August 2026
At the time of writing this post, I have run around 3,000 km, cycled 9,000 km, and swum 400 km since 2022.
This post is mostly a training log. I want to write it down so I don’t forget what the numbers represent.
A couple of years ago, I decided to move away from what had been my two main forms of exercise for years: running and lifting weights. Instead, I wanted to make use of what was available around me, which meant cycling and swimming.
In 2023, I got my first road bike. I already had the infrastructure around me to ride regularly, so it felt like a good investment. Swimming came next. There were indoor pools during the winter and outdoor pools during the summer, and I also had some money to invest in personal training, which made the experience considerably better.
Triathlon became a natural progression. It was not only a long learning curve on the physical and mental side, but the amount of equipment also gave it a technical aspect that I enjoyed.
Austria
In 2024, I did my first Ironman 70.3 in Zell am See, Austria, across the Alpine landscape. The event took place at the end of August, and this was probably the best year I had in terms of preparation. I used it as an excuse for a family trip, so my wife and daughter were there supporting me from start to finish.
For the race preparation, I logged 922 km of running, 2,647 km of cycling, and 122 km of swimming. I completed the event, and by that point it felt like the mechanics of the three disciplines had become embedded in my system. The training was no longer about figuring out how to swim, bike, or run. It was about putting the three together.
Mexico
In 2025, I decided to do the full distance: 3.8 km of swimming, 180 km of cycling, and a 42.195 km marathon.
The race took place in Cozumel, Mexico, and the training required was beyond anything I had done before. During that period, I logged around 700 km of running, 2,500 km of cycling, and 120 km of swimming. Compared with the previous year, the volume was not ideal. But 2025 brought multiple challenges. There was the constant cycle of sickness that comes with having kids, and, in the middle of it, my second son, Magnus, was born.
Training had to fit around a completely different life. By the end of November, we took the family overseas, rented an Airbnb, and invited family and friends to join us. I had a great time, and the venue was great.
Then came the race.
After the swim and the bike leg, my mind had already fought too many battles. By kilometre 15 of the marathon, I quit. It wasn’t the ending I had imagined. But looking back at that year, I’m glad I was able to go as far as I did.
Switzerland
At the beginning of 2026, the year started quietly, and I had time to reflect and weigh things. Eventually, I made the decision to finish what I had left unfinished. I signed up for Ironman Thun in Switzerland. The race was scheduled for July 2026 and promised outstanding landscapes, not only the swim in the Thunersee, where we had been before, but also the bike course around the Bernese Alps.
For this event, I logged around 500 km of running, 1,451 km of cycling, and 52 km of swimming. It is worth considering that this training builds on top of the work from 2025, and was the shortest amount I used to prepared, around five months.
As 2026 progressed, it became clear that things had changed again. Now we had two kids at home, and I had taken on other commitments, including giving a lecture at a German university. The decisions were made together with my lovely wife, but they still had a cost for both of us, and that became evident.
Ironman Thun was always meant to be the last one. By that point, it was a decision I was making for good reasons.
Then came the race.
One weekend before the race, my son got sick, followed by my daughter. By the time we needed to travel, it was clear that the risk was too high. I ended up with a fever on race day.
Ironman Thun didn’t happen for me.
I remained in bed for almost two weeks, as if my body was finally surfacing all the pressure and physical and mental exhaustion that had accumulated over the previous months.
There was no finish line this time. Not even a start line.
Verdict
There is something about long-distance racing that makes the result only a small part of the story. The real distance is everything that happens before you get to the start line.
There is still some unfinished business with the full distance, but the setup no longer works for my current lifestyle. The goal requires a lot of time and commitment, and time is the one thing I can no longer afford to spend this way.
I want to build a different setup now. Something lighter, that keeps me moving, eating well, walking a lot, using resistance bands, and meditating, while putting into practice the skills I have acquired and coming back to the three disciplines from time to time.
Big goals require sacrifice. Sometimes, the bigger decision is knowing when the sacrifice no longer makes sense. You can’t have it all.