@hammettz: Finished Ironman 70.3 Desaru in 5:32, 16th in my age group. My 4th 70.3 finish, and by far the toughest. Storm hit Desaru today and swim was shortened to 1km for our safety, and I still had the toughest Ironman swim of my life in that water. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t swim, and literally dog-paddled for 10 mins trying to stay afloat in crashing waves. Kind of scared, disappointed and I thought my race was done. Finally calmed myself down and continued the swim. Bike course was quite hilly, and there was heavy rain mid-ride. I was also shown 2 cards and given time penalties on the bike. Tried to maintain an even pace and didn’t push too hard. Run was hilly and humid, I felt strong and finished well. Nothing about today went to plan. So glad to have crossed that line. Full race recap on the blog soon. 🇲🇻🏊🚴🏃 . . . . #ironman703desaru #swimbikerun #ironman #maldives #fyp

Athif Ahmed

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Region: SG

Tuesday 28 July 2026 11:19:33 GMT