SPORTS

Resident Cayman Ironman endures in Brazil 

Eugene Bonthuys on the 112
mile bike leg of the Ironman
Brazil triathlon.

Competitors in Ironman Brazil set of on their 2.4 mile
swim in the early dawn.

Tuesday,  June  14, 2005

Local triathlete Eugene Bonthuys recently competed in the Ironman Brazil triathlon. The event was held in Florianopolis, a coastal city in Brazil, located in part on an island close to the mainland.

Ironman triathlon, which has its origin in Hawaii, comprises a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bicycle ride and a 26.2 mile run. It is generally viewed as the greatest single day endurance event in the world, and competitors are allowed 17 hours in which to complete the course.

Eugene went to Brazil with high hopes of setting a good time, after being ably assisted in his training by numerous local triathletes. He was confident that the quite hilly bike course would not hold him back, in spite of the fact that it was impossible to fully prepare for the hills while training on Grand Cayman.

Although the days before the event were perfect, with no wind and a mirror-like ocean, competitors were greeted by a choppy ocean on race morning.

According to Eugene his swim, although long, passed without incident. This is more than can be said for eventual winner of the ladies’ race, Joanna Zieger, who sustained a broken nose during the swim after accidentally being kicked in the face by a fellow competitor. 

After the swim it was on to Eugene’s strongest event, the 112 mile bike. He started the bike leg at a cracking pace, catching a great many of the competitors who had left him in their wake during the swim. 

He continued his strong ride in spite of winds on the course building to storm strength during the bike leg. However, his good fortune was not to hold, as he was struck with stomach cramps around the half-way mark of the bike. This slowed him down quite a bit, and he was passed by many of the competitors he had left behind during the first half of the course. Although he admits contemplating, “getting off the bike to sit next to the road and cry a little” the cramps subsided and he was still able to complete the bike course in a reasonable time.

Unfortunately, the cramps returned with a vengeance once on the run, and he was forced to walk the marathon that comprises the last leg of the Ironman. The stomach cramps had also prevented him from taking in sufficient nutrition during the race, which meant that his energy levels were also severely depleted.

“I would never have completed the race had it not been for my fellow competitors. They just wouldn’t allow me to quit. Every time I stopped, someone would cheer me on and motivate me to keep going.”

Eugene eventually managed to complete the race in 13 hours 54 minutes and 22 seconds, although according to him “it felt like an eternity.”

“I don’t know why I do this to myself,” he said. “After every Ironman I say ‘never again’. Then a couple of days later the pain is gone, and I find myself talking about what I should do differently in next year’s race!”

The race was won by German professional Olaf Sabatschus in a time of 8 hours 50 minutes.

    Back...