Six Ironmans in, and every one of them taught me something different.
Ironman UK, July 2022. I winged it, twelve weeks of training, no race strategy, alone on the day. It was so much harder than it needed to be.
Ironman Ireland, six weeks later. Travelled alone with no support crew. Turns out logistics alone can wreck a race before it's even started.
Ironman Wales, that same year. Three Ironmans in three months probably wasn't wise, but I got stronger through it almost by accident, and actually enjoyed the day for what it was.
Ironman Frankfurt, 2023. My first time really racing in proper heat. Bonked on the bike, bonked on the run, and had no idea how to handle it once things started going wrong.
Ironman Tallinn, 2025. Everything changed. Got a coach, trained with real structure, had full support with everything during race week, and took nearly three hours off my personal best.
Ironman South Africa, this year. The opposite lesson. Inconsistent training, never settled in one place long enough to commit to the lifestyle properly, and I didn't perform anywhere near where I should have.
Six races, six different lessons. But if there's one thing that ties them together, it's that structure and preparation aren't optional extras. They're the difference between surviving the day and actually racing it.
