hit the final lap.
- Logistics — the BA bike box, the flat, getting a lift sorted. Stress-free race week makes a difference.
What To Improve
- shoulder rehab — getting back to holding a proper TT position for the full 180 km, not 10%.
- Run course recon — check the elevation profile before race day. “It’s not flat” shouldn’t be a surprise at km 1.
- Run nutrition strategy — have a proper plan instead of grabbing everything at aid stations by lap 2.
- Race-week bike prep — sort the 11/12-speed issue before Saturday afternoon. Relying on finding a genius mechanic is not a strategy.
- Training consistency — easier said than done after an accident, but the run splits don’t lie: more long runs needed.
Race Ratings
| Organisation | 9/10 |
| Course | 8/10 |
| Atmosphere / Crowd | 6/10 |
| Post-Race Experience | 5/10 |
| Value for Money | 7/10 |
| Overall | 8/10 |
Final Thoughts
From broken collarbone to IronMan finisher in less than six months. F*** you very much.
