Rob Gray — Race Reports & Training Insights

I lived at altitude.

My first Ironman was 11:02.

I PR'd my swim, bike, run, and overall time on the same day.

In 2013 I had sub-9 Ironman fitness.

Five weeks before Kona 2013, I raced a half Ironman with no taper.

I raced three Ironmans in 2014 and finished 32 minutes apart on the same body.

I won an ultra without ever crossing the hyperthermia threshold.

With 2km to go at Ironman South Africa, a guy ran up behind me and looked at my number.

I was in the best shape of my life.

How a Black Friday impulse buy, a hidden bike, and a suspicious wife accidentally launched an ultra-endurance career.

It wasn't a comeback.

My chain snapped in the first minute of the bike.

A bucket-list race on home soil, low training volume, and a sprint finish in the final 800 meters to take a podium spot, with my dad screaming 'Take him, Rob!'

My first Kona.

Three months after a gut-wrenching DNF in Cozumel, I returned to Mexico with all my own food, drank only bottled water, and lived like a hermit.

I arrived in the best shape of my life.

My first Ironman.