Hello All, I finally feel like I can recap on last weekends race. Everyone had told me, "Hawaii is just one of those races that you have to do." I can think of no better way to describe this amazing race. The atmosphere, talent, production, and international crowd is unlike any other race in the U.S. The international crowd was lead by Germany with over 250 competitors. The town of Kona is alive with athletic, bronzed triathlete specimens for two weeks. Every shop is displaying the M-dot logo as is nearly every triathlete. The roads outside of town are overrun by spandex wearing triathletes and there several thousand dollar bikes. You will never go to a race that has more expensive bikes than Hawaii.
The atmosphere of the race is enough to get just about anyone spectator to think about racing. That is until Saturday morning when the cannon fires at 7am. The week leading up to the race was filled with an AM run and then a ride in the afternoon. On one ride/run we met the ever infamous "Cow Man". Cow Man is famous for pirating races and wearing his Cow hat. He was a nice guy, a little crazy. The next day on a ride I had a near race devastating event. After the ride I was checking my tires and noticed a significant rip in the tubular tire and the liner was bulging out. The tire was brand new so I put back on my spare and hoped for the best.
Ironman Hawaii is also a great experience because it is full of local flavor and tradition. On Thursday we went to a great dinner, buffet style (my favorite). They had a jumbo tron television with a presentation and fire dancers. It was really neat to see racers and their families start to get really excited about the race with each personal story or account. The night before the race we ate at the house with Brent, Dusty, Scott, and others. Adam, Scott, and I prepared ourselves for whatever unexpected events the next day would bring.
Race day 3am I wake up drink a couple shakes, and eat some food go back to sleep. A normal routine for both Adam and I. We finally head down to the race with a van full of family, and friends. They give us their best wishes and Adam and I are sent to see what the day will bring. Transition is packed with people and I make my way back to the 18-24 area and make last minute preparations. Adam will start 15 minutes early with one of the best Ironman start lists ever assembled for the professionals.
At 6:45 the race is off. The 150 pros make their way towards the first buoys and I enter the water with the other 2,000 over anxious nervous athletes. We tread water for several minutes before the cannon goes off. We take off for what turned out to be the most brutal swim I've ever done. I picked may way through the masses trying to avoid feet to my still loose teeth. The race finally separated out a little after the turnaround. I had a decent swim despite not swimming for over a half hour for a long time. My recently separated shoulder held up and I came out of the water in one hour and 11 minutes. I hoped on the bike the part I was most excited about and could not quite get into a rhythm. My stomach was upset from the gallon of saltwater I drank, and I had a hard time holding down gel. The bike course is littered with drafting and over anxious triathletes. I passed a few on the way out and was passed by others. On the way back I think I passed nearly every person that passed me. By this point everyone is riding in little groups so I had to make sure to accelerate around them and make sure they were not on my wheel. I finished up the bike feeling great and started the run with about a 6:25 split. I quickly realized that breaking 10 was a realistic possibility. I started the run and had a goal of eating a gu every 4-5 miles. I could not get any energy so I started eating them every 1-2 miles. I quickly realized there was nothing I could do and by mile 13 I was walking. The rest of the race was a combination of running and walking. I walked and realized my goal would not be met but I was going to finish even if it took all day. I run/walked my way to a 10:54 finish time. I was tired, dehydrated, and worn out. It was the end of a great season and I knew it. We capped off the day with some pizza and beer. The Sunday night after the race was really what I was excited about. A rag tag crew of my high school friends, Brent, Dusty, and Emily hit the town. Lo Lous the triathlete hot spot was the place to be. We danced into the night and had a great time. The rest of the vacation has been great. Beautiful beaches on the big Island, and Maui have been the main attraction.
I returned to Montana on Saturday to hop into Montana's premiere cyclocross event Rolling Thunder. I raced for a little more than half the race before my legs were exhausted. It was a great event thanks to Wild Rockies Landscaping and Shaun Radley. Check out results at www.montanacyclocross.com.
