Why I did this race
In September 2025, I was scrolling on Ironman’s website looking for my next Ironman to conquer when I stumbled upon IRONMAN SAN SALVADOR. I honestly did not expect to see an Ironman in El Salvador. I was excited for this one. The amount of change from a country with the highest homicide rate to a corporate behemoth coming to the country seemed unreal. My parents are from there and I have never been there in my life. It was time to finally go.
I made the decision to race in El Salvador, bring my bike on a plane (something I’ve never done), and take my parents with me to finally see my Hispanic indigenous roots. This was going to be a very special but very exhausting trip since I know I would be visiting a lot of family while also training.
Fitness Background
This was going to be my 5th Ironman. I wanted to do very well on it. I started training in October. On November, I tore my right calf muscle (from soccer, a sport I “retired” from years ago) and did not recover until the end of December. Through rigorous stretching and listening to my medical professionals, I healed in 6 weeks. It was a very fast recovery. Throughout the injury I kept swimming until I could run and cycle again.
After I was completely recovered, I increased my run, continued swimming, and did short cycling sessions on zwift and trainer road. Cycling is my strongest and I wasn’t too concerned. I trained everyday. Additionally, lifting weights was also part of my training as always. I also incorporated heavy squat sessions, something I hadn’t really done in the past.
Things I had to consider for this trip
Traveling with my own bike has held me back a lot when it comes to international cycling events. It’s always been a scary feeling transporting a $10,000 bike and not knowing what could happen (break on a plane or being robbed in the mountains). I ordered a very expensive cycling case to mitigate the transport damage. It was specifically a hardcase shell. I believe it cost me $1000. I also got my bike mechanics to show me how to dissemble and reassemble my bike a month before the race.
To mentally and physically prepare, I also booked the trip a week before the race to acclimatize to the weather. I packed my own protein, and slowly prepared on this journey. This trip was already becoming very expensive.
Training in El Salvador 1 week before the race
Arriving in El Salvador, I stayed 2 hours away from San Salvador for my parents to enjoy their country before going to San Salvador and visiting family. I rode around my Airbnb area, ran, and swam at the beach for practice. I did very relaxed sessions to get acustomed to the heat. I also hiked.
That heat was no joke. I made sure I was hydrated before any training session. The temperature ranged from 32-40 degrees celcius. My parents still wanted to explore their country. I trained in the morning and then we would head out and do day trips.
Unfortunately I got sick. I don’t know if it was from something I ate, something I drank, or from swimming in the ocean. I was told not to drink the water (unless it was bottled) and to be very careful with the food. I tried but I wasn’t careful enough. I hoped it would go away before the race. It did not. I caught some sort of stomach flu. The stomach cramps and washroom runs seemed infinite.
The Day Before The Race
On the last day before the race, I had to go to the Hyatt hotel in the morning for transition 1’s bike drop off. I had to get on a bus with my bike that would drive us down to ilopango lake. After that, the bus would then drive us to San Salvador’s central area to drop off transition 2’s run bag. Lastly, the bus would then take us back to the Hyatt hotel.
I bought a new tri suit at the Hyatt hotel as a souvenir for myself and to race with. I then went home and rested. I was going in with some sort of stomach flu and accepted my fate.
The morning of the race. I get up at 3:00 am and take my energy drink to clean my system. This is what I always do. The same uneasy feeling I get before a race made me throw up immediately. I arrived around 4:45 am in ilopango. At this point, I went to the washroom about 7 times from that cursed flu. It was all liquid coming out of me. It was bad. At that moment before the race, I knew lots of hydration was lost from my body. Not good. Not good at all. I did not want a DNF but I also didn’t want to die.
WHAT I RACED WITH:
- Mauna tri suit, my second most expensive tri suit
- Scott Plasma Premium 3 (di2 ultegra, hunt wheels)
- Sidi road cycling shoes (for the bike)
- Nike alpha fly 3 (for the run)
- Ironman socks (for the bike + run)
- Speedo goggles (for the swim)
- Ironman San Salvador hat (for the run)
- Sulphur springs running belt
- Decathlon Helmet (for the bike)
- Gatorade packets (3) + bottle
The Swim
Time: 40 Minutes, 19 Seconds (2.08/100m)
The race started and all my nervousness went out the window. I was here to race. I trained for this. This was my fastest swim ever. The temperature of the water was 27.5 degrees Celsius. Every other triathlon race I’ve done was with a wetsuit which helps massively. Wetsuits were not allowed on this race and I was very afraid of this. I have never swam this amount without a wetsuit in a race. I absolutely crushed it. It was another mental barrier I overcame. Swimming a long distance without assistance.
The route was a triangle, my line of sight was good, and i just focused on my breathing and strokes. I just thought about all my pool swims while swimming. I was completely in the zone. I came out of the water and was amazed at what I just accomplished. My lats were sore and my heart rate’s highest during the swim was 192. The wetsuit would have definitely made it higher. I can see why the race was not wetsuit legal. It’s the small achievements like this that make me love endurance sports and just doing hard things. Get uncomfortable to get comfortable.
The Bike
Time: 3 hours, 36 minutes, 27 seconds
This was my slowest ride ever. The first part of the race is a climb that is around 200 metres of climbing. After that, the climbing isn’t as steep but they are long. You also get great views of the volcanoes and mountains. The descends were also fast and beautiful. As you’re riding, almost every few blocks, El Salvador’s military is present, the security for this race was insane and it was something I’ve never encountered in a race. It was very cool. The support staff and locals cheering me on was also amazing.
Everything was going fine until I made it to the second 2nd loop of the ride. My quads cramped so hard, that it was too painful to pedal, I tried to unclip but my legs could not move from the pain. My legs seized. I crashed on the ground just trying to unclip. Someone asked if I needed help, I said no, I just had super painful cramps that I was unable to move my legs. I stretched and it finally went away. I also lost a water bottle from the crash. I threw every electrolyte powder I had available in my only water bottle and chugged it. My next move was to drink and eat as much as possible at every pit stop.
The heat was climbing as the sun rose. I knew I was too dehydrated from the stomach flu which caused all of this. I then went into survival mode. Just survive and finish this damn race. Focus on every pedal, assess, assess, assess.
Every pedal push was pain but it was one step closer to the finish line. Every pit stop I would drink massive amounts of everything they offered. I used all my powders of sodium, salt tabs, Gatorade powder, and everything I had. I was trying to mitigate the muscle cramps by adding more to my system. Tons of bananas were consumed. I had to stop every few kilometres to stretch as the pain would return over and over again. It was not looking good. Oh, and my chain fell off the cassette at one point. The last part of the ride was awesome but it also had a very diabolical climb. I survived it.
I finally finished the bike portion. I could not believe I did it. I knew the timing was garbage but I did it. I was damn proud of it. On to the run. Why am I such a masochist?
The run
Time: 2 hours, 23 minutes, 53 seconds
I started the run and the first 2-3km I had to walk from the horrendous muscle cramps. I then walked and iced my legs while also drinking absolutely everything on the first pit stop.
I was then able to run with minimal pain. The temperature went up but luckily a nice breeze took over. The Spanish music kept me going and all the people cheering me on kept my determination strong. I was so close to finishing this race. I had to finish it. It was where my parents came from. I travelled for the first time ever with my bike. My Parents were with me. Failure was not an option. I finished the run.
Final Thoughts
Final time: 6 hours, 52 minutes
If I wasn’t sick, this race would have been amazing and my timing would have been much better but unfortunately I had to go into survival mode. I did it though and I’m proud. I feel accomplished and I think I might do one more this year.
I had to fight my mental thoughts, my muscle cramps, the intense heat, my chain, and the climbing. I will remember this race for the rest of my life (but what Ironman have I not remembered). I had thoughts of quitting but I couldn’t do it. The race that tried to destroy me but I resisted and finished it. I’m so glad I did this race. This race makes me want to get stronger, faster, and better in my life.
Thanks for reading. If you have questions, feel free to comment.