2025 Challenge Taiwan 113km Individual (FINISHER)FINISHED TIME: 07:15:16OVERALL PLACE: 801 of 2125AGE GROUP (40–44): 147 of 282

🏊🏻 Swim 1.9km: 01:08:17｜1938 of 2125 – No surprise, still awful 🫠

🚴🏻 Bike 90km: 03:09:39｜622 of 2125 – Coming to terms with my limits 🫣

🏃🏻 Run 21km: 02:30:32｜929 of 2125 – Most improved and surprising segment 🥹

🔁 T1: 00:12:48｜T2: 00:13:57

YA✌🏻!!! Another race completed with @j_ack0831 and @dann_huang 🙌🏻

As always, I was chasing from behind due to my slow swimming. I tried catching up to them throughout the race—exchanging high-fives and encouragement whenever we crossed paths—but I just couldn’t close the gap. We ended up finishing around the same time, and it absolutely destroyed me 😵—painful but fun!!

Last year, I did the 226km aiming only to finish. This year for the 113km, I went all-out to see how fast I could go. I finally made it to mid-pack! My quads started cramping around the 30km mark on the bike and never stopped until the finish line! As expected, the discipline I trained the most—running—improved the most. No surprises, no shortcuts.

Bike segment still needs serious work, or I’m going to be in trouble at the World Masters Games at the end of May 😂!

Since I was so slow in the swim, I went full throttle in T1. My heart rate hit 165 right after jumping on the bike. I tried to keep my heart rate under 160, conserving energy against the wind and pushing more on downhills. Because of the cramps, I knew I couldn’t stop to rest—it would only make things worse. I kept riding while shaking and pounding my legs to the very end. After dismounting, I had a huge cramp for four full minutes—hence the slower T2.

Running was unexpectedly okay. My quads were sore but still moving, and I kept a 6–7 min/km pace. Unlike last year’s 226km, where I couldn’t even lift my legs during the run, this time I stuck to jogging the entire way instead of walking. During the final 1K, I went for a sprint finish—but because the course had an unexpected extra 700 meters, I was completely gassed and wondering why the finish line never came 🥵.

By the time I crossed the finish, I was utterly spent. The exhaustion was different from the 226—it’s hard to compare. But I’m proud that I never let up and kept adjusting to my condition on the fly. I gave it everything I had, and I finished with no regrets.