Benoit's journey from 1st Triathlon to Ironman 70.3 Marrakech

Ironman 70.3 Marrakech, October 27, 2019 (L)

Race Reporter: Benoit On the 11th June 2017, 6 am, I left Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to reach Nha Trang beach where I ran my very first triathlon: 0.5 km swimming, 20 km biking and 5 km running. It was such fun that I promised myself to do it again. On the 27th October 2019, 6 am, again, this time however I woke up to run my first IRONMAN 70.3 in Marrakech. Same weather conditions, different challenge. I expect the whole race to last something between 6 to 7 hours. I told myself that no matter how long it takes, I would have to finish it. When you compete for your first half IRONMAN, organisation is a whole process. 1 - Register. The easier part. Just spend 350 euros and you are in. 2 - Get a bike, or try to do so. I don’t know how it usually works, but I first tried to rent a bike in Marrakech. By the time I made up my mind, all the bikes had already been rented out. 3 – So here comes plan B. Bring my own. First get a travel case. This was not so difficult. I just had to a look at Le Bon coin. Then I purchased extra luggage room on the plane.  This is how you just add an extra 150 Euros to the final bill. Anyway, putting back the wheels on the frame in the small Medina alleys in Marrakech was a unique experience.