We’re now in the 10th day after Celtman, and I finally feel ready to write a race report, so you lucky people are being treated to the first edition 😀
Celtman is a member of the Xtri World Tour, and was one of the original 3 extreme triathlons that were created around the Norseman concept. The distances are slightly different to a normal full distance, and as you will see below they are also weather dependent. The swim is around 3400m, due to location and temperature (10-12degrees C), the bike is 202km and the run is either 36km or 42km depending on the route you take. People reaching T2A in under 11hrs, which is 17km into the run, can take on the 42km high course over 2 Munros (Scottish mountains over 900m height) and people after the 11hr cut-off take on the low course, which is 36km and follows a trail around a neighbouring mountain. The high course is extremely steep an technical with 2000m climbing ish, and the lower course is also very technical and contains around 1200m climbing.
The race centre is in Torridon/Shieldaig, which is a remote place in the highlands of North West Scotland. Weather here is always interesting and often the old “4 seasons in one day”, even in the summer. Shieldaig is the location for T1, and this is a very small village facing out into the North Atlantic. Race day was the 18th June and the weather didn’t disappoint, ambient temperature was between 12-16degrees all day, but the wind was off the scale. Around sea level it was 22mph, with gusts up to 40mph. On the higher ground it was around 25mph, and then on the mountain is was 40mph, with gusts up to 60/65mph. This had a strong affect on the race, as you will see below.
The morning of the race was windy, wet and cold. The race director made a late decision to run the full swim, which had been under threat due to swell conditions making it unsafe for the kayaks supporting and following the swimmers. The swimmers they were worried about. The start of Celtman is something else, a traditional Scottish band serenade you into the water, against the backdrop of moody Scottish mountains and a giant, burning Celtman symbol. The race was a mass start, with many shivering and trying to keep warm during the wait for the horn. The sound went up and chaos ensued. I haven’t done much swimming at all, especially in the wetsuit, so this was always going to be a test, I absolutely wasn’t ready though. I started ok but shorty after I was in trouble, goggles knocked off twice and my watch was acting up so stress levels were high. I ignored the mental state and focused on swimming but in the scrum and the swell I tried some breathing to the left to stop inhaling water, this resulted in some water getting into my left ear and causing me big issues. Apparently this cold water in the ears is a medical thing, but I’ve never experienced it before even swimming in colder water. This completely disorientated me, I couldn’t think, focus, sight, anything. The swim then became about survival and completion, I was all over the place and made some quite big detours. I eventually locked onto the finish, which was highlighted by some flaming signs, and limped my way to T1. Getting out at T1 I don’t really remember being helped to my transition area by my supporter, and remember even less of getting changed for the bike. The swim wasn’t too slow 1hr 7mins, my watch never recorded the distance but with my detours I estimate I’d have been at least 200/300m extra, so instead of 3400m, it was probably closer to 3600/3700.
I’d survived, just, and once dressed in T1 I set off for the bike, I was pretty pissed off at this time and this lit the proverbial fire under my ass as I started off on the bike.
The bike is a 202km loop, on wild, poor quality Scottish highland roads. There is 2000m of climbing, most of which is due to the constant undulations, but there is one significant 14km climb after 106km ish. The first section of the bike climbs up and down small, sharp climbs for around 15km, before settling into the first flatter section of around 25km to the site of T2. There was a tail wind for this section, with some crosswind gusts that required a lot of concentration. This section flew by and I was overtaking a steady stream of racers here due to my poor swim position, there was also a lot of traffic on this section, which slowed proceedings due to the road being single lane.
Once you get to T2 in Kinlochlewe on the outbound section the road opens up, the surface is still poor but there are two lanes, so no weaving required through campervans and cars. There was a crosswind for most of this section, which was very strong in places and required some concentration, there was also some rain to add to the chill in the air. I was still overtaking plenty of others in this section, which runs from around km40 up to km70. You pass through a few larger villages and then make a right turn to go long the northern edge of the bike route, here the wind was a mix of tail wind and crosswind, some roadworks and poor quality areas add to the fatigue, but the scenery is magnificent and distracts from the difficulty. Some more short sharp climbs out of the saddle and some more overtaking brought me to the start of the long, draggy climb to the high point. This climb passed relatively easily in the big ring, wind again being a mix of cross and tail, before the descent comes. The wind here was extremely strong from the side. Normally this descent is extremely quick but with mix of weather, and passing buses it was difficult to go all out and a lot of care was required. A right turn is made during the descent and then the wind became mainly a tailwind, so the next section was very fast, spinning out in the top gear, and this lasts until you make the final right turn into the last 40km. This section is generally always into the wind, with the prevailing direction being in your face from the rest. Everyone had the same idea, to save some power for this final effort, but everyone also found that the old “everyone is ok until they get punched in the face” was definitely true here. The wind was a beast, constant 22mph block headwind, with some stronger gusts when entering steep sided valleys. This section was hard and the constant fighting with the bike due to the wind being whipped around by the mountains added to the overall fatigue. It was difficult to settle into a rhythm here the final big descent through a steep valley was dangerous as a squally storm hit. I got to T2, with a time of 6hrs 25min ish for the 202km, so overall I was very happy hitting very close to target power of 240watts. Biggest problem I had was linked to the shoulder, and this was holding the tempo position. I hadn’t had much time on the TT bike outside, and strength training had also been affected after the shoulder op.
T2 is a wet field in a small village, the run that follows is either 42km or 36km of mainly technical, mountain trail over several summits. Conditions cover the whole range; tarmac, gravel, sand, mud, rock, bog and streams. Both run courses are awesome. Due to the extreme winds the mountain rescue service closed the high route, so it was all in on the lower route for all. I started the run feeling relatively good. Back, shoulders and legs were extremely tight after the fight on the bike, so pace was slow to begin as I worked my way into the run. You have a relatively flat section for 3/4km before the climbing starts, and the first climb takes you up onto the Coulin pass and over into the estate. Singletrack trails add interest and help you forget the fatigue, although you need to be careful on the slippery, boggy sections or it is easy to lose your footing or your shoes. You descend from the first climb and wind through open farmland and forest back to the road, you don’t see another person here and are flanked by mountains on all sides. Hitting the road is a reality check, the constant short, steep ups and downs really hurt the legs as you us on to the mountain safety check at T2A. The first 33km of the run are into a headwind, and it is felt strongly here. A kit check is carried out at T2A, with a mandatory safety stop of 2mins for everyone, there is no rest standing around in the wind and driving rain. At this point your support runner joins you with the mountain kit bag we both need to carry. My support is in full wet weather kit, I am in shorts and running tshirt. The ok to proceed is given and then it is time to start again, the stop hasn’t helped the legs, and some stiffness has set in as we began the tarmac section to T2b, which is only 2km but feels longer into the wind and rain. At T2B we enter the mountain for the lower course, we don’t get too high, but the trail here is wet, sandy, rocky, boggy singletrack and starts by climbing to around 400m altitude, before circling around the back of a mountain. A storm blows up here an the wind speed increases, driving rain into our faces and making it difficult to maintain balance and find footing. I love this section though, my legs wake up and we settle into a rhythm, I have a good dialogue with my support, who for some reason ploughs through all the mud and water while I “dance” over the rocks, not sure who has it right, but I certainly didn’t want to carry the extra weight of water and mud. This trail requires a lot of thought and this distracts from the fatigue, I feel good and we hold a good pace as the trail winds it’s way down to sea level and the final tarmac climb to the finish. With the finish in site the last tarmac section doesn’t feel too bad, although I had a couple of pangs of sickness meaning I needed to slow in a couple of sections, but we get to the finish line in good time, holding 20th place overall, where you are met with a bagpipe player, a bottle of beer and a warm village hall to get changed in.
Celtman had delivered, it was a big shame the wind closed the high course but the race organisation are fantastic, the location is epic, the route is something else and the whole race community is one of the best in the world, with everyone pulling together to get everyone to the start and finish lines. The amount of support, gear loaned, advice, nutrition shared is unbelievable and it is not cheesy to state that the Celtman is a family.
Overall I came in 20th place, with a normal swim I would have been fighting for the 10-15 places, which given my training restrictions I would say was about par.
For nutrition I had a bowl of Sfuels keto3 cereal in greek yoghurt, topped with raspberrys, with a slice of low carb GF bread and almond butter. This was washed down with a bottle of Sfuels train, sipped until the start. On the bike I used exclusively Sfuels Race+, the first and final bottles with a serving of primed, which includes caffeine. I had a beetroot bar around KM 100 of the bike, more for the comfort of chewing something. On the run I had mainly plain water, with sfuels Gel+ every 20mins or so, I had a couple of pretzel pieces from the aid stations, and a handful of haribo to take my mind off the cold at T2A during the mandatory stop. My stomach felt great during and after the race, with the exception of the final few KM of the run. I believe this was salt related though, as I never took any and ignored sweat rate during the run due to the wind and rain.
Overall I am happy with the bike and run, the swim needs work but I knew this and after the shoulder Op in December I was happy to be racing. Found it really hard to get any swimming in due to the shoulder and also family life. It was also an effort to get to the start line due to my current mental state, with too much going on in life. Happy to have made it though and would recommend Celtman to anyone looking for a life-affirming, epic challenge.
On a lighter note, there is a standing joke about the Celtman jellyfish, and after the swim I now understand why, there are thousands, you are literally stroking and slapping them the entire way through the swim. They aren’t the stinging variety, but it still takes some getting used to, they don’t feel how I expected either.
Tri Endure IM 