Just two years since his first ever triathlon, Marc Jones is now a double ironman. Hailing originally from the land of the Prince Bishops, Durham, in North East England Marc made the transition from rower to triathlete during a period living in London. Marc has had tri-fever ever since, and last year friends and training partners at his then local club, Tri London, inspired him to take the challenge under the scorching Lanzarote sun. This year,the island’s 20th year of hosting the event that claims to be “probably the toughest Ironman race in the world”, he went back to do it all again.

We caught up with Marc in his hometown to find out a little about his Ironman experience, and mine some nuggets of that priceless first hand experience you can only obtain by asking someone who really has been there, swam 2.4miles, cycled 112 miles, ran 26.2 miles and truly earnt the t-shirt.

What attracted you to Ironman Lanzarote 2009 instead of other races such as the closer to home Ironman UK?

I’m quite a social athlete. I got into Ironman through training with Iron distance athletes and a lot of my friends were doing Ironman Lanzarote. I also liked the idea of going somewhere hot and sunny where I could know what to expect from the weather on race day. Ironman is hard enough in good conditions, let alone pouring rain.

What did you learn from Lanzarote 2009 and how did you apply it to Lanzarote 2010?

The hardest part is just keeping going. If you can just keep going, it’ll be over quicker than you can imagine. Just don’t start walking.

In training for Iron-distance races have you ever found yourself asking the question ‘why am I doing this?’ ?

I think if I don’t ask that question of myself, I’m not training hard enough. I think the thing about racing and training hard is, it is difficult, and sometimes you scare the life out of yourself, but then you realize that the bad times pass, and you realize how much you enjoy it, and the harder it was, the more you enjoy it.

Ironman Lanzarote features a two-lap sea swim, I imagine you don’t get to train in the sea much, living inland. Is inland open water swimming enough if you are preparing for a sea swim race?

The main benefit from open water swimming is that you don’t have the rest you get in the pool. Every length in a pool is maybe 5m gliding, and therefore a rest for your arms. I found recently when swimming with triathletes who are much quicker than myself in the pool, that on the 3^rd or 4^th lap of an open water training session, they couldn’t keep up with me, I think this was due to several weeks in Lanzarote where my only swimming training was uninterrupted sea swimming.

There is something really helpful for your endurance to be gained from not swimming lengths. If the sea is calm on the day, then it is exactly like swimming in a lake, and to be honest my experience of rough sea swimming is that it could be a whole new kettle of fish, whatever you’ve trained for. Open water swimming definitely does need to be done but providing you are well practiced at sighting you should be fine.

I imagine there is a great atmosphere between a large group of people all aiming to overcome such a massive obstacle. Is everyone pretty friendly on the island or are there some clashes of ego?

One afternoon I sat in the shade chatting to a couple of people, and halfway through the conversation I realized it was Catriona Morrison (this years women’s race winner ) and her boyfriend. That’s just one of many similar stories, and everyone is like that. Everyone wants everyone else to do well, and that’s very interesting considering the competition. I’ve always experienced it as being a very friendly atmosphere, and good camaraderie. I’ve never fallen out with anyone. Everyone knows it’s tough and that it can easily go wrong, and that’s a great unifier no matter how good or bad you are.

I imagine Ironman Lanzarote consists simply of hotels, food outlets and sports gear retailers. Is the holiday atmosphere totally non-existant?

No, there is a big holiday atmosphere, particularly in Puerta del Carmen where the race starts. There is quite a long strip of bars and restaurants, casinos and clubs there.

Is there anything to Ironman Lanzarote that you wouldn’t know about unless you went there?

Interestingly, Lanzarote has lots of little gems that were designed by Cesar Manrique who grew up there, moved away and became a famous artist. He moved back and got involved in government and evolved a policy to keep the island looking beautiful. His work is definitely worth checking out!

How do Ironman triathletes unwind after training?

Usually with beer! Having said that, I’m very good friends with my foam roller, and those balls you put in the tumble drier are handy for self massage too.

What advice would you have for a triathlete who has completed Olympic and perhaps half ironman races and is looking to make the step up to Ironman?

As many bike miles as you can. The quality of your marathon is going to rely on how fit you are off the bike.

How did the race go this year?

The race started off wonderfully, it was a really great event. Last year I was frightened, but this year I was relaxed at the start. I think it could have gone better but I was please with my swim time. I was also pleased with my bike time, and I got off the bike with relatively fresh legs. However, I was disappointed to be faced with a chest problem early in the run that meant I couldn’t run as fast as I wanted to and I struggled from then on in.  When I realized I wasn’t going to hit the times I was hoping for I relaxed and thought  ‘ Hey, you’re doing an Ironman, kick back and enjoy it’. I started having a bit of banter with the people on the sides and ended up having a really good day. Maybe not one I was proud of in the end, but I really enjoyed it.

You should be proud though; to complete two Ironman Triathlons is still a phenomenal achievement.

Yeah I guess. I’m impressed with anyone who does it, so I can’t say I’m not chuffed, but when you’ve trained for it and it always feels a let down to not get what you want.

Have you thought about next year?

I haven’t entered for next year yet, but I really want to. It’s infectious. It’s such a tough island, I really want to get it right.

So your next Ironman will be in Lanzarote again?

I’ll definitely go back there, if not this year, then sometime soon.

As I said goodbye to Marc, he was loading his car with his bike, a Dolan frame, and 2 sets of super light wheels. He was on his way to ‘A Day In The Lakes’. He’s so relaxed I can only assume that Half Ironman Triathlons in Cumbria must be like a dip in the pond, a tootle to the shops and a jog in the park compared to full Ironman events on volcanic islands. For more insight into Marc’s triathlon journey visit his triathlon blog.

Related posts:

1. Triathlon inspiration: Arch-to-Arch, double ironman and other extreme triathlons Edgar Ette, along with Steve Haywood, runs Enduroman Ltd, the...