Oxygenaddict Triathlon Podcast · Rob Wilby

From "Maybe One Day" to "You Are an Ironman!": Martin’s Age-Group Story | Ep 564

·35 min·2 clips

Martin swims Ironman Kalmar in 1:07 and then races the flat bike course on heart rate after his power meter fails.

1. Oxygenaddict Triathlon Podcast centers this episode on Martin Ims and his Ironman Kalmar finish in Sweden. 2. Host Coach Rob Wilby interviews Martin Ims, an age-group triathlete and country manager, because Martin raced Kalmar after coming to Team Oxygen Addict for help. 3. The episode asks how a busy father and frequent traveler moved from "maybe one day" to entering and completing a first Ironman. 4. Martin says he had done sprint, Olympic, and one 70.3 at Holcombe before taking on Ironman Kalmar. 5. He describes a work life split between northwest England, Watford, and trips around Europe, with two grown-up children and a wife named Rachel. 6. He says the main barrier was the size of the commitment: a 2.4-mile swim, 180-kilometer bike, and marathon. 7. Martin explains that he first hovered over the Ironman website in 2022, felt fear, and then entered in 2023. 8. He says the trigger was wanting a new challenge before turning 50 and having something big in the calendar. 9. He and Rob discuss how many runners see a marathon as a major event, while Ironman adds swimming and cycling before it. 10. Martin says swimming was his background, while running was less natural for him. 11. He describes how hotel stays, gym searches, and TripAdvisor research shaped his training weeks. 12. He says he looked up local swimming pools and hotel training bikes in Watford and other places before booking stays. 13. He explains that he and his employer knew about the race early, which helped him manage the workload and training load. 14. Kalmar appealed because it is a flat course, it offered a race abroad, and two friends had already done it. 15. Martin says Kalmar is a one-loop bike course with a bridge to Öland and strong local support. 16. He recalls one spectator group doing a Mexican wave, which nearly caused him to wobble on the aerobars. 17. On race day, he says the alarm went off at 4:00 a.m. and the swim finished in 1 hour 7 minutes. 18. He says the marathon was a slog, but the crowd, family support, and a three-lap course helped him keep moving. 19. The tone is practical and reflective, with Rob asking detailed coaching questions and Martin answering in a calm, specific way. 20. Listeners considering a first Ironman or a race in Kalmar will get the most from this episode, while people wanting fast race gossip may skip it.

As heard by us

A calm first-Ironman story that makes the move from hesitation to finish line feel reachable.

Martin Ims's road to Ironman Kalmar works because it stays with ordinary hesitation: a person at a computer, weighing the leap, then finally making it.

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Why you'd press play

If your first Ironman is still a maybe, this Kalmar story helps you move.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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