Ironman Wisconsin Race Report

Sunday - Race Day 4:30am wake up call. Get some immediate calories in the tank: 2 natures path organic pop tarts (400cal – 34g sugar – 300mg sodium – 80g carb – 9g fat) 1 larabar (230cal , 23g carb, 13g fat) ½ koala crisp bar (80cal) 1 banana (60cal) 1 med coffee w/ 1 pack sugar (60cal) 1 powergel before swim (100cal) Total: 930 calories I positioned myself the same spot as 2008, in the front row, about 10 yards from the boat ramp. The cannon went off and the chaos began. There was almost no contact the first 400 meters. I was away quick and feeling fresh as I gradually angled toward the first turn buoy 800m out. About 100m from the first turn it really got congested, and with that, the inevitable frenzy of contact. Still feeling okay, I found some feet to follow at a decent clip. The first loop was quick (for my standards at least) I’m guessing 31-32 minutes. Perhaps a bit fast for my untrained swim arms. My swim volume was down this year, and my longest single session only 3800 yards. Lap 2 was brutal.

I was truly mid pack by this point; it was crowded at every turn. Aerobically I felt great. However, I felt extremely nauseous. I was dry heaving and wished I could just throw up already. Then all sorts of thoughts start racing though my mind. If I can’t hold any liquids down and its only 1.5 miles into a 140 mile day it’s already over. I could swim about 100y at a time fairly efficiently until I would have to breast stroke and dry heave some more. When it was all said and done. My slowest IM swim to date 1:12, 10 minutes slower than my last IM swim and Cozumel wasn’t even wetsuit legal. I took advantage of the wetsuit strippers and ran up the helix into T1.

Sara Fix was half way up the helix going absolutely nuts, the lady was out of her mind. The spiraling path up the helix ramp gradually narrows as you make your way up. The crowd is incredible, gives you a sense of what it might be like to have flatted on Alpe D Huez and running through the sea of humanity. That was exciting and entertaining, help take my mind off the fact that I thought I was in like 1500th place. Currently 68th in my group, 706 overall Ran across the top of Monona into T1 gear bag room, my bag was right inside the door which made it easy to grab and head to the change room. Threw on everything except shoes, and ran out to my bike, where a volunteer told me I had a flat during the swim but the mutual support spotted and fixed it already. Great, I flatted before I even touched my bike. I mounted, spiraled down and headed out to play catch up. 6:08 in T1

No longer horizontal, my stomach issues ceased to be an issue. I felt fresh and knew I had a lot of work to do. The original game plan was to relax, and take in water the first 5-10 miles. However, already 15 minutes behind the front of my AG, a relaxed pace seemed inappropriate. The no pass zone under the bridge forced some easy spinning before heading out towards the loop. I was making up ground pretty well, although I didn’t seem to be passing any 25-29ers… just a bunch of 60 year old women who swam faster than me.

Right around the turn at Fireman’s Park I head an awful noise and thump thump thump thump etc. I looked back and sure enough, the air in my tube vanished like a fart in the wind. I let out a couple four letter words and pulled over, as if preparing to wave to the hundreds of cyclists repassing me. All that work for nothing. And the front of the pack pulling further and further ahead. While unwrapping my flat supplies, a mutual aid van pulled up A-Team style, but instead of guns and ammo they stocked tubes and pumps. This was a true blessing, as attempting a flat change with 100% pure frustration pumping though my heart at 150bpm probably would have resulted in broken equipment. Instead as the support guys searched for a tube that would fit the disc, I was able to pace a little bit and think. “It’s all over now, should I just ride to finish? 15 hours sounds comfortable”. They were able to get me back on the bike in about 5-6 minutes, although it seemed like an eternity.

Back on the bike I was riding with some familiar kits, people I remember seeing 18 miles ago. F@%!. And now I couldn’t even pass. I was riding the same pace as the masses for a mile or two. Trying to motivate myself, I recalled sitting in the dimly lit, dirty dungeon that was the York HS indoor “track” circa 2000. Mr. Newton at the table in front of the bleachers and concrete floor filled with kids. “90% of the thoughts we send to our brains are negative.” And “99% of the things we worry about never even happen.” Have PMA. (Positive mental attitude).

I was back to pre-flat pace and physically feeling great. Then I heard another disappointing sound. Yes indeed, it was my bottle of Ultragen hitting the road. I looked back. F it. I lost a bottle of important nutrition at California 70.3 in 2007, not turning around proved catastrophic. Since then I lost two bottles during IM distance races and turned around for them both times. However, at this point, mentally, I could not afford any more lost time. Gatorade and water for the next 5 hours it was.

I couldn’t wait to get to Old Sauk, the energy there would surely be a pick up. And it was. Everyone was going insane. The Endure it crew, Sara again, running up the hill shaking some noise device, and a pretty damn hard slap on the back from David, like a long haired jockey on a horse. The hill was over before I knew it.

The next climb was packed again, Guliano was at this one with some big drum, running alongside me, the beat perfect for a climbing cadence. Thanks. By the second loop the cyclists seemed to fade out. There were times where I couldn’t see anyone up the road. A good sign. Each rider took longer to pass. Got into the pass, get passed, repeat, phase with a couple riders which always seems to help. The second loop was kind of a blur until Old Sauk again. Even more of a crowd this time, my family and Erin there this time through. Again, the rest of the ride kind of a blur. I do however, remember the turn back to town, only 14 miles to go. Up the helix and off the bike in 5:27:14. Currently 134 overall and 14th in AG.

At the dismount, I pulled my hamstring while trying to extend my left leg fully. No! I grabbed it, bent over and slowly extended while tightly holding my hammy in. Phew, that didn’t last long, into T2 and out in 2:28. I felt alright off the bike, and always look forward to the run. I must have gone onto the run with a couple of 2:50 guys, because I felt like I was running backwards. Three or four guys passed and pulled away in the first 800m… Not so great for morale. I just tried to hold my pace and like 1st Lieutenant John Dunbar gradually start picking people off like wounded Tatanka (buffalo).

The run though Madison is another place that makes you smile. Tons of people, and again, Sara loosing control, screaming like a mad woman! Then out of town onto the course. Holy crap. Look at all these people in front of me. I thought I must be 25-30 in my group. I hit up every aid station for everything I could get. Ice down the back, water, perform, water, sponges, was the usually combo. Later I added cola. At one point I tried a Powerbar, obviously I wasn’t thinking clearly, every time I’ve ever tried solid food like that I can’t seem to chew it and end up spitting it out.

I felt as if I only passed 4-5 guys in my AG maybe another 1-2 including those sneaky guys with compression socks. It must have been about mile 16 when I saw Byers on his Bratko Team bike cruising the course. I asked him “do you have any idea where Im at?” He looked it up on his iphone and caught up a couple minutes down the course. “8th!” he said. “8th?” I thought for sure Ironmanlive was experiencing some errors. He confirmed 8th was accurate. HO. LEE. SHIT. I still had a chance. Next time I saw Todd he informed me only one guy ahead of me was running faster. I was slowly but surely pulling them back. At this point in Ironman, it’s not who is faster, it’s who slows down the least. I was still managing to run in the 7:50s. Nobody was running the hill, I couldn’t live with myself if I missed a spot because I didn’t run the hill so I shuffled up like Roy learning to walk again after being mauled by Zigfried’s tiger.

Into town for the second to last time, Beert, Fix and Fix were on hand with more updates. “You’re in 6th, two guys ahead of you are running 9 minute pace.” I saw one guy in my group running shoulder to shoulder with a 30 Ager. I went to the outside of the path picked up my pace (as to give him less hope) and made a pass. Once out of sight, I settled back to my normal pace as not to blow up. I figured there were going to be 3 spots, so I needed two more guys. Passed one with 1 mile to go. I skipped the last aid station. I think my body was used to taking in calories and liquids every 7-8 minutes for the last 3 hours and 20 minutes, because 400 meters past the last aid station I hit the wall hard. Buttlock, quads burning. My last 4mi avg was 8:23, probably because the last 1200m felt like 10 minutes. One of those compression sneaks that I passed, repassed me here. I couldn’t go with, I had nothing. It felt like the last 20 meters of a poorly paced 800 where the quarter was 51seconds with a PR at the 600. It’s the worst feeling when you’re telling your body to move but it simply cannot.

In the end, the guy that passed me was 35 not 25. 3:24:23 for the run, good enough for 4th and 46th overall. Lost eight pounds and had a temperature of 95 degrees. I sat in the medical tent and took in fluids. Had to wait until the next day to find out if I got a Kona slot. Lapinski called with the good news, four slots were allocated to 25-29.