the Bretzel Quintuple — this is my happy place now…

A long race, so a long story… Feel free to just look at the pictures, but I just couldn’t possibly keep this one shorter than it is…

---

Seeing the quintuple athletes on the course during last years Double Bretzel made me not only realise that you’re in a pretty strange place when a Double IronMan is the shortest race of the event, but it also got me interested in “The Quin”… After all those years working towards “The Deca”, and eventually not doing that race, a Quintuple did sound doable… So preparation began…

The Quintuple Bretzel Ultratriathlon
19km swim – 900km bike – 211km run

preparation

This is going to be my first race where I have to have a decent “sleep-protocol”. Over the years I’ve learned that getting through one night of racing is doable without sleep, two nights requires some power-naps, but this race will take anywhere between 5 and 7 days, so I have to be smart… I want to sleep enough so I won’t completely lose my energy in the end of the event, but I don’t want to sleep too long, because the goal is still to get to the finish-line as fast as possible… Sleeping too long also has a risk of the body ‘thinking’ that it’s okay to shut down and go into recovery-mode, which is not what you want during a race!
During the years leading up to The Deca (the race that I never raced) I researched sleep a lot, so I now have “sort of a plan”, but it’s still not a very structured plan… So here’s where my amazing support-crew starts their work…

A few weeks before the race Daan, Stijn and myself have our pre-race meeting; Daan and Stijn have been part of The Crew for a lot of my crazy events, so they know the drill, ask the right questions, and (usually) make the right decisions. We talk about a lot of practical stuff; nutrition during the race, logistics, equipment… And then finally “sleep”… My “not very structured plan” does not get approval, and The Crew tells me I need to sleep more than I originally wanted, since their goal was “to get me to the finish-line as efficient, quick ánd comfortable as possible”. I agree, and now something “clicks” in my mind: this Quin is not going to be a race… It will be a swim/run/bike holiday! From this moment on I am completely stress-free, and that mindset stays like this until, and even during the event!

Final preparations made, time to go to France!

Colmar, june 25th

Being at a location you know helps to keep the pre-race nerves away, and I’m still in my holiday-mindset when we arrive at the “basecamp”. Whilst Daan and Stijn pitch our tents (we have a tent directly beside the bike/run course for support, and a large “overnight” tent in a field 50 meters out, so sleep will be a bit quieter) I go and meet up with old friends and start making new ones. Then it’s time for registration, the opening-ceremony and the race briefing. It’s a nice and long afternoon, and knowing the course and the logistics makes it quite relaxed, all I have to do is listen if things are different from the Double last year, the rest is all information I all-ready know. During the swim-part of the briefing we get told the water temperature; it will probably be 28 degrees… So I ask if it’s allowed to swim without a wetsuit (on these ultra-distances wetsuits are often mandatory, since it’s even possible to get cold in hot water if you stay in long enough). Luckily I will be allowed to swim without the suit; although I am faster and more at ease in a wetsuit, last year I overheated and almost didn’t finish the swim, and that was only 2,5 hours… So I’m happy that that won’t be a problem tomorrow!

Colmar, june 26th, 06:40AM

Normally I like to be at a race a really long time before the start, just making sure there’s room for all possible delays… But this time we walk into the pool just 20 minutes before the race starts; all I have to do is rack the bike, and jump into the water, so why worry? Bike racked, short toilet-break done and I go poolside… I’m swimming in lane 1, which turns out to be “the fast lane” (who would have thought that would ever happen!), and with the other 3 swimmers in the lane we try to figure out who takes the lead; it will be a long swim, so no reason to start racing it! I can’t remember what my “predicted swim time” was when I filled out the registration form, but I dó know that my preparation this season was “less than perfect”, ánd I’m the only one not wearing a wetsuit, so I slowly start at the back…

At 0700 the swim starts, and The Quin has finally begun… From now on the clock is ticking, and it will only stop once that finish-line is crossed, but I remember the goal: “get to that finish as efficient, quick ánd comfortable as possible”, so I go easy from the start, trying to find the balance between “taking it easy” and “not being lazy and taking it too easy”. This is a balance that I need to maintain for the next few days; constantly conserving energy, but also being aware that I dó have to keep moving efficiently!

The swim itself has no “big stories” – during the swim you’re mainly dealing with yourself. I’ve broken the swim into 1500 meter sets; after every set a quick drink, some food, and then onto the next. Counting the lanes tot get to that 1500 meter is a nice meditation, so my mind is pretty empty during the swim. And since I’m the slowest swimmer in “the fast lane” I can get into my easy rhythm; sometimes I get overtaken, but there’s enough room for that to happen without anyone having issues with that. After every 90 minutes or so (depending on the 1500meter schedule!) Daan forces me to sit on the side of the pool for a second and makes sure I get a ton of sunblock on my shoulders and back. I first find this annoying (getting out of the pool messes with my mental rhythm), but then I know this is the smart move: on a race that will take all week the main goal should be to fix issues before the become problems, or if we’re too late for that: fix minor problems before they become big problems… Looking at necks/calves/wrists (basically all parts not covered by wetsuits) of some of the other competitors later in the week I know that the sunscreen-protocol was definitely the right choice!

The first 12km go by without any big issues, but then my shoulder starts to get painful. At first I find it interesting, since I’ve swum these distances before, but I never felt this. Soon it becomes annoying, and once the pain gets a bit more intense I start to worry… What if I can’t finish the swim? Daan gets me some painkillers and I just keep swimming, although after 15km the pain has spread to my entire arm, so I can’t really push out power on one side… Well, nothing to do other than just keep moving… The final kilometers feel like they take forever, but the mindset is still okay… Even when I hear that the lap-counters missed 200 meters, so I have a bit more to swim than I thought, I don’t really mind; on a long swim like this it doesn’t matter anyway, and the volunteers who have been counting laps for 8 hours are allowed to make a mistake at some point! After 7hours and 50 minutes I get out of the pool, and while I am tired, my shoulders hurt and my left arm is painful, I have to say I’ve felt worse after shorter swims, so all is well! Time for a true “ultra-triathlon-transition”. So a quick shower, some pasta-salad (on a multiday race you can’t survive on sports-bars, gels and electrolyte-drinks alone!), and about 30minutes after exiting the water I’m on my bike…

I exit the pool-area with the support of a local cyclist, who will guide me out of the city and towards the 8,75 km bike-course. Last year my lead cyclist was insanely fast, so this time I told the cyclist to take it easy. He took that a bit too serious, so I soon had to tell him that “too easy” is not really the plan… Happy to be out of the city I start the bike-lap, a nice course through the local vineyards, with a good view on the mountains in the distance… I get to ride this loop 102 times, so I might as well find a way to stay focussed… I find some fixed points on the course where I force myself to eat or drink (eating and drinking enough is something I struggle with, so I can’t do that “by feel”, I have to have a system for that!). The plan is to get new bottles and food every five laps, so after 45km I have a quick pitstop, and filled with new energy I leave again… The mind is strong, the body feels good, but I do feel the results of a hot day out in France; the battery is slowly depleting, and it’s still a long way to the finish…

Just before 21:00 I stop at basecamp and we have a short chat; the original sleep-protocol is to use the darkness for sleeping (to maintain a “normal” day/night routine, and because cycling in the dark takes a bit more energy), so I should not start a new “block” of 45km after 9… At the same time; it would be nice to get the first 150km done today… But my system is tired; and The Team decides (or “we” decide… in my memory this was The Crew, because I couldn’t make the decision) to stop for the day; this event is all about conservation of energy! So a quick shower, and then into the tent for a nice sleep…

day 1:
19,25km swim – 135km bike

Colmar, june 27th, 04:30AM

I originally planned to start every day in the dark, to ride/run into the sunrise. With a 0530 sunrise the 0500 start today is slightly too late to get to experience the darkness; it’s getting light, so I start the day with nice views over the local mountains. I get into my rhythm quite easy, and just tick off the laps; 5 laps at a time, after 5 laps new water-bottles, at some point a short lunch break… I’m really, really enjoying this. I keep eating and drinking on my fixed point on the lap, and at the same time every corner has now gotten a name… It helps with the focus; I’m not riding a full lap, I’m just riding from the “forest-bridge-corner” section to the “don’t do stupid shit” section, followed by the “a quintuple ís stupid shit” corner… It helps to distract me, and it makes me smile every time…

The “don’t do stupid shit” section got its name when early in the day I tried to get a sports-bar from my back pocket whilst still being in the aerobars, and doing so realising that a crash would be “sub-optimal”… And the “a quintuple ís stupid shit” was obviously my own reaction to that first reaction… Simple as it is, every lap I thought the same thing, and every lap it made me smile (and it also kept my mind focussed, because “don’t do stupid shit” is the best advice during an event like this!)

The day goes by without any big and epic adventures; just riding, eating, and riding… It’s nice to pass and be passed by other competitors; we’re all in this together, and the short conversations are awesome. It seems every cyclist on the course is starting to be a fan of my support-crew, and at first I am surprised. I know Daan and Stijn are doing an awesome job, so I’m a fan, but why are other athletes so happy with them? And then I start to see a pattern; since it was going to be a hot week we brought a fridge/freezer, and lots of ice-cream, and these guys have been handing out ice to all the overheated cyclists today (and will be doing that throughout the entire week!). I’m guessing not many who have raced The Bretzel this year will ever forget those ice-creams!

The mindset stays strong the entire day; where on other races I used to be working to ‘get to that finish’ (and therefore sometimes panicking when realising that “the finish” is still days away!), I am now just riding, and enjoying the ride… Finishing is no longer a goal, finishing will be a result that will happen automatically sometime this week, but I don’t have to work to make it happen (not sure if this makes sense… It’s hard to describe what’s going on in a tired brain… But is was a nice mental place to be in!).

After about 400km it’s time to end the day (I still feel really good, but let’s stick to the plan, and get some sleep… There’s still a long way to go!), so shower, food and sleep…

day 2:
400km bike

total distance so far:
19,25km swim – 535km bike

Colmar, june 28th, 03:30AM

The plan is still to start the day in the dark, and since yesterdays 05AM start was too light, the alarm wakes me up at 0330… Daan makes me breakfast while I wake up, and I’m on the bike at 4… It’s beautiful to ride into the sunrise, slowly the world wakes up, and the body seems to wake up at the same pace…

Not much happens today; it’s a similar day as yesterday: ride 5 laps, replace my bottles, ride 5 laps, and repeat that all day, sometimes adding an extra stop for lunch, second lunch, or dinner. Today is even hotter than yesterday, so the regular cool-down ice-creams help, and at some point I start wearing my “cooling-vest”. I bought the vest last year for the Double; it’s basically a vest that’s soaked in water, and the fabric retains the water for a long time, so it will cool you down for a long time. As is the theme all week: let’s make sure small problems won’t become big problems, and make sure to conserve energy where we can!

I’m still not “racing” or “getting to the finish line”. I just tick off the laps, and try to forget how many I have done or still have to do. Unfortunately I am always aware of the numbers (just as with the swim; counting laps is my “go-to meditation mode”. At some point today I actually have a few hours where I can’t remember how many laps I’ve done in the morning; that was a nice way to completely be ‘in the moment’!

In the afternoon I start thinking that today might actually be the final day on the bike. I have mixed feelings; I like riding my bike here, I like the bikelap (apart from the first bridge on the course; somehow there must be some construction-work going on, since it’s getting higher and steeper every lap!). But I’m also happy to change to the run after this, since it still is a triathlon…
Just before my final “block” of 5 laps I notice I’m having trouble seeing the traffic on the road, where in previous laps that was not an issue. I realise I cant look forward far enough, since the muscles in my neck and shoulders are getting too tired. I don’t really see this as a problem, it’s just an observation, but obviously this is a safety-concern, and when I tell my crew at least they do realise that! So for the final few laps I leave the timetrial-bike and get onto my road-bike. The different position on the bike feels really good, I can relax a lot of muscles that have been working hard for almost 900km, so I finish the bike fairly relaxed on the end of day.

During the final hours on the bike I started thinking; I would finish the bike at the end of the day, so a strategy could be to get some sleep and start running tomorrow, or could it be a good idea to start running tonight, get some miles in, and go to sleep after those first miles? I check with The Crew, and they have a phone/whatsapp talk with coach Jacomina, and they decide that a short run would be good to recover from the long ride. So when I finish the bike I get into transition, and 15 minutes later I’m out running…Daan joins me for the first lap (or laps? sometimes memories are a bit blurry!), and I tell him something I thought of this afternoon…

This whole “Quintuple” project seemed like it was “just another big long event” that I prepared for the last year or so, and although I haven’t had the preparation I wanted I am just happy that it is going this well so far… But on the bike I knew it; this was not a “one-year-preparation” — Although this event is “just half A Deca” – for me right here, right now, this is “My Deca”. All the hard work, the choices made, the research, the struggles, the teamwork of so many people helping me on this journey over the years… This is not a simple, short-term goal… What’s happening here this week is an adventure 6 years in the making, and finally all the pieces of the puzzle are complete, and in the right place… This is my happy place now…

I get emotional telling Daan this, but then try and fight of the emotions… There’s still a long way to go, since 211km is still a distance where anything can happen, so let’s stay focussed!

After only 12km, where I’ve had some short chats with the other athletes that are on the run course it’s time for bed… The routine is the same as last night; food, shower, sleep, and an early alarm… Less then 200km to go!

day 3:
bike 375km – run 12km
total distance so far:
19,25km swim – 909km bike – 12km run

Colmar, june 29th, 03:30AM

Another day, another 0330 alarm, and another 04AM start…Where normally I start out way too fast on a run I now find my “ultra-shuffle”, and start doing the 1300 meter laps… It’s nice to see the event field wake-up: when I start there’s a few runners and cyclist on the course, but when the sun comes up more people are starting their day, and support-crews are waking up as well… I see that my team is having fun by decorating the run-course at 6 in the morning, and over the rest of the day I see that a lot of people are enjoying the support (and the non-stop supply of ice-cream!).

I love the physical and mental challenges of long races, but what makes it really special is the atmosphere on the course. It seems that the longer the distance, the more special it is… Over the last days the Quintuple athletes and Crews have bonded on a level that’s hard to describe, and also the “shorter” distance racers are part of that family (“shorter” being a relative term; there’s Doubles, Triples, a 24-hour run and a “5-marathons-in-5-days” going on, so not really short races… And on top of that there’s the Triple-Split: a “one-a-day-Triple” followed bij a “continuous Triple” – so more long distances going on as well!). For me the community of the ultra-family is something you don’t see on “normal” events…

Today is the second day of the “5-marathons-in-5-days” competition, and competitor Sophie has decided to use her 2nd marathon of the week to pace me… I don’t know who she is, but it turns out she got some support (and probably ice-cream) from Daan and Stijn the day before, and now wants to help out a bit… She runs with me for about 30km, and is very patient when I have to stop for a quick snack… The kilometers fly by, and it’s nice to have a distraction… Did I mention that the ultra-family is amazing…

During the rest of the day there’s plenty more distractions; it’s getting busy on the course, and it’s nice to sometimes chat to other athletes; sometimes sharing happy moments, sometimes talking each-other out of difficult moments… This is a race without it being a race, we just all hope to make it to the finish-line, and we all hope that others do so as well!

There’s no “big” stories over this day… It’s just run a bit, eat, run a bit, drink, walk a bit, run a bit… The day seems to be even hotter than the day before, so with the help of my cool-vest and a lot of ice I make it to dinner-time…

And then, for the first time this week, the body starts to tell me that this is not a good plan… I feel good, until I sit down for dinner. As soon as I sit I feel sick, and a bit of rest doesn’t seem to help… So Stijn gets my bed out of the “overnight-tent” and brings it to the course, maybe a half hour break helps… But after half an hour of trying to sleep a bit I feel worse… The hot day takes its toll, and I’m done… I can’t think of a solution for the situation, but luckily we prepared a plan for when stuff would go wrong… The plan is simple: stop for the day, start again tomorrow… Don’t push through this and risk not finishing, but be smart and play the long game… So I get told that we will end the day early, and although I don’t believe I can run again tomorrow, I am now just really happy to get to bed (after a quick cold shower, since unfortunately the hot water is all out for the day…). And although the original plan was to go to bed later than the previous nights, because later in the race it’s okay to build up some sleep-deprivation, I find myself in bed earlier than the other days… No dinner, just some tea, and with an empty stomach I fall asleep…

day 4:
run 94km
total distance so far:
19,25km swim – 909km bike – 106km run

Colmar, june 30th, 03:30AM

Groundhog Day continues; 0330 alarm, on the move by 04AM… I don’t feel too well, I haven’t eaten yesterday, and the hot day depleted my energy-reserves (well, the hot day, and the four days of racing in the heat I guess…). I get my breakfast to go; eating some yoghurt while walking a lap in the dark resets the system and I start to believe again… Another yoghurt gets me powered up, and then it’s time to start running!

The sun comes up, and after a few crazy hot days it’s now finally raining. It’s nice to be out on a run and not constantly overheat. I’m ticking of the laps, and am completely back in “my happy place”. Communication with The Crew is a bit different now; with the rain becoming stronger our team-tent is now closed to keep the water out, so Daan and Stijn won’t see me run by. Every time I pass the tent I now just shout that all is well, or shout what I need to eat or drink…
At some point halfway a lap the rain stops being “a nice bit of cool rain”… In one second it changes into a downpour that is just insane… Within seconds I’m soaking wet, and even my high-tech running jacket doesn’t keep the water out… On a “normal” distance I would continue running, but now I know to stick to the plan: “fix small problems before they become big problems…”. I know that with the exhaustion from a week of racing it’s a bad idea to keep running… Running in this weather, with my body being this tired, will definetly result in being sick, and therefore into the dreaded DNF (“DidNotFinish”). So when I reach basecamp I jump into the tent, where there’s a hot cup of tea ready for me (since The Crew is on the same wavelength as me all week… They came to the same conclusion!). I sit in the tent, and in no-time there’s a new plan… Running is not an option, so we can wait until the weather improves, or… Why not dress into full waterproofs, get an umbrella, and start walking! I Never thought I would do this during a race, but weirdly, looking back on this moment, this is one of the decisions I am really proud of…

We were just in full control of the situation, improvising whilst keeping our eyes on the goal; get to the finish-line as efficient, quick ánd comfortable as possible… And walking with an umbrella is still faster than sitting in a tent! So I walk for an hour or so, ticking of some more valuable kilometres…

When the rain gets more manageable I start running again, and by now Daan and Stijn thought of a strategy for me to tick off the laps… They have decided that I run “blocks” of 7 laps: 3 laps of running, 1 lap of walking, 3 laps of running, and then repeat that. This works perfectly, and I keep getting laps done. Daan and Stijn join me for quite a few laps, and although it’s nice to have the distraction, it not necessarily “needed”… A small change in perspective from my other races, but a huge change in mindset!

During the day I see some other competitors finish – after days of running the course clockwise, the final lap is run counter-clockwise, so you get to cheer and say goodbye to other athletes – and some emotional moments happen on those laps… When it gets dark I run a few laps on my own, and I realise that it’s nearly over… It’s not that I’m happy that the finish is close, since I still feel good (“good” being a relative term, since obviously everything hurts… but still…), I’m mainly happy that the alarm will not be set at 0330 tomorrow morning… And looking forward to a nice bed… And a hot shower… But I also will miss this… This weird group of people, running small laps in the middle of nowhere, sharing this experience you can’t really explain to people… But then again; no time to think about it too long, since I’m about to start my final lap…

I get handed the Dutch flag (technically it was the flag of Luxembourg, but it was dark enough outside that nobody would see the difference anyway!) and run my final lap with Daan and Stijn… A few short breaks to share the emotions with the others that are still on the course, and 112 hours, 44 minutes and 41 seconds after I started swimming (seems like a lifetime ago now…) I am now the 166th person to ever finish a Quintuple Triathlon… What an adventure it has been…

day 5:
run 107km
total distance so far:
19,25km swim – 909km bike – 213km run
time: 112 hours, 44 minutes, 41 seconds

The day after we are back at basecamp; Daan and Stijn are packing the tents, and meanwhile we support other athletes on the course, both those on the quintuple and those on other distances. It’s also the moment to catch up with those who have finished as well; sharing stories and emotions… And one day later we do the same at the closing-ceremony… It’s nice to be able to have some time to say goodbye to these people and this event…

Afterthoughts…

This was a perfect week… Yes, there are still things we’ve learned, and that can be done differently if there ever will be a next ultra-triathlon, but overall there’s not much I would change… The body did hurt, and typing this 2,5 weeks after the finish the body still does hurt a bit, but the mindset was constantly in a “happy place” (apart from the moment where I was sick and started doubting how to go on…). The Team worked like clockwork, sleep-protocol worked as planned, nutrition went better than ever, pacing was perfect… As written before; without realising it when I started; this race was 6 years in the making, and it was all worth it… It will be impossible to mention everyone involved, but firstly big thanks to Daan and Stijn, who’ve not only taken care of me (and the other athletes on the course) this week, but who have been there for many years during many crazy events… And behind the scenes there’s coach Jacomina who has been helping me do this stuff for many, many years now, and sports-psychologist Danielle who not only helped to train the mind to do this, but also was the first one to let me be honest towards myself and made me say out loud that I wanted to “do the DoubleBrutal” (and things escalated a bit from there…).

And of-course a massive thank you to Bretzelman Laurent, speaker Bernhard and the Bretzel-team of amazing volunteers… Without you guys there would be no race… You are all awesome…

And then a huge shout-out to Anthony, Brad, Christian, Harald, Jacky, Joszef, Julius, Marion-Rita, Matthew, Niklas, and Steve… It was an absolute honour and pleasure to race with you… Hope to see you all again sometime!