Originally written in German. Translated to English by AI — please excuse any awkward phrasing.

On short notice I’ve decided to race the Ironman in Wales on September 11th.

To be upfront: this will be an experiment — I have no idea how it’ll go.

Arguments for doing it:

  • Good current form — maybe I can hold onto it until then
  • The knowledge and experience you gain from it
  • Ending the year on a positive note
  • Another shot at the Hawaii qualification for 2012 — hopefully none of the strong competition will be there
  • Beautiful scenery for the race

Arguments against:

  • First-year event
  • Open water ocean swim
  • Left-hand traffic
  • Complicated travel
  • Two Ironman-distance races in 7 weeks

Ultimately the positives outweighed the negatives, so I’m going to give the experiment a shot…