I completed my first Ironman late at night in the cold and rain of Hokkaido on the 31st of August 2013. I almost cried as I approached the finish line as I thought of my wife, children and my Ironman journey.

I loved every minute of the very tough race but even better was the whole experience of travelling in Japan and enjoying their culture, the beautiful scenery, delicious food and friendly people.

Japan Ironman will be later this month on August 23rd 2015 and is definitely one to consider for the future.

Our Filipino super triathlete Jong Saljulga is racing this one and we wish him all the best. If any one else is competing in it please email me at chad.davis.1@gmail.com as I’ll be glad to pass along my Japan Ironman 2013 race report.

Good luck Jong.

7 Reasons to Try Japan Ironman

1. Japanese Bath Houses and Foot Spas

We found the Japanese bath houses and foot spas to be a great stress reliever and really aided our recovery from our Ironman. I tried the Bath House with my son and we loved the experience.

2. We Loved The Japanese Statues

3. The Scenery

Japan Ironman was based in the small island of Hokkaido, which is an extremely popular ski resort in winter and beautiful in summer. It was amazing to swim in Lake Toya where you can actually drink the water and swim without goggles.

4. Japanese Food

The food was amazingly fresh and delicious. We loved their seafood especially, but also the tender beef.

5. Japanese Beer

I loved drinking Japanese beer after finishing my Ironman. Sapporo is an excellent beer, as is Kirin. Of course I do not drink beer anymore but I did enjoy a few cool frothy ones. My last beer was in February 2014.

6. It Is a Fabulous Vacation for the Whole Family

We all look back with great memories from this wonderful trip. It was not inexpensive but we are happy we invest in memories as opposed to so many material items.

7. Their Novelty Shops

The people of Hokkaido in Japan were very supportive of the event and provided lots of support for the locals and foreigners alike. They obviously have a sense of humour as we found nice novelty shops like this one.

Happy birthday Christian.

One For the Bucket List

Japan Ironman is not an event for the faint of heart as it involved a brutal 180km bike with 2000 meters of elevation with many sharp left and right turns. We had the added obstacle of torrential rain and it being very cold.

An elite triathlon mate of ours said that future Ironman events that we do will seem easy compared with that one! I have now done 3 more Ironman events (Melbourne 2014, Langkawi 2014 and Melbourne 2015) and agree. I look back on this great Ironman and draw strength from it.