An XXXL event for an Ironman and Super Triathlete - Sebastien Morineau

 

Crossing the finish line at Ironman Les Sables d'Olonne 2025

Reaching the finish line, Ironman 2022

Here's what is now starting to become a regular occurrence at the Running Club of 'Joggans', a sports club in Ganshoren, Brussels! Regular runners of the club and the  general public gather together for the finale of a very unique event. An event created for one man, dreamed about, planned and implemented by that same man. And we're really talking about a really huge achievement. A 'XXXL achievement' if you please! The bXXXl race - A race truly of and born in Brussels and an achievement that is as huge as its name suggests, created and brought to life by a Bruxellois, i.e a Bruxelles (Brussels) resident.

The finale of the event is just as unique as the main event! Members of Joggans wait for Sebastien to run around 6 kms more after a long racing event to join the party where friends and family are waiting for him to pay the bill on the round of drinks! Some run alongside for those six kms, while the rest wait at the club. All of them cheer and honour the sole participant of this truly mega event.

But let me first introduce you to this phenomenal person. Sebastien Morineau is a French architect who has lived in Brussels for many decades. He was never the sporty kind, or he says. He never did anything more than swimming as a child and wasn't even a keen athlete as a youngster. It was a chance invitation by a cousin who lives in France for him and his brother to participate as a family in the 'Half Ironman' competition, that got him started. The event was to take place in their home town, Sables d'Olonne in Vendée. The town is known for being the starting point for the Vendée Globe, a renowned sailing competition that is held annually. It's impossible to see anyone swimming through the 'mythical' Vendée Globe channel as it's strictly not permitted. Though not a sportsman, Sebastien had long nursed a secret desire to swim in these hallowed waters and had no clue how to make it happen. As luck would have it, in the Half Ironman of 2019 that was planned, the first part of the competition, i.e the 1.9 kms of swimming would take place here. Sebastien was okay to try and participate in the competition just for this reason. The 90 kms of cycling and the 21 kms that were to be followed by the swimming were not even something he thought he would attempt. 

The joy of Trail running

He started his training for the swim. However just 25m in he was exhausted in the swimming pool. So, Sebastien realised that he would need to build his stamina. His wife Valerie suggested that he get himself a bike and start to ride it. He found a second hand racing bike and started to use it. Since he used to cycle to work anyway, it didn't take much to  convince him to buy the racing bike and train on it. As his stamina and strength and enthusiasm increased, he decided to start to run. This is when he joined a 'Start to jog' team that was led by a running coach Michel Goffinet. The aim was to reach from a beginner's level to be able to run 10 kms. Sebastien talks of how he misses Mr. Goffinet who has since then passed away. His mentor's approach to running had been to make it fun, a pleasure activity in an ambience of care, sharing and kindness. When Sebastien finishes any event now, he remembers Michel at the finish line for all those qualities. Later Sebastien joined the Running Club of 'Joggans' where he continues to practice. After starting to train, he participated in several, different small events. Initially Sebastian found it strange "to be tagged like a cow in the prairies" wearing his race number on his clothes. He got more comfortable with competitions, as he discovered what brought people to these events. He learnt that aside from the really fast athletes who were really in these events for bettering their race times and maybe winning a race, there are several people who participate for more personal reasons. Sebastien loves meeting and interacting with these people.

In June 2019, Sebastien found himself with his brother and cousins ready to participate. In the crowd were friends, family and even his parents. He may not have planned it but he did it all. After 1.9 kms in the water, he remembers getting out of the water smiling. He was a bit worried now about the after the swimming events as he had never done 90kms on a cycle nor run a 21 kms up until then. But he finished both these events, happy and not too tired. He'd enjoyed the event as a participant overcoming his challenges as they came his way and enjoyed watching so many people who had come to encourage the participants doing a great job of cheering them along. 

In fact, he had enjoyed it so much that he registered himself for a trail run in Brussels immediately. Sports and training for sports now became a regular part of his life. He also registered for the Ironman, complete this time, to be held in Nice 2020. However Covid happened and this was cancelled. Initially Sebastien was disappointed, but soon he realised that training and doing sports outdoors was possible easily during the lockdown. In Belgium we were lucky to be able to get out of the home for sports. 

In 2021 Sebastien participated in the Iron Lakes at Lac de l'eau d'heure in Belgium. This is a competition like Ironman with the same sports of swimming 3.8 kms, cycling 180 kms and running 42 kms. He completed this race with incredible and phenomenal satisfaction. This competition was later held under the name of Open Lakes in 2022 and 2023 in which Sebastien participated too. He also got the pleasure of  also being able to participate and complete his long pending Ironman race in Nice. Sebastien says he is not fast and he does things at his own pace and rhythm and is usually in the middle category of all competitors in these events. Nevertheless, he is both humbled and motivated by the privilege of having a healthy body capable of  performing these extraordinary feats. 

Running to the finish  Ironman Les Sables d'Olonne 2025

Sebastien then decided to see how far his body was capable of going. In 2023, he registered to take part in an event called the Triathlon 515 which is a 3-day event which is basically about the double of the Ironman. So, we're now talking about 10 kms of swimming in open waters, 421 kms of cycling and a 84 kms run. This was to be held in Valencia, Spain. He started training in October 2022 and was getting together a team of two who would be his support during the breaks scheduled along the way of the race. To his utter dismay, in December 2022, Sebastien received an email that said that the race was cancelled. The organisers hadn't received an okay from the Spanish maritime authorities. Now Sebastien was kind of bummed that he couldn't and wouldn't be able to do the iconic race. He had also had his 'crew' ready for the days. What do you think happened? Not one to give up easily, Sebastien simply came up with a crazy idea that he would organise and complete the race in Brussels.  

Crossed the finish line, bXXXl 2024

Sebastien and his two best companions 

Assistance on the route (mental support, medical and pitstop) 

physiotherapist

This thought gave birth to the bXXXl race that is on the same level as the Triathlon 515. Sebastien worked up a plan and schedule for himself as the sole participant that works like this. The race starts on a Sunday with 258 kms of cycling. The route starts from Brussels - Grammont - Oedenaarde -Ghent. He sleeps at home like in the original race, where a racer would sleep in a hotel. The second day of the race is a Monday and Sebastien heads to a swimming pool in Molenbeek. He swims in a lane which is open to the general public as he has no other way to complete the swim part of the race. Obtaining permission to do even this proved very challenging for Sebastien. In fact that's the reason he chose a Monday for the swimming event because generally the crowd in the swimming pool is a bit less on the first day of the week. After the swim, he goes home for lunch and continues his cycling for the remainder of the 163 kms. Then, once again, he heads back to sleep at home and on the 3rd day he starts his long run of 84 kms. This is on Tuesday at the end of which he has promised not only to reach the club in the evening before their regular training starts but has also offered a round of drinks for the people waiting for him there. Sebastien has completed this course successfully both in 2024 and 2025, and the members of the club waiting for him at the finish have only increased. Some of the members make it a point to run the last 6kms with him till the finish line. Last year it was about 30 people, this year it was about 80 people who ran and drank to Sebastien's grit and determination!

route day1 cycling part1

day 2 swimming

day 2 part2 of cycling

day 3 84kms running

10kms swim bXXXl 2024

10kms swim bXXXl 2025

arriving at the finish with the cheer group bXXXl 2025

Sebastien now has a growing number of people who support his bXXXl project and expect and encourage him to do this every year. He mentions someone projecting to do all the events with him in three years' time. He already had a cyclist do about 80% of  the cycling part with him and a group of swimmers who swam alongside in the lane next to him to cheer and encourage him. So it's only natural and normal that Sebastien hopes to be doing this event that is his baby, his creation for a long time. He has undergone a lot of preparation since his first Ironman event, to make sure that his body and mind would be capable of enduring the long and hard challenge that they were to be hammered with. He has done courses of self persuasion and visualising to be able to keep his wits despite the extreme fatigue. He did a course on Sports Nutrition and regularly does strength training and yoga to avoid injuries.

Sebastien also completed the Ironman in Sables d'Olonne in 2025 and the Ironman in Champagne in 2024 while preparing for his own event. What draws him to these races are the connections that he makes with people there. His main grievance with the discontinuation of the Valencia Triathlon 515 was that he knew that there were 13 other participants who were signed up to complete that race and that he didn't meet them or make memories with them. 

At the starting point of the big races, says Sebastien, "I'm always scared and stressed about what will happen but I see how someone watching me would be thinking - I want to do something like this one day!". This look of envy and admiration that he captures in the audience dissolves any doubts or fears he has at that moment. It makes him happy to have shown up and gets him ready for the call, "On your marks, get set, go!" The preparation is done and he knows he will be at the finish line sure enough. 

#ironman,#IronmanTriathlon, #IM #swimbikerun #bXXXl

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