After IRONMAN South Africa, I was ready for another full distance race. I had finished eighth there, but the race hadn’t quite come together as I had hoped. Thun felt like a great opportunity to try again. It is relatively easy for us to reach from the Netherlands, and I already knew the course: I raced here as an age grouper in 2023 and won as overall fastest female. I love riding in the hills, swimming in Lake Thun is usually beautiful, and even with all its turns, the run course is a fun one. We were really looking forward to going back.
We were lucky enough to stay with friends in Thun, so we travelled to Switzerland a week early. Thijs worked there for part of the week, and I worked for a few days too before switching my full attention to the race. I had time to ride the course, train properly and settle in. We drove through the heatwave that had gripped Europe, and the warm days in Thun gave me a chance to get used to the temperature. The only question was how hot it would be on race day. Family came to watch as well, which made it even more special to line up in such a beautiful place. The build-up had been calm, and I felt ready.
Race morning brought a surprise: a fresh wind and a much colder start than I had expected. I put on my wetsuit early to stay warm, but after the warm-up swim I was still cold on the start line. The wind had also made the lake choppy. With a strong professional field, I knew the swim would be competitive, but my 1:12:14 was slower than I had hoped. Seeing women I can usually swim alongside come out ahead of me was frustrating. Still, there was a long race left, and I was eager to get on the bike.
That was where the day started to turn around. I knew the course well after riding it in training and had a good idea of where to push and how to handle the descents. The climbs suited me, and I rode confidently and consistently. My second lap was close to my first, and I was especially pleased with how I handled the downhill sections, which I have found difficult in the past. I finished the bike in 5:07:35 feeling that I had ridden a strong, well-paced race.
The first 10 kilometres of the marathon also went well. Then nausea began to build. I still don’t know what caused it, but it became harder and harder to hold the pace I wanted. Around 19 kilometres, I had to slow down to a 4:20 per kilometer, and soon I was vomiting and feeling dizzy. At about 23 kilometres, I saw Thijs beside the course. I was struggling to walk straight by then, and he helped me make the difficult decision to stop.
It was emotional, especially with family who had travelled to Switzerland to see me race. We went to the medical tent, where I spent about an hour recovering and taking in fluids and salt. Not finishing a race I had prepared for so well was hard to accept.
There are positives I’ll take from Thun. I rode strongly, began the run well and was still in the race despite a swim that fell short of my expectations. I also have a lot of respect for the women who raced so fast on this course. Thun remains a wonderful place to race, even though this wasn’t the outcome I came for. This was an important race for me, but there is more to come this season. I’ll recover, learn what I can from the day and look ahead to the next start line.
