Jonathan Drennan: Ironman pushed me to my limits, and I still question why I did it

The start of the cycle race at Ironman in Youghal on Sunday. A full-distance Ironman takes place over 140.6 miles, with a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a marathon to finish. Picture: John Hennessy

On the stairwell of my apartment, there is a crinkled bit of paper in a frame, with a number and the Irish flag. It is my race number from Ironman 2016 in Nice, France. I completed the event in just over 11 hours, and have never returned to do any further events. 

A full-distance Ironman takes place over 140.6 miles, with a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a marathon to finish. I know that doing that Ironman pushed my body and mind to its limits and I still question why I did it.

Ironman events take place throughout the world. Their red logo is distinctive and can be seen tattooed on countless calves of those who have completed it. When you arrive at a race, you feel that you have entered a huge global church of fitness, with its parishioners worshipping at the altar of extreme triathlons. 

There is loud music blaring, merchandise stands everywhere selling expensive t-shirts and towels with the ubiquitous Ironman logo. You can even purchase an Ironman-branded baby stroller. Hundreds of entrants from every corner of the earth descend to these events to reach an athletic Valhalla that some believe is barely possible.

Ironman does not shy away from the demands the events place on competitors. One of their taglines is “anything is possible”. The name “Ironman” has almost taken on a mythical status among some triathletes, believing that if you can take on this event and complete it, it can serve as a positive metaphor for the rest of your life. 

After becoming an Ironman, what can stop you? You know this is foolish, you know that it is simply a large triathlon, but you still get swept up in the athletic hyperbole. You sign a waiver that leaves you in no doubt about the task you are going to take on. 

You tell yourself that the risks will be mitigated by selfless training and dedication. You also tell yourself that death or serious injury will never happen to you.

I decided to do the Ironman for two reasons. I had been swayed by the wide range of inspirational Ironman videos available on Youtube. “If you can finish an Ironman, you can do anything”, said the calming tone of the narrator, as the camera panned across the swimmers, ready to leap into the sea set to the pulsating soundtrack. 

I wanted to become a member of this exclusive club. At the time, I was also battling seriously against severe anxiety, I felt the structure, challenge and achievement of completing an Ironman could represent something far bigger than sport.

There is not one type of person that does an Ironman. There are high-powered executives who are addicted to the sense of achievement where there is a fairly easy correlation between effort spent training and quicker times on the clock. 

Given the grueling nature of each distance, you are forced to stay in the present for each section of the event. You are forced to break each section down into small fragments if you are going to survive mentally during a relentless day. The stress that you are feeling at work or at home disintegrates when your brain is simply focused on finding the oxygen it needs to keep going at each stage.

There are incredible competitors in each Ironman event. During my race, I entered the final stage of the marathon in a sorry state. My hips had been weakened from too many years playing rugby with a featherweight body and were burning with pain. I could hear them continually click like a broken clock with each step. 

Some of the athletes lining up for Ironman in Youghal on Sunday. Competitors will never stop chasing how far their bodies and minds can take them in endurance triathlons around the world. Picture: John Hennessy

I crouched down in agony and then turned around and saw a man pushing his disabled son in a buggy just about to start his long run. He had swam with his son in an inflatable boat through the sea, and cycled him in a cart at the front of his bicycle through torturous hills. His son did not stop smiling throughout the last run. Father and son were bound together doing something they loved.

Obviously, every competitor is built differently and will have certain strengths and weaknesses. I was a strong swimmer, an average cyclist and a poor runner. I was confident that I would be largely relaxed during the swim, but equally, like a marathon, no Ironman event is the same. 

There are now over 170 Ironman-branded events in the world, including the half-Ironman 70.3 event and 43 full-distance events. On their website, it gives you an idea of what to expect for each event, including whether the run is hilly or flat, the swim is in a bay, lake or sea, and also, the average water temperature.

My Ironman in Nice cannot be compared to the one that took place in Youghal. On the official website, Ironman Ireland Cork states that its swim portion takes place within a bay, which could lead you to assume it's normally sheltered. However, the conditions that I witnessed from the footage of the event in terms of the roughness of the sea and visibility made it a seriously challenging swim.

Some of the athletes finishing their swim during Ironman in Youghal on Sunday. The competitors of the 2023 Ironman and Ironman 70.3 events in Youghal will never forget their day, sadly, for all of the wrong reasons. Picture: John Hennessy

I compete regularly in ocean swimming races with distances up to 5km. I have great respect for the sea but rarely, if ever, feel any fear during competition. This would have changed in Cork. I would not have been confident getting into the water in Youghal. Waves were crashing into the shore before swimmers could even get their first strokes moving in the water. 

The wetsuit that will be used in an Ironman will give you a certain level of buoyancy, but a colder sea temperature like Youghal will still sap your energy quickly as your body deals with the shock of entering the water. Once you add in rough seas that you have to battle through to get to the first buoy, it can make for an extremely tough day. 

Additionally, if you are not used to swimming regularly in ocean swimming races, surrounded by lots of arms and legs, it is easy to feel panicked. This anxiety could be exacerbated for some competitors who might have chosen the event based on the assumption that as a bay swim, it should normally operate in far calmer conditions than an open sea swim that is more exposed to the elements.

Triathlon Ireland stated it was not possible to sanction the race due to adverse conditions on the day, but the swim still took place. Just before the starting pistol in my Ironman, I remember a deep silence in the water. Everyone was aware of the challenge ahead of them. I knew the risks, but I naively refused to believe that I could ever be in serious danger. I doubt I was alone.

The triathlon community in Ireland is a small and extremely supportive one. Its members will be in shock at what happened in Youghal for some time to come. Ivan Chittenden from Toronto, Canada, and Brendan Wall, originally from Co. Meath tragically died in the pursuit of completing an Ironman 70.3 event.

Competitors will never stop chasing how far their bodies and minds can take them in endurance triathlons around the world. They invest significant time and money in pursuit of their dream, whether it's completing an Ironman event or one with its competitor Challenge Family triathlons. Finishing these events is a rare achievement. 

The competitors of the 2023 Ironman and Ironman 70.3 events in Youghal will never forget their day, sadly, for all of the wrong reasons.

• Jonathan Drennan is a sports writer