An Ironman at 52

Words by Jimmy Leow

I have finally done it! At 52, I am an Ironman – proven, dignified and proud to be in the Ironman family!

It was a “now or never” kind of decision before I signed up for the 2016 Ironman Malaysia in Langkawi. At that time, I didn’t even dare to think of completing the 3.8km swim, let alone cycle a gruelling 180km and run 42.2km in the triathlon in November.

Ironman Langkawi is ranked the second most difficult route in the world. You need to meet the individual’s cut off time and to wrap everything up in 17 hours.

The race threw everything – all the head wind, crazy hilly climbs and wet weather – at the 1,100 triathletes.

To me, the swim was the hardest, as I never had to swim that far in the open sea. You may be a good swimmer, but you will find people grabbing your legs as they try to overtake you or get kicked in the face if you are too close to the swimmer in front of you.

The bike route in Teluk Datai was hilly, and the three hills in Kuah were torturous. I had to push my bike at the second loop and my quads were screaming.

It later poured so heavily during our run that I thought the organiser would cancel the event.My run was quite good. I had no cramps.

All in all, the race was great. The feeling I had while running on the red carpet towards the Ironman arch with the crowd cheering was out of this world. This Ironman medal is meaningful to me and my wife Ong Hong Lean who is my greatest fan.