The challenges in the 1×10 and 1×5 DECA have well been documented by athletes over the years that have finished this event. The format of one Ironman per day with a 24 hour time cutoff on the surface does not sound that bad.

With an overall average finish rate of just 50% in the history of the race, there is clearly a challenge for most to complete 10 days of continuous racing all three-sport disciplines. Hopefully we will see a higher finish rate in New Orleans at DECAMANUSA.

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5 Tips

  • Sleep deprivation on a one per day race format is different than a continuous race effort with sleep deprivation. Practice sleep deprivation in your training with a long effort and 4-hour sleep and come back with another long training effort. This will simulate the one Ironman per day sleep deprivation.
  • Learn how to mentally deal with the bad day and walking through a marathon in bad weather. Injuries are a factor for dropouts in the Deca, but cold water for swimming and rain are common factors for athletes not able to finish the race. Train in the rain and learn how to swim when it’s cold.
  • There is little benefit to extremely long rides for the 1×10 format (150+ mile rides). Most athletes entering the race have plenty of aerobic conditioning and long slow rides make you go slow, go shorter and faster. Focus on 70-90 mile rides at quicker tempo and follow them with a tempo run of 8-10 miles. The sport discipline that offers the best chance of making back time in the later days of the 1×10 is the bike. Swim times typically slow down between 5-20 minutes over the days and the run times will fluctuate the most.
  • Leave your ego at the door. Simple yes, but in every DECA there will be multiple athletes racing way too hard and by day 5 or 6 they end up injured and drop out.
  • Learn to eat real food. Everyone has their own formulas for food and drinks for energy. During your training, leave your gels and energy bars at home on a few of your training sessions. It’s rare to see an athlete on day 7 or 8 consuming gels and Power Bars!

Embrace your training and the journey to your 1×10 DECA finish! If you need any ideas, please feel free to email me at wayne@wayne-kurtz.com.