IronMan World Championship A Rookies Dairy

My first IM Race Report - Kona 2001

This year is the 20th anniversary of my first IronMan, Lake Placid at the end of July and, obviously the anniversary year of my first time racing Kona.  I thought I might still have the report I wrote back then and here it is.  Remember this was October 2001 life had changed for the US the prior month.  

If you want to jump to the report of my latest race at the end of June this year in Coeur d'Alene scroll down.

Getting There The Island of Hawaii AKA the Big Island.

The Moon is smoldering like an old fire as it settles to the horizon between the palm trees on the Kona Coast.  It has been a long 30 hours since we (I am traveling with Dave Schneider) got up at 4 am to head to JFK.  It is 4 am in Kona as I start this report; the biological clock is still on NY time.

 

Leaving NY by air is probably not like flying anywhere else in the world today.  Certainly everyone is very aware of the change in our lives but seeing the altered NY skyline is a very sobering reminder of what happened almost 3 weeks ago.  It is more than just two objects missing; somehow the whole skyline seems different.    Even the Empire State Building does not look right without it's partners down on the tip of Manhattan.  The importance of rebuilding something that is special came home to me as we flew in a wide arc over Westchester and Northern New Jersey avoiding the smoke that was still drifting up the Hudson River.  My thoughts also were with the very special people who were still working in the rubble of the buildings, real IronMen and IronWomen.  

 

There were changes evident in the plane (United) as well.  The Magazine was missing; David found out that there was a picture of the old NY skyline on the cover or somewhere inside.  The welcome on board was like none I have heard in a very long time, perhaps a bit overdone. 

The flights were uneventful, the way you want them even in the best of times.   There were a few well-known Triathletes on the flight out of LA including Dave Scott and Joanna Zieger. 

 

When we arrived over Hawaii there was the cloud cover.  Hot yes (high eighties), humid yes, black everywhere yes but only a very weak sun trying to get through between thin but:10/10 cloud cover.  The Queen K looks like it does on NBC, black and bleak.  Alii Drive looks like Alii Drive, fun, full of life and ready to welcome 1500 athletes in 7 days.  

 

IronMan -6

No moon visible this morning.  I am awake at a bit more civilized time, 5 am, and hope to keep it that way for the rest of the countdown week.  

 

Any thoughts that we might have arrived earlier than most other competitors vanished at 7 am yesterday when we went down to the pier for a swim.  There were enough swimmers on the small beach and in the water to start a wave for any local NY Triathlon.  The two-loop course at Lake Placid has a reassuring feel as you can see the start and end not so down here, it was a bit intimidating. The water is a great temperature, around 80 and very saline, some reassurance that we will swim a bit faster than the pool and at least comfortable.   

 

The short dip we had Friday evening was for me a lesson in what not to do after 12+ hours of Travel, I felt like a lead brick, don't think of exercise until you have had 8 hours of sleep minimum.  This morning the travel cobwebs seem to be disappearing fast as we headed off in swim traffic.  It was good training for both navigation and traffic dodging with the added threat of head on collisions, I had one, no damage.  This was clearly not like Lake Placid as English was not necessarily the language of every swimmer.  It was a good first start to an easy week staying away from injury.

 

Late afternoon we took an easy ride down Alii Drive.  For sure, a large number of contestants are already here, runners and bikers were everywhere.  Then there were the smart one's heading to the beach to read a book.  Mary Nathan was trying to shake off the trauma of a 1 am arrival yesterday morning.  

 

Bob Cook, Runners Edge is now world famous.  Olivia from France stopped me on the street.  He recognized our team Shirt.  He asked me if Larry Parker and Ted Tierney were in town.  I told him what you were doing Larry (Larry is in the NYFD and was at Ground Zero) and he wishes you the very best.  Ted will no doubt find him in the next 6 days or on the course Saturday.  

IronMan -5

This looks like a hot one in the making.  No clouds today as the moon drops behind the palm tress at 5:30.  Not that it was cool yesterday.  Swim at 7:30 in calmer waters gave David's confidence a boost.  Buffet Breakfast gave me a boost.  

 

We headed up the Queen K in the car with our bikes a little after noon to check out the ho'o mumuku winds, those same winds that gusted over 60mph last year.  The plan was start about an hour out of Hawi and then check out the hardest part of the bike course.  

 

When we got going it was immediately apparent that the ride would be slower than planned and we would not get to Hawi.  The wind was a good 20 mph across the road at the start.  The heat from the road and lava was as advertised, this is going to be a tough race.  We got to within about 6 miles of Hawi and the last 3 miles up the road challenged our ability to stay on the road.  We did discover that staying on the Aerobars gave us better control or perhaps it was more that our center of gravity was lower and we presented less surface area to the wind.  

 

While the land up along the Queen K does not have much going for it the turquoise sea makes up for it in spades.  What a place to do some sailing.  Perhaps I should bag this race and charter a sailboat next Saturday.

 

IronMan -4

Rain, most of the night, now we know how this place gets so many days of sunshine.  Not much to report for yesterday.  It's a small place and we found Ted, Dr Bob, Bobby S and Anthony before 9 am.  The trick to rubbing shoulders with the Tri World greats is to go for a swim at 7 am. 

 

Alii Drive is taking on the appearance of the Alii drive that you have seen on TV.  Banners hawking Tri Sports stuff are on the roofs of stores all over the place.  Stores with names you know well have opened and will close for another 51 weeks next Monday, Nytro, Rebock etc.  A big difference, sadly, it there are flags for sale in places that probably never sold a flag before.

 

Aloha

IronMan -3

For all of you who think the swim is the best part of Triathlon, this is certainly the place to race.  Even those who think swimming is boring, noting to look at except feet, would be pleased with the view.  There are even spectators on the swim course.  Fortunately, I have not seen any large spectators but there are many small ones in all shapes and colors (five years later I did meet a family of Dolphins who came by to say Hi, parents and two children) .  At the third buoy out there is even a reviewing stand with hundreds of fish.  It is quite a sight.  

 

The other aspect of the 7 am swim workout down here is there are no lane lines.  In a race that only means getting off course, during the out and back workouts it means taking care not to ram the competition.  So far no one has got nasty but it is far from an uncommon happening.  Usually it is an opportunity to meet someone.  

 

While swimmers would love the swim I don’t' think they or anyone else could say they enjoy the run.  Yesterday I parked at the top of the road to the Natural Energy Lab for a run around 2:00.  For those of you, myself included until Monday, who do not know what the Natural Energy Lab is, it is a thermal energy research lab.  Anyway, the run, pure hell.  My thought around 5 when it started to cool down was that I would complete the bike, hopefully in under 6 hours and then take a break on the beach setting off on the run after dark.  

 

My apologies to all but you cannot understand until you have been out here.  Lest some of you think I am going soft and that you have run in 90 F heat think again.  The road surface is 120+; fully inflated tyres overheat (the habit back then was to pump the tire up to max allowed) and burst over here.  The temperature at waist height is probably over 110, it is 90 in the shade.  It will be an interesting day Saturday.

 

It's good to have my support team here, Ingrid arrived at 6 tired but looking forward to some beach time. 

 

Aloha 

  IronMan -2

It is getting serious, Race Meeting yesterday, drop off of bike and Run bags today (At an IronMan your bike clothes and shoes are handed to you in the transition).  The swim course was almost as busy as race day and there was not a cloud in the sky all day.  Kona is getting everything ready.

 

If the Expo is an indicator then this is indeed a big race.  There are some new interesting products on display.  Computrainer has a new system for those with extremely deep pockets.  This system comes with a bike frame and special rear wheel.  It is much more accurate than the original system and while it does not duplicate the effect of gravity on a downhill there is zero resistance when you are going down.  Cost is about 3,500.  For those of you still thinking of buying a Computrainer, don't worry the original version is still available and will be part of their product line.  

 

While I did not see one, Syntace is coming out with a new integrated areobar/cowhorn/stem.  B&L Sports told me it is lighter than the competition (Profile and Vision Tec).  Vision Tec is reportedly working on an update to their product. 

 

 

Must start to pack my stuff for the race.  Slowtwitch.Com is interviewing the members of Team Runners Edge this morning (I hope between David and I that we have been able to reach everyone).  

 

One last 30-minute run today and a 30-minute swim tomorrow, then the race, hope I can stay cool (mentally) the next 48 hours.

IronMan -1

The pier at 7 looked like the race start.  Several hundred athletes were in the water, and a very large gang lined along the waterfront meeting new and finding old friends. 

 

I had a third session of the week with the ART (Active Release Technique) people.  I think the rest of the Runners Edge contingent has been in for at least one session.  Nancy and David are already converts and so am I.  The results were instant eliminating a very tight lower back.

 

Nancy, David and I met with Amy White at 8:15.  Amy is doing a special on Age Group athletes for Slowtwitch.com.  Not surprisingly she was very interested in our reaction to the attack on the WTC.  We also talked about the Runners Edge Team (Anthony, Bob S and Ted stopped by but had critical registration stuff to deal with) and how we got into the sport.  Her report should be interesting.

 

At the last minute we (Ingrid and I) decided to go to the Pasta Party, we were glad we did, it was like no other we have ever attended.  Even without the events of 9/11 it would have been a great evening, with what has happened it was very special.  

 

We were seated out doors, as the sun set and the first stars appeared (that happens fast down here near the equator) we were asked to light a candle.  We then stood for several minutes for a moment of silence, God Bless America and comments from the organizers.  I hope they got some good pictures of this scene, it was very moving. 

 

Emotions are running high at this point.  Bob S, Ted T, David and Jennifer Gatz were with us at the Pasta dinner (there was a lot more than just Pasta).  I guess Bob is a bit more relaxed than us rookies but not much.  During the entertainment, there was a lot, they asked competitors to stand who had completed 1 then 2 then 3 IroMans.  They got down to 18, Ken Glah.  Bill Bell, the oldest competitor here I think has done over 10, several in his late 60's and 70's.  I don't think I want to do that many but racing here in 20026 is a goal (my 80^th year).  I am even thinking that this might be worth qualifying for next year.  But let me finish my first first.

 

I will try and find a few minutes to make some notes tomorrow morning.  But just in case wish us all luck.

 

IronMan -3 hours

Last night I go poetic as we walked back to our car after an early dinner.  T'was the night before IronMan and all through the town not an athlete was stirring not even a spouse.

 

Not much time right now and I am not too sure what to say.  Mission was accomplished yesterday, I am ready, my equipment is ready and I think I feel good.  Larry Parker e-mailed me yesterday to wish all the Runners Edge team well and to "Kick Ass".  Coming from someone heading to the Pile for a 13-hour shift they were fighting words.  Mahalo Larry we will.

 

IronMan +30 hours

If I fall asleep on the keyboard as I write this I will not be surprised.

 

We have three medals on Long Island, David Gatz, Gold, Mary Nathan, Silver, and Nancy Lipira-Hoest, 5^th.  When I saw Nancy on the run looking very strong heading down the road to the Energy Lab I knew she was doing well.  

 

So what is this race all about?  In a word, Wind.  Perhaps the best way to experience what we did yesterday the thing to do would be to go out for a ride on the Island during a typical NE Gale in NY City.  This way you would experience the hardest thing to deal with, sudden changes in wind direction as you go thru an intersection.  The problem with this training plan is who wants to ride in the rain.  No rain in Hawi but the wind.  Back to the start.  

 

5am.  It was hot on the dock where our bikes were racked even before the sun rose.  It was even hotter around Dave Schneider bike when he found his rear tire was leaking, an ominous portent of further trouble to come.  Somehow I found most of the LI team to wish them well. Nancy and I took to the water together about 12 minutes before the start.  When they got all the swimmers behind the starting line the cannon fired shortly before 7.  

 

For those of you who competed in Lake Placid and IronMan Canada, the swim start is a picnic by comparison.  Still there were a few elbows and feet dangerously close.  The course is essentially an out and back with a 100 yd base leg to separate the inbound and outbound swimmer.  I got around the second boat in 34 minutes, good for me but then my frequent swim problems started, cramps in my calf muscles.  Still those who know my swimming skills 1:20 was not too bad a split and I had not expended too much energy.

 

The first 25 miles on the bike went very well, I would have been happy with the time in an Olympic distance race.  I caught up with Nancy around that point little did either of us know what was ahead.  Wind to this point was light and at times from behind.  As I was beginning to think this would be a fast race the Ho'o mumuku struck with a blast that was as bad as any other later in the race.  I heard later that the gusts were nearly 50 knots.  

 

For the next 3 hours we hung on to our bikes for our lives.  A typical 1000 yard section through one of the cuts in the Lava first the wind blasted us from the ocean side, in the middle of the cut the wind came from ahead then as we came out of the wind shadow of the cut we got it from the mountain side.  It is bizarre to see bikes head of you tilted over 10-20 degrees into the wind.  Indeed watching the competitors ahead was critical to staying on the bike.

 

I must be nuts except for a few moments when I thought I was road kill, I had fun.  Others would not describe it so and David Schneider certainly re-enforced his dislike for wind.  But it was not the wind that almost caused him to quit.  Too much salt-water ingestion cooked his stomach and David completed the race with the energy that was in his body before the race started.  It was not a finish time he dreamed about but it sure was an awesome effort. 

 

Others had there own hard time on the way out and back from Hawi but David Gatz must have banished all the demons with a 5:15 bike split.  To put this in perspective that was only 25 minutes slower than Tim DeBoom's split and 50 minutes slower than Larsen's, the fastest of the day.  Throw in a 3:29 Marathon and he had a Gold Medal.

 

Nancy Lipira-Hoest looked like she was on an easy training run in Huntington when we cross paths on the Natural Energy Lab road.  She was not feeling as good as she looked but it was good enough for a 5^th place.  There is at least one lesson in Nancy's training plan, ride with others who are as good of better bikers.  But her 4:20 Marathon was most impressive especially when you realize it was her first.  

 

My fun on the bike translated to 5 miles of learning how to run.  It was a long slow trip through town out to the energy lab and back.  

 

There is no question that finishing this race, no matter what time of night, is very special.  There seemed to be more people watching the race in Lake Placid but the feeling coming down the last 400 yards is one of a champion.  I suspect that this is as true for someone who finishes first as well as last.  It is perhaps what brings people back year after year despite the prospect and brutal winds and punishing heat (something we were spare from with a cloud cover yesterday).  I for one am hooked and am already thinking of what to change with my training to do better in 2002 (Expect to see more of me over the winter with Aquafit Maters and doing something to up my running speed). 

 

One last thing, those who know John and Nancy had better get used to John looking like a lit up Christmas Tree for a few months, I was with him when we learned by chance that Nancy had placed 5^th and was getting a medal.  Jennifer Gatz's friends may be facing a similar problem.