What things should be done at least once in life or before dying? This is the typical phrase or list that many people consider doing to live new experiences. Each person has their objectives, but sometimes, coincidences make you carry out other challenges.
This is the story of Iván Bisquert and David Donate. Two young people from Xàbia, sports lovers, who have chosen to experience one of the toughest sports events in the triathlon, the Ironman: 3,86 km of swimming, 180 km of cycling and 42,2 km of running.
Their destination was Tallinn, Estonia, where they arrived on August 2 to play day 5 of the great test. After a hard year of preparation, in which they have dedicated between 15 and 17 hours a week to training, Bisquert and Donate set foot in the city that would make their personal challenge come true.
Ivan and David were in this together, but each had a different motivation. For Iván, a fan of triathlons, it was his second Ironman, (the first was in Whistler, Canada) "and my goal is to do the triplet and last, within three or five years, before reaching 50, with friends" .
On the other hand, for David, a trail running athlete, this was his first Ironman. A test that was never considered to be done, but that is part of the experiences that had to be lived before 50. "Right now it is not in my mind to do another one, but I don't know if I could change my mind," said Donate.
And it is that, as we spoke at the beginning of this report, the coincidences of life have made these two young people 'Iron men'. For neither of them, when they entered the world of sport, their goal was to do an Ironman, but throughout their lives, the motivation of friends has made them live this experience together.
Tallinn: the ordeal
The Tallinn test has been hard but beautiful and full of laughter and anecdotes. Both were finishers. Iván crossed the finish line after 11 hours 26 minutes and 55 seconds of effort. David did it after 12 hours 48 minutes and 17 seconds. Times that show the harshness of the test but the great will of both to move on. The two say that the swimming and cycling test went well, ending each segment with good feelings, arriving at the difficult moment in the running test. The fatigue was already felt around 20 km, but there were the spirits of his friend and partner Jaime Ortuño and his wife Kika.
"Seeing them at every turn, cheering us on and ensuring that our strength didn't drop, was what kept us going," say the athletes, who add that "the bike and running circuit was circular, so it motivated us to think about each lap that we would go back to the point where our friends were to fill us with energy and transmit strength with the music and the shouts".
the anecdote
But before living this experience, the xabieros lived moments of concern: the loss of their luggage and bikes. And it is that, the flight to Tallinn was with a stopover in Amsterdam. This stop was barely 50 minutes and what they did not want happened. They boarded the plane, but their luggage did not, which complicated the preparation for the test. Bisquert and Donate were wearing what they were wearing. It was Wednesday and on Friday they had to leave all the material at the race station.
Relatively, they had time ahead, there was a day and a half left, but the situation became more complicated when they arrived on Thursday at noon, they had only recovered the suitcases but not the bikes. After speaking with a race director, they get them to solve the problem if their bikes do not arrive, but the test would no longer be the same.
Iván and David follow the trail of their bikes, until finally, on Thursday night, they manage to recover them. On Friday morning, within a time limit, they assemble it and under heavy rain they test its operation in just five minutes. Now yes, the die was cast.
When the time came, the two xabieros positioned themselves at the start to face one of the challenges of their lives, managing to finish it, cross the finish line and position themselves in position 192 (Iván) and 339 (David) out of almost a thousand participants. . Undoubtedly, joy and personal satisfaction is unique.
the great support
They both thank all the colleagues who have helped and supported them during the last 365 days, so that this objective was achieved; "We thank the group for doing boring routes just for accompanying us to do our training and not leaving us alone in this, our coach Adrián Peris for making our preparation, adapting the training sessions to do them together and of course, having a good recovery, without all this, this would not have been possible", say the athletes from Xàbia.
And it is that, the merit is that Bisquert and Donate have been two of the 521 athletes (of the almost thousand registered) who managed to finish the Ironman ahead of the maximum of 17 hours of established time.
Congratulations!
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David Donate crossing the finish line
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David Donate in the cycling segment
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Iván Bisquert during the foot race
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Iván during the cycling test
Congratulations to both of you.