I raced the Lithuanian Championship of Long-Distance Triathlon – Iron Trakai, swimming 3.8 km in the lake, cycling 184 km with 1,350 m of elevation gain, and running a 42.2 km marathon through the beautiful Trakai region. Despite a bike setback during the race, I finished 8th overall, completing the full Ironman distance with time under 11 hours...
I registered for the Iron Trakai race three months before the event. At that point, I already had two years of consistent training behind me, including:
7 marathons (latest PB: 2:53)
4 Olympic-distance triathlons
A 104 km UltraTrail, which gave me essential experience maintaining an 11-hour endurance pace
Preparation for Iron Trakai
I planned a structured training routine for the three months leading up to the race:
Swimming: 5 sessions in the lake, each around 4 km
Cycling: 6 long rides between 120–160 km (120-120–140–160–120–120)
I mostly swam on Saturdays and rode on Sundays.This training not only prepared me physically but also gave me a deeper connection to open water swimming and the natural environment, creating new stories and experiences along the way. On Saturdays, my wife and I would go to the lake. While she waited on the shore so we could have breakfast together, watching through binoculars, I completed my swim sessions with a buoy. During this 3 month period, I also participated in one Olympic-distance triathlon in Jonava.
Training During Vacations
Even during vacations, I kept up my training:
• Short trips (2 times for 3 days): Cycling along the Curonian Spit to Nida from Klaipeda and back, swimming in the sea, and running sessions.
• Long vacation (16 days): 5-day mountain hike covering 80 km with a total ascent of 7,000 meters, reaching altitudes up to 2,700 m and overnight stays above 1,500 m, providing excellent acclimatization and a lowered heart rate. 8 days on the sea in Montenegro, where I ran in the mountains in the mornings and swam up to 2 km in the sea in the afternoons...
Nutrition Strategy
A key breakthrough during the race was my nutrition. I prepared homemade gels with maltodextrin and fructose, allowing me to consume a large amount of carbs while keeping my body and legs fresh throughout the race.
Race day
The morning of the race was covered in mist, and the water temperature was around 17°C. I carefully set up my bike and all my gear in the transition zone before heading to the start…
The swim leg was 3.8 km...
I maintained a steady pace, focusing on warming up and conserving energy rather than pushing too hard. Completing the swim in 1:14, I felt ready for the bike leg...
After exiting the water, I ran to the transition zone, removed my wetsuit, and prepared for the cycling portion, 184 km with 1350m of elevation gain...
Everything went smoothly during the bike leg - until the last 15 km of my second lap (we had 4 laps, 46 km each), when I suffered a rear-wheel puncture. I had to ride on the rim to reach my parked car, where I had a backup wheel. This setback cost me over 15 minutes, likely costing me 6th place...
Even with the puncture, I finished the bike in 5:56 hours (without it, I estimate at least 5:40). The route itself was beautiful, but the road quality was poor, which contributed to the puncture. With a total elevation gain of 1,350 meters, the course made the ride slower than expected due to the hills...
After the bike, I started the marathon leg and completed it in 3:40, with an average pace of 5:13 per kilometer...
Despite the puncture on the bike, I achieved my main goal: completing the Ironman distance under 11 hours.
A pleasant bonus was that at the Lithuanian Championship of Long-Distance Triathlon - IronTrakai, I secured 8th place overall.
After race relaxation...
After I collected my bike and all my gear from the transition zone, satisfied and full of emotions…
Crossing the finish line at Iron Trakai was more than just meeting a time goal - it was the reward for months of focused training and a love of endurance challenges. The misty start, the 17 °C swim, the hilly bike course, and even the puncture all became part of a story I’ll remember for years...
This race also gave me invaluable experience: staying calm and problem-solving when a puncture threatened my ride, and refining a nutrition strategy that let me consume more carbohydrates and keep my energy steady for nearly 11 hours.
Finishing under 11 hours and 8th overall proved that consistent effort, smart fueling, and the ability to adapt on the fly can turn even a hard goal into reality.
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