Challenge Iceland 70.3 - July 23, 2017
Race reporter Vivian #racelikeaviking
The hashtag echoes the slogan, organizer and the weather on race day.
#WOW
It really was a hella WOW viking race! (the race is sponsored by WOW Air :P )
This is my first Challenge Family race, and I think I picked a special, iconic, extraordinary one - and indeed, quite a challenging one!
I chose to race in Iceland in order to honor my grandpa who was recently diagnosed with ALS.
I enjoyed this ‘most northern triathlon race in the world’ with its pristine and breathtaking views, and surely feel I have accomplished a mini-Norseman. Literally the last letter sent from the organizer said - you can think of this as a mini Norseman - in order to remind us about the race conditions. I had no particular target in mind this year except to enjoy myself and have fun with triathlon. I intend to settle in Europe for a while to gain experience for my long term career goal. While looking for the race of year 2017, I thought of Iceland because my cousin who dragged me into triathlon talked about going for this one in 2016. It was already a place I wanted to visit, so I thought it would be even more memorable with a triathlon race.
I was afraid to register because:
#1: not only it would be my first race in the cold, I come from an island where the average temp is about 31°, and it‘s not even 13° in the summer in Iceland!
#2: this time I would race alone and had no training plan
#3: as a well-organized planning type, I wasn't big on an event where almost everything was left to chance and I had no clue how to plan the trip
#4: all I had was my willpower and persistence but what was eating me was the nervousness, the nervousness, and the nervousness...........
((just a quick look at where I used to be, heat and humidity, and most of the races in Torrid Zone where wetsuit - not allowed)) Conclusion : I must love my Grandpa very much in order to hit that 'Pay' button
LOL #1: the very limited information on the official website, the most complete information is the video (http://bit.ly/2hePF50) LOL #2: everything is TBD or coming soon (ha.. haha.. not really funny lah..) LOL #3: all I know is I will be doing a 70.3 distance in Iceland.. and thank god at least I know it will be on July 23rd, 2017. The website was not updated from 2016 so thankfully the race day was also July 23rd. LOL #4: the race briefing...I was glad I was not a first timer. I tried my best to find any picture or video on Instagram, forums, Strava, blogs (I almost posted on Quora) from the first edition of Challenge Iceland last year, in order to have a glimpse what I might be facing. There were less than 90 people who participated last year, and 50% were Iceland locals. Eventually, I went for a quick visit in June. I tried to swim and run in Iceland a little bit only because I literally had no clue and I thought it might be the only way for me to feel a bit more calm, in terms of logistics, food resources and that frighteningly unpredictable weather.
The whole thing was very Icelandic in style until the last moment- #1: the AIG came out a week before the race day... when everything you have to prepare was already set, and here was the information which people usually review and evaluate before registration LOL #2: the race briefing was, hmmm very casual, and different: telling us everything we need to know was included in the AIG (yeah..... sure), oh but notice (pointing) that the security is the number one concern during the race: first, during the swim, stop and wave if you need to (you can hold on the kayak and catch your breath once), be careful about bird attacks (there was an athlete who was driven off the road and badly injured by the birds, so protect yourself by keep your head down), and some more unusual signs, advice that I have never seen in the triathlon race before. Finally, the weather forecast in Iceland is simply a reference, it is unpredictable, so thank you for your attention, you may now leave with full confidence and awareness of the danger and beauty. #3: to be continued.. (the swim plan B was.. ;) ) 12 hours before the race: (http://bit.ly/2tUJWHy) can I not feel nervous?
The whole thing was very Icelandic in style until the last moment- #1: the AIG came out a week before the race day... when everything you have to prepare was already set, and here was the information which people usually review and evaluate before registration LOL #2: the race briefing was, hmmm very casual, and different: telling us everything we need to know was included in the AIG (yeah..... sure), oh but notice (pointing) that the security is the number one concern during the race: first, during the swim, stop and wave if you need to (you can hold on the kayak and catch your breath once), be careful about bird attacks (there was an athlete who was driven off the road and badly injured by the birds, so protect yourself by keep your head down), and some more unusual signs, advice that I have never seen in the triathlon race before. Finally, the weather forecast in Iceland is simply a reference, it is unpredictable, so thank you for your attention, you may now leave with full confidence and awareness of the danger and beauty. #3: to be continued.. (the swim plan B was.. ;) ) 12 hours before the race: (http://bit.ly/2tUJWHy) can I not feel nervous?
The whole thing was very Icelandic in style until the last moment- #1: the AIG came out a week before the race day... when everything you have to prepare was already set, and here was the information which people usually review and evaluate before registration LOL #2: the race briefing was, hmmm very casual, and different: telling us everything we need to know was included in the AIG (yeah..... sure), oh but notice (pointing) that the security is the number one concern during the race: first, during the swim, stop and wave if you need to (you can hold on the kayak and catch your breath once), be careful about bird attacks (there was an athlete who was driven off the road and badly injured by the birds, so protect yourself by keep your head down), and some more unusual signs, advice that I have never seen in the triathlon race before. Finally, the weather forecast in Iceland is simply a reference, it is unpredictable, so thank you for your attention, you may now leave with full confidence and awareness of the danger and beauty. #3: to be continued.. (the swim plan B was.. ;) ) 12 hours before the race: (http://bit.ly/2tUJWHy) can I not feel nervous?
The whole thing was very Icelandic in style until the last moment- #1: the AIG came out a week before the race day... when everything you have to prepare was already set, and here was the information which people usually review and evaluate before registration LOL #2: the race briefing was, hmmm very casual, and different: telling us everything we need to know was included in the AIG (yeah..... sure), oh but notice (pointing) that the security is the number one concern during the race: first, during the swim, stop and wave if you need to (you can hold on the kayak and catch your breath once), be careful about bird attacks (there was an athlete who was driven off the road and badly injured by the birds, so protect yourself by keep your head down), and some more unusual signs, advice that I have never seen in the triathlon race before. Finally, the weather forecast in Iceland is simply a reference, it is unpredictable, so thank you for your attention, you may now leave with full confidence and awareness of the danger and beauty. #3: to be continued.. (the swim plan B was.. ;) ) 12 hours before the race: (http://bit.ly/2tUJWHy) can I not feel nervous?
Race day, cloudy, chilly and WINDY! More precisely, it's freezing for most of the people who don’t live here. (http://bit.ly/2tUNVUx) but no joke, it is happening >///<
Right before the race was about to kick off, the race director casually called for the last athlete's meeting and Icelandically announced that the swim would either be canceled or changed due to the strong wind and currents. They called for a vote! Who prefers cancellation? Who prefers a change? The majority went with the change of swim, and there were no complaints that we had to walk 1.5km to the start. Swim start: it is definitely the first time ever I felt like I was in such a heroic and splendor scene of "the wind blows, the river freezes, the hero fords, never to return" (風蕭蕭兮易水寒，壯士一去兮不復還 by Jing Ke who was on a mission of assassination and failed in 230 BC (http://bit.ly/2uLkR0H) accompanied by a young girl playing the bagpipe. Here are the faces before setting off into the water. There was no excitement or that pump-up music like most of the triathlon races we've all been to. (http://bit.ly/2v9NWnl) Even with the shortened swim (to 1.5km), it was not easier with the even lower water temp (8° where we started, where the melted glacier streamed into the lake, then 10.5°, then 12° where we exited). The moment we started walking in, I could feel every single fiber of my body resist. My feet were frozen, my face was burned by the cold winds, and I felt strangled by the strap of the neoprene cap, I didn't hear the gun I was so cold. The wind kept carving out waves making it difficult to breathe the whole way. I swallowed water more than 4 times, with that icy stream seeping through my throat into my stomach, I couldn't stop the fear in this cold water, and I felt very lonely.
Right before the race was about to kick off, the race director casually called for the last athlete's meeting and Icelandically announced that the swim would either be canceled or changed due to the strong wind and currents. They called for a vote! Who prefers cancellation? Who prefers a change? The majority went with the change of swim, and there were no complaints that we had to walk 1.5km to the start. Swim start: it is definitely the first time ever I felt like I was in such a heroic and splendor scene of "the wind blows, the river freezes, the hero fords, never to return" (風蕭蕭兮易水寒，壯士一去兮不復還 by Jing Ke who was on a mission of assassination and failed in 230 BC (http://bit.ly/2uLkR0H) accompanied by a young girl playing the bagpipe. Here are the faces before setting off into the water. There was no excitement or that pump-up music like most of the triathlon races we've all been to. (http://bit.ly/2v9NWnl) Even with the shortened swim (to 1.5km), it was not easier with the even lower water temp (8° where we started, where the melted glacier streamed into the lake, then 10.5°, then 12° where we exited). The moment we started walking in, I could feel every single fiber of my body resist. My feet were frozen, my face was burned by the cold winds, and I felt strangled by the strap of the neoprene cap, I didn't hear the gun I was so cold. The wind kept carving out waves making it difficult to breathe the whole way. I swallowed water more than 4 times, with that icy stream seeping through my throat into my stomach, I couldn't stop the fear in this cold water, and I felt very lonely.
Side Bar /
Here is my experience of Cross Yellow River: (http://bit.ly/2he6kFY) great video as a reference of brutal water, exactly the year I was there (http://bit.ly/2vbZKpk). They open the dam which causes the river to rise by 1.2m in Qinghai, 2200m altitude, with the flow approx 3m/sec for the race, temp 3-10°, one lifeguard per swimmer. The Yellow River is China’s 2nd longest river and the 6th longest in the world- particularly known for its voluminous and strong currents. But out of the water we dress for summer, nothing compared to the winds in Iceland, and you can see how people dress from the picture below.
Here is my experience of Cross Yellow River: (http://bit.ly/2he6kFY) great video as a reference of brutal water, exactly the year I was there (http://bit.ly/2vbZKpk). They open the dam which causes the river to rise by 1.2m in Qinghai, 2200m altitude, with the flow approx 3m/sec for the race, temp 3-10°, one lifeguard per swimmer. The Yellow River is China’s 2nd longest river and the 6th longest in the world- particularly known for its voluminous and strong currents. But out of the water we dress for summer, nothing compared to the winds in Iceland, and you can see how people dress from the picture below.
Postscript: The following days after the race were sunny, sometimes cloudless, but still windy (!) as you can tell from the picture with an Icelandic beer reward. In order to not break the record for the length of a race report, I decided not to continue with stories from my post-race trip in Iceland, LOL, although the journey isn't over, I am still sifting through the emotions. Lots of thing went completely south for me, and I in turn was broken. But every moment before, during and after has been full of richness and laughter and growth and moments in life I wouldn't change for anything. What I've taken away is so much more profound.
photo/video credit: Arnord Bjornssen, Runar Andrew, Katrine Amtkjaer, Marco Muhlnike<:fr>
Challenge Iceland 70.3 - July 23, 2017
Race reporter Vivian #racelikeaviking
The hashtag echoes the slogan, organizer and the weather on race day.
#WOW
It really was a hella WOW viking race! (the race is sponsored by WOW Air :P )
This is my first Challenge Family race, and I think I picked a special, iconic, extraordinary one - and indeed, quite a challenging one!
I chose to race in Iceland in order to honor my grandpa who was recently diagnosed with ALS.
I enjoyed this ‘most northern triathlon race in the world’ with its pristine and breathtaking views, and surely feel I have accomplished a mini-Norseman. Literally the last letter sent from the organizer said - you can think of this as a mini Norseman - in order to remind us about the race conditions. I had no particular target in mind this year except to enjoy myself and have fun with triathlon. I intend to settle in Europe for a while to gain experience for my long term career goal. While looking for the race of year 2017, I thought of Iceland because my cousin who dragged me into triathlon talked about going for this one in 2016. It was already a place I wanted to visit, so I thought it would be even more memorable with a triathlon race.
I was afraid to register because:
#1: not only it would be my first race in the cold, I come from an island where the average temp is about 31°, and it‘s not even 13° in the summer in Iceland!
#2: this time I would race alone and had no training plan
#3: as a well-organized planning type, I wasn't big on an event where almost everything was left to chance and I had no clue how to plan the trip
#4: all I had was my willpower and persistence but what was eating me was the nervousness, the nervousness, and the nervousness...........
((just a quick look at where I used to be, heat and humidity, and most of the races in Torrid Zone where wetsuit - not allowed)) Conclusion : I must love my Grandpa very much in order to hit that 'Pay' button
LOL #1: the very limited information on the official website, the most complete information is the video (http://bit.ly/2hePF50) LOL #2: everything is TBD or coming soon (ha.. haha.. not really funny lah..) LOL #3: all I know is I will be doing a 70.3 distance in Iceland.. and thank god at least I know it will be on July 23rd, 2017. The website was not updated from 2016 so thankfully the race day was also July 23rd. LOL #4: the race briefing...I was glad I was not a first timer. I tried my best to find any picture or video on Instagram, forums, Strava, blogs (I almost posted on Quora) from the first edition of Challenge Iceland last year, in order to have a glimpse what I might be facing. There were less than 90 people who participated last year, and 50% were Iceland locals. Eventually, I went for a quick visit in June. I tried to swim and run in Iceland a little bit only because I literally had no clue and I thought it might be the only way for me to feel a bit more calm, in terms of logistics, food resources and that frighteningly unpredictable weather.
The whole thing was very Icelandic in style until the last moment- #1: the AIG came out a week before the race day... when everything you have to prepare was already set, and here was the information which people usually review and evaluate before registration LOL #2: the race briefing was, hmmm very casual, and different: telling us everything we need to know was included in the AIG (yeah..... sure), oh but notice (pointing) that the security is the number one concern during the race: first, during the swim, stop and wave if you need to (you can hold on the kayak and catch your breath once), be careful about bird attacks (there was an athlete who was driven off the road and badly injured by the birds, so protect yourself by keep your head down), and some more unusual signs, advice that I have never seen in the triathlon race before. Finally, the weather forecast in Iceland is simply a reference, it is unpredictable, so thank you for your attention, you may now leave with full confidence and awareness of the danger and beauty. #3: to be continued.. (the swim plan B was.. ;) ) 12 hours before the race: (http://bit.ly/2tUJWHy) can I not feel nervous?
The whole thing was very Icelandic in style until the last moment- #1: the AIG came out a week before the race day... when everything you have to prepare was already set, and here was the information which people usually review and evaluate before registration LOL #2: the race briefing was, hmmm very casual, and different: telling us everything we need to know was included in the AIG (yeah..... sure), oh but notice (pointing) that the security is the number one concern during the race: first, during the swim, stop and wave if you need to (you can hold on the kayak and catch your breath once), be careful about bird attacks (there was an athlete who was driven off the road and badly injured by the birds, so protect yourself by keep your head down), and some more unusual signs, advice that I have never seen in the triathlon race before. Finally, the weather forecast in Iceland is simply a reference, it is unpredictable, so thank you for your attention, you may now leave with full confidence and awareness of the danger and beauty. #3: to be continued.. (the swim plan B was.. ;) ) 12 hours before the race: (http://bit.ly/2tUJWHy) can I not feel nervous?
The whole thing was very Icelandic in style until the last moment- #1: the AIG came out a week before the race day... when everything you have to prepare was already set, and here was the information which people usually review and evaluate before registration LOL #2: the race briefing was, hmmm very casual, and different: telling us everything we need to know was included in the AIG (yeah..... sure), oh but notice (pointing) that the security is the number one concern during the race: first, during the swim, stop and wave if you need to (you can hold on the kayak and catch your breath once), be careful about bird attacks (there was an athlete who was driven off the road and badly injured by the birds, so protect yourself by keep your head down), and some more unusual signs, advice that I have never seen in the triathlon race before. Finally, the weather forecast in Iceland is simply a reference, it is unpredictable, so thank you for your attention, you may now leave with full confidence and awareness of the danger and beauty. #3: to be continued.. (the swim plan B was.. ;) ) 12 hours before the race: (http://bit.ly/2tUJWHy) can I not feel nervous?
The whole thing was very Icelandic in style until the last moment- #1: the AIG came out a week before the race day... when everything you have to prepare was already set, and here was the information which people usually review and evaluate before registration LOL #2: the race briefing was, hmmm very casual, and different: telling us everything we need to know was included in the AIG (yeah..... sure), oh but notice (pointing) that the security is the number one concern during the race: first, during the swim, stop and wave if you need to (you can hold on the kayak and catch your breath once), be careful about bird attacks (there was an athlete who was driven off the road and badly injured by the birds, so protect yourself by keep your head down), and some more unusual signs, advice that I have never seen in the triathlon race before. Finally, the weather forecast in Iceland is simply a reference, it is unpredictable, so thank you for your attention, you may now leave with full confidence and awareness of the danger and beauty. #3: to be continued.. (the swim plan B was.. ;) ) 12 hours before the race: (http://bit.ly/2tUJWHy) can I not feel nervous?
Race day, cloudy, chilly and WINDY! More precisely, it's freezing for most of the people who don’t live here. (http://bit.ly/2tUNVUx) but no joke, it is happening >///<
Right before the race was about to kick off, the race director casually called for the last athlete's meeting and Icelandically announced that the swim would either be canceled or changed due to the strong wind and currents. They called for a vote! Who prefers cancellation? Who prefers a change? The majority went with the change of swim, and there were no complaints that we had to walk 1.5km to the start. Swim start: it is definitely the first time ever I felt like I was in such a heroic and splendor scene of "the wind blows, the river freezes, the hero fords, never to return" (風蕭蕭兮易水寒，壯士一去兮不復還 by Jing Ke who was on a mission of assassination and failed in 230 BC (http://bit.ly/2uLkR0H) accompanied by a young girl playing the bagpipe. Here are the faces before setting off into the water. There was no excitement or that pump-up music like most of the triathlon races we've all been to. (http://bit.ly/2v9NWnl) Even with the shortened swim (to 1.5km), it was not easier with the even lower water temp (8° where we started, where the melted glacier streamed into the lake, then 10.5°, then 12° where we exited). The moment we started walking in, I could feel every single fiber of my body resist. My feet were frozen, my face was burned by the cold winds, and I felt strangled by the strap of the neoprene cap, I didn't hear the gun I was so cold. The wind kept carving out waves making it difficult to breathe the whole way. I swallowed water more than 4 times, with that icy stream seeping through my throat into my stomach, I couldn't stop the fear in this cold water, and I felt very lonely.
Right before the race was about to kick off, the race director casually called for the last athlete's meeting and Icelandically announced that the swim would either be canceled or changed due to the strong wind and currents. They called for a vote! Who prefers cancellation? Who prefers a change? The majority went with the change of swim, and there were no complaints that we had to walk 1.5km to the start. Swim start: it is definitely the first time ever I felt like I was in such a heroic and splendor scene of "the wind blows, the river freezes, the hero fords, never to return" (風蕭蕭兮易水寒，壯士一去兮不復還 by Jing Ke who was on a mission of assassination and failed in 230 BC (http://bit.ly/2uLkR0H) accompanied by a young girl playing the bagpipe. Here are the faces before setting off into the water. There was no excitement or that pump-up music like most of the triathlon races we've all been to. (http://bit.ly/2v9NWnl) Even with the shortened swim (to 1.5km), it was not easier with the even lower water temp (8° where we started, where the melted glacier streamed into the lake, then 10.5°, then 12° where we exited). The moment we started walking in, I could feel every single fiber of my body resist. My feet were frozen, my face was burned by the cold winds, and I felt strangled by the strap of the neoprene cap, I didn't hear the gun I was so cold. The wind kept carving out waves making it difficult to breathe the whole way. I swallowed water more than 4 times, with that icy stream seeping through my throat into my stomach, I couldn't stop the fear in this cold water, and I felt very lonely.
Side Bar /
Here is my experience of Cross Yellow River: (http://bit.ly/2he6kFY) great video as a reference of brutal water, exactly the year I was there (http://bit.ly/2vbZKpk). They open the dam which causes the river to rise by 1.2m in Qinghai, 2200m altitude, with the flow approx 3m/sec for the race, temp 3-10°, one lifeguard per swimmer. The Yellow River is China’s 2nd longest river and the 6th longest in the world- particularly known for its voluminous and strong currents. But out of the water we dress for summer, nothing compared to the winds in Iceland, and you can see how people dress from the picture below.
Here is my experience of Cross Yellow River: (http://bit.ly/2he6kFY) great video as a reference of brutal water, exactly the year I was there (http://bit.ly/2vbZKpk). They open the dam which causes the river to rise by 1.2m in Qinghai, 2200m altitude, with the flow approx 3m/sec for the race, temp 3-10°, one lifeguard per swimmer. The Yellow River is China’s 2nd longest river and the 6th longest in the world- particularly known for its voluminous and strong currents. But out of the water we dress for summer, nothing compared to the winds in Iceland, and you can see how people dress from the picture below.
Postscript: The following days after the race were sunny, sometimes cloudless, but still windy (!) as you can tell from the picture with an Icelandic beer reward. In order to not break the record for the length of a race report, I decided not to continue with stories from my post-race trip in Iceland, LOL, although the journey isn't over, I am still sifting through the emotions. Lots of thing went completely south for me, and I in turn was broken. But every moment before, during and after has been full of richness and laughter and growth and moments in life I wouldn't change for anything. What I've taken away is so much more profound.
photo/video credit: Arnord Bjornssen, Runar Andrew, Katrine Amtkjaer, Marco Muhlnike<:>
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