TALE OF TWO RACES

2023 marked the first year that the Ironman world championship was contested on two different days, in two different countries. Here, we hear from two UK age-groupers who raced Nice and Kona, respectively, on two historic days for the sport...

- ANDREW WOODROFFE, JENNIFER DONE 

MEET ANDREW WOODROFFE

Andrew Woodroffe is a performance triathlon coach (woodroffecoaching.com) and long-distance triathlete based in Zurich, Switzerland. Over his 10 years in the sport Andrew has raced sprint, Olympic, half-Ironman and Ironman world championships. He has also coached some of the best junior and senior athletes in the UK and Europe.

MEET JENNIFER DONE

Jennifer Done is a speech and language therapist who lives near Southampton with her husband and four-year-old daughter. Exercise is a huge part of her life, supporting both her physical fitness and mental health. She enjoys running, swimming and cycling, but also loves aerial hoop as a bit of a strength workout! Follow her on Instagram at @iron_woman_triathlon.

Andrew: When Nice was announced as the World Championships I was delighted – a difficult, technical bike course excited me and being in mainland Europe felt much easier than the far-off lands of Kona, Hawaii (I’d actually qualified last year for Kona with third overall at Ironman Switzerland, but with the crazy costs involved I had to let that one pass by). But I’d spent most of winter with a knee injury, watching races come and go and qualifications slip by. With some serious work and rehab, though, I made it to Nice thanks to a fifth place in Switzerland.

I get a few interesting looks as I line up my Cervélo road bike next to all the aggressive TT bike set-ups. But I wanted disc brakes and a very light set-up, plus I feel more confident and comfortable on the road bike for such a course. Walking through transition I feel quite emotional, thinking back to getting to this point.