A short hiatus after finishing IRONMAN Malaysia in 2016, I found the itch to race again, but starting with the sprint distance at the recent 113 Desaru Triathlon in Desaru, Johor.

Underestimated the preparation and packing my gear, but fortunately I only forgot my cap and sunblock. In hindsight, I should prepare a packing check-list for future races. As it was a sprint race, I decided not to consume power gels for fuel.

Race morning was a little different for me this time round, as I brought my family along to let my children experience a Triathlon as my support crew. The weather was looking good and I was glad to see that we entered the sea in waves of ten participants with lifeguards on standby. There was also a water station beside the beach for us to rehydrate before or after the swim.

I had only trained in Desaru once before and didn’t know the terrain all too well. However, since this was a sprint race, I decided to push my limits in the 750m swim and 20km bike leg.

Hitting maximum speed of 48 kmh on the bike was thrilling, but after the ride I could feel my heart beat soaring to 180 beats per minute, likely due to lack of training.

Out onto the run leg, the sun was searing hot up to 36 degrees Celsius. It was really a challenge to maintain my composure although I only had to run 5km, it took me longer than I had anticipated to cross the finish line.

Overall, it was a good race, I will definitely aim to improve and look forward to return for next year’s race.

More about the author Victor Lim is a Triathlete who took up the challenge to explore personal inner potential and limits. He started Triathlon in 2016 and completed the IRONMAN Malaysia 2016, training with the Southern Tri Warriors team. He aims to complete more IRONMAN races and perhaps one day, compete at the World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.