Five hours or failure? For almost a year, that was how I framed IRONMAN 70.3 Poznań. I had logged roughly 150 km of swimming, 1,700 km of running and 2,300 km on the bike. Ahead were 1.9 km in Lake Kierskie, a 90 km bike leg and a half marathon. A hydration system came loose, a car nearly crossed my path, and my stomach stopped cooperating on the run. Even so, the official clock stopped at 4:58:06.
This is another chapter in my Road to Ironman 2027. All finish times and rankings come from the official race result; the FIT file is used only to describe how the effort developed.
A year of training reduced to one target
Poznań was meant to be the key race of my season. After finishing Bydgoszcz in 5:07:35, breaking five hours looked ambitious but possible. Better open-water confidence, improving fitness and several equipment changes had brought me here. Now the question was simple: would almost a year of work translate into the result I wanted?
The logistics needed their own plan. T1 at Lake Kierskie and T2 near the stadium were about 13 km apart, so the race pack, run bag, bike and morning transport all had to be in the right place. Strangely, I felt calmer than usual. The excitement was still there, but my fear of the swim had faded.
The swim: a decisive wetsuit test and sub-40
The rolling start released groups of eight every ten seconds. I chose the far-left position: a slightly longer line to the first buoy, but also more space. My goal was under 40 minutes. I did not use my current-assisted Bydgoszcz swim as a reference; the honest comparison was 46 minutes in Gdynia.
The opening metres felt good, sometimes very good. Navigation was the main issue. The buoys were difficult for me to see, I corrected my line repeatedly, and at one point I had to stop completely to work out where to go. What never returned was panic, and that was the biggest change.
My ZEROD Fuzion Max wetsuit from TriCentre.pl played an important part. It kept me high in the water and gave my shoulders far more freedom than my previous suit. I came out in about 38 minutes feeling composed and ready to race. The wetsuit had passed its first serious test.
The biggest swim success was not only going under 40 minutes. It was reaching T1 without feeling that the race had already taken too much from me.
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T1: forgotten socks and vegetable-bundle bands
A long run from the water led into T1. I found my bag, removed the wetsuit and headed for the bike, only to realise I had forgotten my socks. After a brief stop I was moving again. The official T1 time was 5:05.
For the first time, I left my shoes clipped into the pedals and held them level with elastic bands. The idea was sound; my choice of bands was not. I used the thick kind found around bundles of vegetables, and instead of snapping they blocked my pedalling. I had to bend down while moving and break one by force. The lesson is clear: test this setup beforehand and use thinner bands.
The bike: 2:36:00 despite a stop and a near collision
The plan was to average around 34 km/h while keeping the effort controlled. The opening kilometres disrupted that immediately: a slight uphill, rough tarmac, speed bumps and, after two or three kilometres, a Profile Design FC35 hydration system that came loose. I caught it before it hit the road, stopped and mounted it again.
The rest of the course was fast and mostly flat, although the wind was stronger than I expected. I stayed aero, kept eating and gradually recovered the lost speed. The most serious moment came at a roundabout. After one car was allowed through, another moved into my path. I braked as hard as I could and we missed each other by very little.
The FIT data shows an interesting change, but not its cause. My first 45 km averaged about 33.8 km/h at 183 W and 152 bpm. The second 45 km was faster at roughly 35.7 km/h, while average power fell to 169 W and heart rate to 148 bpm. Course profile, wind, stops and traffic may all have influenced those numbers, so I do not treat them as proof of superior pacing. The full bike recording reported 176 W and 150 bpm; the file did not support a reliable Normalized Power calculation.
My left leg was going numb and the final kilometres hurt, but the official bike split was 2:36:00. The combined time still left a real chance of breaking five hours.
T2 and the half marathon: 1:36:40 on a reluctant stomach
Elastic laces worked perfectly in T2. Finding my rack position did not: I went to the wrong side and ran beneath the racks twice before locating it. The official transition time was 2:21. I had about 1:38 left for the half marathon, which meant almost no room for error.
I opened too hard, running the first kilometre in roughly 4:02 when my target was closer to 4:20. Soon my stomach objected to the gels. I took only one more during the entire run and relied on water, electrolytes and heavy cooling at every aid station.
A clear low point arrived around kilometre six. The left foot that had gone numb on the bike now hurt, with the pain spreading upward. The temperature was above 24°C, the sun was getting stronger, and four laps meant dozens of corners and U-turns. The format also gave me two major advantages: I saw my family on every lap and always knew where the water would be.
The FIT recording shows about 4:22/km for the first 10 km and about 4:37/km for the remainder, with similar average heart rates of 166 and 167 bpm. That pattern is consistent with the rising cost of the effort described in my race account, but the file cannot separate the effects of heat, aid-station stops, pain, nutrition and the many corners. Crucially, even as the pace slowed, my margin to five hours gradually grew.
On the final lap I no longer had to calculate. I only had to reach the stadium, turn onto the red carpet and finally celebrate. Official half-marathon split: 1:36:40, averaging 4:36/km.
Official IRONMAN 70.3 Poznań result
| Leg | Official time |
|---|---|
| Swim 1.9 km | 38:00 |
| T1 | 5:05 |
| Bike 90 km | 2:36:00 |
| T2 | 2:21 |
| Run 21.1 km | 1:36:40 |
| Finish | 4:58:06 |
The result placed me 24th of 126 in M40–44, 200th of 1,044 men and 220th of 1,298 finishers overall. The number that mattered most was 4:58:06: I had broken five hours by one minute and 54 seconds.
What Poznań taught me about the full distance
I am proudest of the swim. For years it was the discipline I feared most, yet in Poznań I left the water after 38 minutes without feeling drained. The wetsuit passed the test and is the one I want to wear for my full-distance debut.
The bike showed that I can return to the task after equipment trouble, but it also underlined the importance of secure accessories, safety and protecting the legs. If I genuinely want to chase ten hours over the full distance, I need to ride 180 km not only quickly, but in a way that leaves enough for a marathon.
Nutrition is the biggest unresolved issue. In a 70.3 I could reduce the gels and bring the run home with water, electrolytes and cooling. Over the full distance, that improvisation will not be enough. I need a fuelling strategy that my stomach accepts for many hours, tested well before race day.
Poznań answered whether I can break five hours. I can. It also showed how much work still separates me from a full Ironman.
The next stop is the Warsaw Marathon. Two years ago, after celebrating my return to health, I promised myself “never again” unless I was chasing a personal best or pacing Ola. I have entered another one. This time I am trying not to inflate the expectations — but the ambition is still there.