Pushing through when a race doesn’t go as planned

No matter how much prep work we do, things can always go awry on race day. Professional triathlete Luke McKenzie shares his tips for pushing through the mishaps.

Try not to rush, and accept help when you need it. When things start to unravel, try to keep steady and not attempt to rush through things to make up time. At a recent Ironman an injury caused me to lose time during my swim. Things were made a lot worse when I was rushing to get my helmet on my head I pulled the buckle off the strap. I spent roughly two minutes re-threading it while the transition emptied around me. I got on my bike and it clearly wasn’t right. Trying to fix it on the move it came undone again and I had to pull over. With missing parts of the buckle and the strap fraying at the ends, I thought it was the end of my race. Luckily the tech support on course stopped and we were able to use cable ties to get it useable and get me back on the road.

When you unexpectedly lose time, try to remember to stick to your game plan to avoid a snowball effect of delays. I can’t thank the people who helped me with my helmet strap enough. When you hit a setback at any race, be willing to accept assistance from tech support, race volunteers, or other racers to get you back on track.

Stay positive. I certainly had my work cut out for me, losing a further eight minutes in the helmet drama but I was determined to make the best of the day even though I was far out of contention. When things don’t go as planned, you may need to readjust your goal for the race. Keep pushing yourself and stay positive. You may not reach your original goal, but you’ll finish knowing you did the best you could under the circumstances.

Remember what motivates you. My family provided me amazing support that day and I was determined to make them proud no matter what the outcome. By finishing the job I was able to achieve this, and make myself proud as well. When you feel yourself start to mentally check out of a race after things go wrong, think of why you’re racing to encourage yourself to keep going.

Reflect on what went wrong, and how it will make you better. Some days the cards aren’t dealt in your favor. It’s important to learn from the experience and continue on toward reaching your goals. 

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