Gear 

 

I'm not a gear guy. My outstanding goal with this IM has been to not only do it, but to do it cheaply. IM can be expensive. Witness this blog which places the cost of an IM somewhere between $8000- $35000 without even counting the income lost from training 20 or so hours a week, or the 'make up' gifts necessary for being an absent father/husband/friend. 

 

Those of you who know me well will understand there was no way I was going to be spending $8000 on something which lasts 17 hours. And I'm glad to say I predict my IM costs are probably more like $3000, which are made up of entry fees, physio bills, some energy gels and powders, an entry level wetsuit and an expensive pair of brooks glycerin 11 (pictured left, which completely saved my run legs - I now consider them miracle shoes and am hoping brooks will consider leaving a hefty donation in return for this endorsement). I haven't bought a new bike for the race, I'm riding the same bike I ride to work every day.

 

That's it, everything else has come from really helpful and generous people, such as:

 

Ross Roworth who has provided my helmet (x2), my aero bars, my garmin, my heartrate monitor, my cleats (2 pairs), my lycra nicks(x4), my riding shirts (x5 or 6), a number of energy gels and powders, my gloves, my tyres my tubes, my puncture repair kit and probably about 20 other incidental bike things I've forgotten about. He is a keen rider with an online shopping addiction. I benefit from it. 

 

Greg Roworth - Greg serviced and fit my bike for me, maybe even a couple of times. He upgraded my 'harness' pedals to cleats and cooked a cracking roast at the same time. 

 

David Thomas and Paul Harrison - David gave me a replacement derailluer he had stolen from Paul's bike... so thanks both.

 

Daniel Hutchinson - Dan works in oil and gas and has found me enough Personal Protective Equipment to be my race day sunglasses and earplugs. what a guy.

 

So with all that lot, I've managed to do it on the cheap. I will pay a price for this on the day - my wetsuit isn't as fast as others, my bike will probably be the heaviest and slowest there. I'll have to work harder on both legs and that makes the chance of 'mechanical failure' on the run all the more likely.

 

But I still feel guilty about the cost of all this - more than once, after about 5 hours on the bike as the open sores on my arse have bled onto my bike seat I've thought 'why didn't I just give $3000 to charity?' Well, I'm trying to put that right now by getting this story to inspire you to give that money to charity. That way, my narcisistic delusions of granduer can become productive.