Advice for Newbies on Race Weekend

By Jessica Post

Nation’s Triathlon in 2011 was my third race as a triathlete, and my first Olympic-length tri, and the night before the race my heart was pounding out of my chest. I’m still a back of the pack racer, so you are likely to see me on race day.  I’ve outlined thirteen tips below, in honor of your next race.

Credit for many of these tips go to my coach, Lloyd Henry of  OnPoint Fitness, my triathlon sensei, Emily Passini, and my OnPoint Fitness mentor and fellow Nation’s Triathlon Brand Ambassador, Heather Butler. 

 1.     Have a race plan. Before you jump in the Potomac, it is worth considering how quickly you want to swim, what mph you want to maintain on the bike, and your goal pace for the run. You could also consider run/walk intervals to the run, as I did at my last race. It is worth figuring this out before you go out too fast on swim, or hold back too much on the bike. Also…

2.     Remember race nutrition and be the queen of hydration. Multisport events require a considered approach to eating. Plan out when you are going to eat during the race.  Before the race, eat a healthy breakfast and hydrate. Many athletes eat oatmeal and a banana; my go to is a whole grain English muffin with peanut butter, a cup of coffee, and at least 24 oz of water. During the race, my coach advised me to take one energy gel packet before the swim, one energy gel or three Clif Shot Blocks before the bike, three more Clif Shot Blocks on the bike, and one energy gel pre run. It seems impossible, but taking in a little nutrition during the race helps a lot. Many other racers fill one water bottle with a sports drink and another bottle with water. Remember, there is no bottle exchange on the bike course, so make sure your bottles are full when you show up to transition on race day.   You also may want an extra bottle of water to lie on your transition mat, to drink between events, so you don’t take from your bike water.

3.     Nothing new on race day.  Race day often provides temptations to try out a new tri kit, sports bra or new race nutrition that is provided by generous race sponsors. Stick that energy gel in the pocket of your tri suit, and take it on your next training run. Save those cool new socks from the race expo for your next ride.

4.     Trust your training and rest. The body does not gain strength in the last two weeks before the race, that is why we taper. I’m sure you are ready to race, so rest your legs now so you feel fresh for the race. 

5.     Body Glide everything, especially if you are swimming in a wetsuit. Body Glide is a triathlete’s best friend. When you swim 1500m in a wetsuit, your neck, and arms are likely to chafe. Body Glide around your neck, arm holes, anywhere your tri suit hits your body, especially around the sportsbra, for the lady racers.

6.     Attend the course briefing, and ask questions.  During the Nation’s Expo, there are course briefings, if you are a first time racer, this is a great place to think through the course, and help your spectators plan for routes along the course.  

7.     Read the athlete’s guide and take note of race rules and road closures.  The athlete’s guide will help you with any uncertainties, and provide course maps for your spectators. This is worth downloading on you or printing out. Always remember to stay to the right on the bike course, and follow the instructions of the race officials.

8.     Use a checklist for your items to take to the transition area. Lay out your transition area in advance the night before, on the transition towel. Most triathletes are friendly to newbies, so unless they have their headphones on, Michael Phelps style, and feel free to ask questions about the race course. There are several good triathlon checklist sites (h/t Heather Butler) you can use to make sure you have everything you need as you head into transition.

9.     Go for a short jog the day before, for around 20 minutes. This is especially good advice to work some of the nerves out the day before, so you can sleep more easily.

10.  Be off your feet by 8 p.m. the night before.  Many people have trouble sleeping the night before their first big race. It is still worth reading a book and relaxing in bed, since you will be on your feet all morning in transition.

11.  Keep calm and race on. Things may happen on race day. You may forget your goggles, or lose a water bottle on the bike course. You could get kicked in the Potomac by another swimmer. Just take a deep breath and keep going. Perfection is in finishing. Visualize yourself racing a great race, and adjust on race day as needed. Be zen and accept the world as it is.

12.  Keep a sense of humor, and approach the race playfully.  Many of my pre-race mantras are not appropriate for this family-friendly blog, but breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth to calm down the morning of the race. Everything is going to be fine.

13.  Get to transition early and make friends. I overslept the day of my first tri, and had to run into transition as everyone was leaving, which did not make the morning any less stressful. Learn from my mistakes.  Think through your day plan, and ride the athlete’s shuttle if possible to leave yourself plenty of time before transition closes.  And remember to be kind to the other athletes, and thank the volunteers. 

My First Open Water Swim Triathlon

Iron Girl Columbia Race Report

0.62 mile swim, 16 mile bike, 3.4 mile run

August 18, 2013

By Marsha O’Mara

“My First Open Water Swim Triathlon”

I’ve been called an “over achiever.”  And I will have to agree.  I get these ideas that I want to do the next big thing.  And then I go ahead and do it.  I wanted to do a marathon before I turned 30.  So without being a regular runner and not running a single race before, I trained for a marathon.  I wanted to go skydiving.  So I did it.  And a few years ago, after a friend of mine did her first triathlon, I decided that I wanted to do one too.  Now, I know how to swim…in the shallow end of a pool…with walls to hang on to.  I had no idea that I was afraid of deep water until I took a cruise in 2005 and we decided to go snorkeling.  They gave us life jackets, but even with that security, I frantically had to swim back to the boat after swimming away from it for about 10 seconds.  Flash forward to 2013 and I have completed my first open water triathlon!

I had done a practice triathlon a month before the Iron Girl race.  It was a pool swim and 300 meters as opposed to the 1,000 meters for the Iron Girl Columbia race.  But it was good practice for me to figure out how to lay out my items in transition and what to expect during the race.  I would highly recommend anyone planning on doing an open water triathlon to do a smaller race ahead of time to get used to racing triathlons.  So I was at ease with setting up my transition area. 

I was also more comfortable because I was in the last swim wave.  I heard the stories about how people would swim over you when the next wave would come and I was not mentally ready for that.  So when I found out that I was in the last wave, it was a huge relief for me.  But it may not have been that great because I had about an hour and a half wait until my wave came around for me to think about quitting.  I think I mentally quit about 4 or 5 times during my wait.  But in the end, I decided that I put all this time and effort into this and I was going to at least attempt it before giving up.

0.62 mile swim

When my wave came around, I headed into the water.  We were allowed to be in the water about 6 minutes before we were to start.  I used that time to get adjusted to the feel of the water and blow bubbles in the water as my open-water swim coach had taught me to do.  Side note:  I needed a little extra help getting used to open water swims and was fortunate to go out swimming with a coach who specialized in open water swimming.  It was worth every penny spent.  I definitely used his coaching tips during this race.  When the gun went off, I let everybody go ahead of me.  When I felt like I wouldn’t run into anyone, I started.  I was taught by my triathlon training coach, Lloyd Henry with OnPoint Fitness, to roll onto my back every now and then when I felt tired or when I felt like I was uncomfortable so after a few strokes I decided to do that to calm my heart rate down.  I did that periodically during the swim and that really helped with my anxiety.  They have kayakers along the way in case an athlete needs assistance.  I was always thinking during the swim that I would stop at the next kayak just to take a break, but every time I got to the next kayaker, I said, “No, I’m good.  I’ll stop at the next one.”  I ended up never having to hold on to a kayak.  I was very happy about that.  I realized that I would only be using the kayak as a crutch.  I had the endurance to swim the distance without the help.  But I felt very comfortable knowing they were there. 

Near the end of the swim, I ran into a lot of seaweed or some sort of vegetation in the water.  I was definitely not used to swimming in that type of environment.  I had to keep my stroke going while trying to get the seaweed out of my way.  But since I could see the swim exit, it didn’t bother me.  I just moved it out of my way and kept it going.  My picture coming out of the swim shows how excited and shocked I was to finish the swim.  After finishing the swim, I knew I was about to finish the triathlon.  That is unless I got a flat tire.  Did I mention that I don’t know how to change my bike tire?  Oops.

16 mile bike

Now the bike.  Well, I haven’t ridden a bike in about 20 years.  So when I first went out training on the bike, it took a lot to get used to.  After riding it a few times, I got more comfortable on it.  Also, it was raining the day of the triathlon.  We had gone out on a training ride in pouring down rain so on the day of the triathlon, I was at least used to riding on wet ground.  I was thankful that I had that training ride because it seemed other people were not as comfortable on the ride.  When I started the bike ride, there was another athlete in front of me who was riding a little slower.  I announced, “On your left!” so I could pass her.  But it seemed she didn’t hear me.  I announced a little louder and I was sure she heard me the second time, but she actually kept moving toward the left side.  I was coming up on her and was about to crash into her so I shouted, “ON YOUR LEFT!!!!!!”  I guess she finally got the hint and moved over and said, “Sorry.”  After that incident, the ride was pretty uneventful.  I did ride over a pot hole and it was so rough a bump that my water bottle flew out of the holder.  I had my other bottle filled with Gatorade so I was fine.  I was just happy that it didn’t cause my tire to go flat because once again, I still have no idea how to change a tire.  I missed that session in our triathlon training group ride and never bothered to ask about it.  I don’t recommend doing that and I think I should hit up YouTube before I go riding again. 

3.4 mile run

After the ride, it was time for the run which is my favorite event of the triathlon.  I knew at that time, this race was over.  Since it was raining that day, it wasn’t as hot as it could be in August so I had one of the best runs.  It was a hilly run, but very scenic and there were tons of spectators out there cheering us on.  When I knew I was a ½ mile away from the finish line, I took off into a fast pace.  I was so happy to have finished my first triathlon.

I will say that this is the first race where I cried after finishing.  There was so much that I put into training for this triathlon that I just can’t have room for in this race report.  But I have to say this was my greatest physical achievement to date...mainly because I overcame my fear of swimming in deep water.  For the future, I plan to work on my speed and efficiency in swimming so I don’t need to roll over too often on my back and so I can sight better.  There were a few times that I looked up from my swim stroke only to find out I was going sideways instead of forward.  Definitely not a good thing.  But I still feel as though my performance was good for this race and it will go down in my record book as one of my life highlights.

Iron Girl Finisher 2013!

Swim – 40:31

T1 – 5:50

Bike – 1:11:12

T2 – 3:42

Run – 35:15

Total – 2:36:29

2013 Tri Rock Philadelphia Olympic Triathlon Race Report

By Ian Williams

On Sunday, June 23rd, 2013 I did the Philadelphia Tri Rock Triathlon. I 

haven’t been doing Tri’s for a long time; as a matter of fact this was my 

second Tri ever with 2012 Nations Triathlon being my first. After not doing 

as well as I’d hoped at Nations Tri last year and not wanting some of the 

scary moments during the swim portion, I signed up for some solid training 

with Lloyd Henry at OnPoint Fitness. I can’t say enough great things about 

Lloyd and his gift for coaching. However, this proved to be very valuable and 

shows how investing the time and preparation can return dividends. 

Due to the Sprint Tri on Saturday morning those of us competing in Sunday’s 

Olympic Tri had to rack our bikes Sunday morning starting at 4:30am. I 

walked my bike into Transition just before 5:00am and tried to find my rack in 

a dark sea of metal aisles. After figuring out the numbering scheme and 

finding my little area, I began to setup exactly as my coach instructed by 

laying out my towel and organizing my biking and running paraphernalia in a 

systematic way. I chatted for a bit with some friends and then started my walk 

to board the bus that would take us to the swim start.

The Swim

I was given a White swim cap that indicated Wave #9, so I figured “I got some 

time to chill because the pros go first, then Waves 1 through 8”, little did I 

know how quickly they were getting folks in the water. Before I knew it, there 

was a sign for Wave 9 to start lining up. I was a bit nervous because of all 

three sports, I believe the swimming to be my weakest but I was determined 

to take it on with some serious confidence. 

As I walked through the gate we were instructed to get in a single file down 

the ramp. At the bottom of the ramp, there was a timing mat to signal the 

swim start.  Even though I was a bit nervous about the swim, I was 

suddenly annoyed that they started our time while we’re still standing and 

waiting in this line. All I kept thinking is, this swim is going to be embarrassing 

enough by taking me an hour (basing that on my Nations time of 1:00:16 !!), 

now they’re robbing me. Anyway, from the single line we were instructed 

to form two rows of 10 swimmers. I was in the second row and we stood 

directly behind the first row. At this point we were given instructions that 

we’ll enter the water ten at a time and twenty seconds behind the first group 

of ten. After about 40 seconds, it was my row’s turn to get ready so I sat on 

the dock and hit start on my watch. Before I knew it, the whistle went off and 

I just jumped in and started to do what I was taught. I decided if I were going 

to make it to the other end, I’d have to do everything to maintain form and 

balance. My spirit sunk after several minutes because I thought with all the 

effort I’m putting out, I’m going so slow and my heart is already racing. 

At about 400m in, I saw people holding on to buoys and I remember thinking, 

what are you guys doing? Not thinking at the time that maybe some needed to 

rest, adjust equipment or whatever. Anyway, the real surprise came at about 

500m, I began seeing swim caps from the previous wave. As embarrassing as 

this is, I was wondering if I made some turn I shouldn’t have and will be DQ’d 

for not doing the full swim course. When it rang through that I had actually 

caught up to the Wave 8 swimmers, I became so filled with drive that I must 

be doing better than I thought. I went into a serious zone and became focused 

on buoy after buoy. I forgot all about the other swimmers in the water and was 

determined to close the gap between each buoy as fast as possible. This was 

the true definition of what Andy Potts meant when he said to me “These 

races, including Ironman is 90% in your head. The heat, weather conditions, 

etc. are all there, but it is all mental.”

Close to the 1,400m buoy, the mile marker audio indicator on my watch went 

off. I started thinking; I thought this race is 1,500m. Why is my watch saying 

I’ve already swam a mile? But oh well. I darted for the swim exit and was 

being really aggressive about it; creating a box around me with my stroke and 

maintained a strong controlled kick to keep people away from my space. I got 

to the exit ramp and hit the lap button on my watch, it said 27 mins!!! I initially 

thought, oh man I must have hit the stop button accidentally again, like I do 

sometimes during my runs. When it dawned on me that it was right and I had 

cut my previous Nations swim time in less than half, I had a rush to just keep 

pushing through T1 and get right on the bike. 

(TriRock Swim time: 29:27(includes the 2 mins of waiting in line)).

The Bike

I began running out of Transition with my bike when I realized I left my bib so 

I quickly turned around got it and started my ride. I remember feeling, oh this 

shouldn’t be so bad, I’ve been training for months now with double this 

distance.  Little did I know the race organizers and directors or whomever 

would find every hill in Philadelphia and place it on this course. It was 

insanity! I started talking out loud to myself in annoyance and anger when 

hills were coming back to back. Then the course was a loop so we were 

punished over and over and over again with these hills. There were people 

pushing their bikes up the hills, I heard one guy asked one of the volunteers 

the shortest way back to Transition because he thought it was just too much; 

he literally started to walk his bike back. 

Again thankful to coach Lloyd who during our long rides explained how to 

properly and efficiently use my gears, I began downshifting and upshifting as 

needed to manage these mini-mountains.

As with all races you have your overachievers who are trying to hit 100mph on 

a crowded course and in some cases being reckless. There was one near 

miss where there was a Team-In-Training guy, not being very cognizant close 

to the bottom of the hill and zigzagging, just really enjoying his moment. Then 

all of a sudden there was a swoosh that went by me at lightning speed; it was 

a rider in his aero position with his spaceship helmet. This guy had to be doing 

somewhere close to 30+mph, I could barely watch but it was an extremely 

near miss, that rider at the bottom would have been destroyed. I just 

remembered thinking, is it that deep? 

Like I said, the bike portion was pretty uneventful other that the strong need 

to cuss at the hills and the race organizers for planning and allowing it.

(TriRock Bike time:1:29 . Avg. spd. - 16.5mph)

The Run

Yes, yes the run! Well honestly I was excited to get to the run because of a 

few reasons. Not only because it’s the final event of the Tri but also because 

I would consider running to be my strongest of all three. I’ve been running 

marathons for many years and just have a real passion and love for running 

BUT who would have known that this course was set to run through the 

hallways and walkways of hell. Rebecca put it best when she said, “Lucifer 

came and dragged us to Hades on that run!!!” 

It was insanely hot and with the engine inside already running hot from the 

swim and climbing every hill in Philadelphia, the extreme heat on the run 

made my core even hotter. Still I refused to walk at all because after all this 

is a 10K, come on, I’ve been killing 26.2’s for years how can I walk on a 10K?  

So I pushed on to not hurt my ego. 

The mile markers were either screwed up or I was suffering from heat 

exhaustion because when I thought I was at the end and heading to the finish 

line, I heard a volunteer yell “You’re half way, keep going strong whoooo!!! 

Hoooo!!!!” I remember saying to them, “you got to be kidding me!” At this 

point something came over me and I dug deep and really started pushing 

knowing it’s about 3 miles remaining. When I looked at my watch, my pace 

was 7:15, I was determined to put an end to this torture. As bad as this 

sounds, the more I was passing people on the course walking and jogging, 

the faster I went. I knew the end could not possibly be far. This is a 10K! 

6.2 miles! Come on! The extreme heat just made it feel like more like a 

marathon. 

Soon I started to hear the cheering and volunteers pointed us in the direction 

of the finish line then I just gave it all I had left for that last .2 of the distance. 

It was over! I was once again a Triathlete!

(TriRock Run time: 49:57. Pace – 8:03 min/mile)

Ironman Switzerland 2012

My quest to join the exclusive “Ironman Globe Finisher” club took me to Switzerland. Club membership requires you to finish an Ironman event on every continent that has one. The perks include entry into the Ironman World Championships in Kona, HI every other year plus a great t-shirt. Although, these perks and the club for that matter, only exist in my head, I want to be ready with my qualifications as soon as the World Triathlon Corporation (the owners of Ironman branded events) creates the club and starts accepting members.

Pre Race

I woke up super early, put on my race chip, had breakfast and started to get my mind right for the long day ahead. I put my stuff together, went thru my pre-race rituals, and then headed for the race start. Showed up at transition and set my gear next to Katherine, my Kuota K-Factor Tri bike (aka Kathy when she’s racing). My usual goal is simply to finish. However, this time I set the bar a little higher. Today I needed a “Daylight Finish”. I promised my family and friends (Mom, Dad, Reuben, Jessica, Carla and Colin) that they wouldn’t have to wait ALL DAY & NIGHT like some of them have done at other races. This time it would only be ALL DAY! That’s the least I could do for the best “Spect-Athletes” (Spectators that work as hard as Athletes to support you on race day) in the world.

Swim Starting Area

SWIM

Swim Start

Today’s race was a two-loop course in Lake Zurich. Part of the first loop would take us under a bridge where spectators could cheer for you before you ran out of the water, crossed over a timing mat and ran back into the water for your second loop. About 1500 athletes showed up to race. I moved over to the swim start, sized up the crowd and found my perfect starting position. Picked a spot on the outside edge, in the middle of the field near the white sign. As the gun went off I charged the water. The start of an Ironman race is probably one of the most fun and exciting athletic things I can think of. It always reminds me of being a kid, lining up on a beach in St. Croix with all my friends and racing into the water to see who could swim to the buoy first.  The only difference is the buoy in St. Croix was only about 30 meters away and the Ironman swim is 3800 meters (2.4 miles).

Spectator Bridge

The first 200 meters were great, got into my rhythm, and settled in for a long day. Everyone warned me that the European triathletes were more aggressive in the swim compared to American triathletes. There were a couple guys that tried to invade my personal space and a few others that grabbed my feet. Keeping a high elbow made them rethink coming into my personal space and my distinctive “2 beat kick” convinced them to let go of my feet. After that I felt like I was swimming with friends.

Swim Exit

Toward the end of the first loop, it became evident that positioning would be key. You could go wide to avoid the crowd of athletes and swim extra meters. But who wants to swim extra? Not me! Or you could fight for position on the inside track for the shortest swim route but run the risk of being pushed into the rocks or running aground in the shallower water.

Swim Finish

I found an opening, headed for the inside lane and established my position. Another swimmer came over and swam right next to me. At first I though he wanted my spot but after a few strokes realized he was going to help me defend the inside position. Whenever another swimmer tried to swim between us we closed ranks and made it impossible for them to pass thru. We dominated the inside lane to the bridge, under it and all the way to the swim exit. My swim buddy was faster than me so I had to pick up the pace in order to hold the line. As we got out of the water and ran across the landing, we glanced at each other, nodded and jumped back in for the second loop. There was no way I could keep that pace for another mile. After about five minutes I eased off the gas and settled back into my race pace. The second loop went by quickly and before I knew it I was done. Swim time-1: 30:18 

Transition Area

TRANSITION 1 (T1) I jumped out of the water and ran into T1. I’ve always liked the feeling of putting on something dry after the swim. However, whenever I try to put on a tri top after a cold swim it always gets stuck right under the armpits, rolls up and looks like some sort of tube top contraption. So today, I wore the tri top under the wetsuit because it’s all about “The Daylight”. Took off my wetsuit, put on my helmet, grabbed Kathy and headed to the exit.  T1 time- 4:49 (Fastest Ever)

BIKE

Dad cheering

Got on Kathy and started to ride when I heard the distinct sound of  “Isabelle”, the official OnPoint Fitness cowbell. Saw my dad ringing the bell and cheering so I had to take it up a notch. Out of the corner of my eye I saw another spectator with the largest pair of cowbells imaginable. They were so big he carried them with a yolk on his shoulders. If Paul Bunion’s Blue Ox wore a cowbell this was it.

More Cowbell

What lay ahead was a two loop course in the Swiss country side over hills with names like “Suicide”,  “The Beast” and “Heartbreak Hill”. I started spinning and found my rhythm. Everything was coming together when I heard a slight rubbing sound. It was easy to ignore at first but when it got louder and louder it forced me to investigate. After applying a little pressure to the breaks the bike dropped about two inches right before I came to a complete stop. When I unclipped and looked down, the back tire had slipped off the frame. I put the wheel back on and tightened the screw really, really tight. It took several miles for the horror of how bad the day could have been had this happened during a hilly descent. A few miles later, I heard my name from a familiar voice. It was my friend Adrianna from High Cloud. We exchanged a few words of encouragement and pleasantries before she gradually pulled away. As the gap widened I yelled out “I’ll catch you on the run”. She just laughed.

Lake Zurich

The first 20 miles were great and then the hills started. First up was something they called “Suicide”. Although the name made you pause, the hill really didn’t. I asked folks later in the ride, “Was that it? Oh, I didn’t even notice it.” Several rolling hills, turns, and great scenery later we were at “The Beast”. When I hear “The Beast” my mind automatically goes to the one in the St. Croix Ironman 70.3 race. The St. Croix Beast is a 600-foot climb in a stretch of highway 7/10 of a mile long with an average grade of 14 percent and a maximum grade of 21 percent. All that means is that its steep as hell and most cyclist including me end up walking a half mile of the bike course thru no choice of our own (for the record I've rode all the way up twice). 

Heartbreak Hill

However, this Beast was a 3-4 mile climb that seemed to just keep going. The only good thing was the breath taking view of the mountains and Lake Zurich that almost made you forget you were in a race. Although the Beast was hard, I didn’t have to get off and push my bike up the hill. So from that stand point it didn’t trump the St. Croix Beast. After reaching the top of the hill I flew down the other side of the mountain at mind blowing speeds. Got in my aero position and tucked in for a long and fast downhill section. My grin went from ear to ear as the speedometer went 20, 25, 30, 35, 36mph. At this point the grin turned to a grimace as it climbed to 37 and 38mph. I tapped the breaks and slowed down to 36mph. The same thought kept running thru my mind. “How fast could you go without the breaks?” Well there’s only one way to find out. The hands came off the breaks and the speed climbed, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41 and peaked at 42mph.

Heartbreak Hill

The rest of the ride back to town was fairly fast. Passed the transition area and headed for the last hill on the course called “Heartbreak Hill”. Got to Heartbreak Hill prepared for the worst but started to think the Swiss may not really know how to properly name hills. From the base of the hill, before you could see a single spectator, the roar of the crowd and a guy on the PA system calling out athlete names could be heard. As soon as you made the first turn onto the hill you were in the “Tour de France”.The crowds were lined up on both sides of the hill as far as the eye could see. People were spilling into the streets running along with athletes, chanting, “Up, Up, Up” or “Pop, Pop, Pop” (couldn’t tell with all the excitement). Feeding off the crowd’s energy, I passed one competitor. The crowd went wild and so did I. I got out of the saddle and passed two more riders before arriving at the top of the hill to thunderous applause. Saw my Spect-Athletes (Mom, Dad, Carla and Colin) cheering me on.

LOOP 2

The weather conditions were bad all day. It was freezing cold, the on again off again rain kept the roads wet and the thunder and lightening were a little off putting. From time to time the sun came out, warmed you up then faded behind a cloud just before it rained again. All of that was bad enough but the roads were open to traffic making it even worse. Whenever you’re flying down a hill, on a wet road, at 30+mph only to see a motorist speeding up the same hill, it just sent chills down your spine. However, when it started to hail—that’s right, I said HAIL—this officially became the worst race conditions ever.

The second loop was off to a great start. Apart from spending so much energy shivering to stay warm, everything was good. When I got back to “Suicide” I expected it to be as easy as the first time. While never living up to the name, it definitely felt more like “Assault & Battery” the second time around. The weather finally took its toll and everyone struggled to make it up the Beast.
It was a long slow grind all the way to the top.

Reuben & Jessica

The road back to town looked more like an abandoned ghost town than an Ironman race. Thousands of spectators and well wishers that lined the course earlier had deserted their posts and went looking for a place to stay dry and get warm.  All of course except my Spect-Athletes (Reuben & Jessica) who were on the main road cheering me on as I struggled to keep it together. 

Made it to Heartbreak Hill, ready for my second “Tour de France” experience. This time you didn’t hear the crowd or the announcer on the PA. Maybe the neighbors complained and forced them to turn it down a bit. After making the turn, the truth could no longer be denied. There was NO CROWD! The rain and hail had scattered everyone for shelter. With the road completely empty you could actually see how steep and crazy this hill really was.  Although the difficulty of the hill doesn’t break your heart, the absence of all the love from the spectators you felt the first time around does. By the time the hill was done, so was I. Started spinning the last few miles to prepare for the run. Despite the crazy course conditions I rocked the bike, finally averaging over 16mph for the 112 miles. Bike time- 6:50:50 (Fastest Ever) 

(SPECIAL THANKS To: Richard, Elizabeth, and Shelly for the hundreds of miles you endured to get me ready.)

Mom trying to stay dry

TRANSITION 2

The last leg of the bike took the wind out of my sail but when I saw my split time I was back on  “cloud 9” coming into transition. Dropped Kathy off, grabbed some gel and headed for the run exit.  Leaving T2 I had a craving for salt and wanted pretzels. T2-4:07

RUN

The run turned out to be a four loop cross country/steeple chase course vs. a marathon course.  We ran over cobblestone, pavement, gravel, dirt, mud, grass, up/down stairs, in a garden, over a bridge, thru a tunnel and around a lake.

Carla & Colin

I came out of transition feeling great. After putting down my fastest bike split I was ready to drop the hammer on the marathon. Banked the corner and headed to the first aid station to get some nutrition. Got there but they didn't have pretzels. So I grabbed some orange pegs and the next best thing with salt. BBQ potato chips. Woofed them down and took off. Less than 10 seconds later my stomach started to rumble and I had the strangest feeling that required me to slow down. As I slowed down my brain rushed to figure out what this strange rumbling feeling was all about. Then it hit me, literally. “Runners Trot!”

OnPoint Fitness Aid Station

The first 5K were a bust. Stopped every 1K to find relief. In the middle of the first loop I saw Adrianna. To take my mind off my GI issues I focused on calculating how far of a lead she had on me. The next 5K were only slightly better since I could now make it every other kilometer before having to pull over. After the first loop I calculated I was 30 minutes behind.  (1st loop average pace10: 15/mile)

Waiting at Aid Station

My Spect-Athletes set up shop near one of the aid stations and made it the liveliest one on the course.  They hyped up the crowd to a fever pitch and cheered louder and louder every lap. The 10K of the second loop was basically just like the first. At the end of loop two I was now 15 minutes behind. (2nd loop average pace10: 38/mile). As my pace slowed down, I knew that my “Daylight” finish was no longer going to happen.  I accepted the situation and switched into survival mode. I felt that it would only be a matter of time before I would be forced to walk most of the remaining 13 miles. With the good swim time and great bike split, there was enough time in the bank to make the 17-hour cut off time as long as I kept moving. However, if I ever stopped moving forward that would be a problem. I determined to run until I was forced to walk. The closer I could get to the finish line before being reduced to walking the better chance I had to beating the time cut off.
Salvation finally came during the third loop.  For the past 15 miles I would run past a bunch of people, disappear for a few minutes and then run past most of those same people again. After noticing this trend for more than an hour a runner on her fourth loop offered me some Imodium A-D. I graciously accepted and popped the pill. It took a few miles for it to kick in and to feel like I could actually run without stopping. Before loop three was over I finally caught up to Adrianna. (3rd loop average pace11: 15/mile). Despite the GI issues taking everything out of me physically and almost mentally, I surprisingly held on to a halfway decent pace. Although I was slowing down with each loop, a quick look at the time and it was obvious I could salvage my “Daylight” finish.  A second glance sent my brain into overdrive. Since I’m going to get a “Daylight” finish, I wondered what it would take to get a new PR. The final calculation was around a 10min/mile for the last 10K. At this point my pace was heading closer to 15 min/mile than 10min/mile. 

Relax, Lean & Lift

Most runners suffer the last 10K after hitting the wall somewhere between miles 18-21.  However, I’ve been suffering since the first mile. They say the first 20 miles are the warm up and the last 10K are when the race actually starts.  This freakish Swiss weather never allowed me to warm up so racing the last 10K didn’t seem possible.  Then there is always talk about the mythical negative split (doing the second half of the race faster than the first half). Though few of us personally know anyone who has actually done it, we all have friends who have friends who know a runner that does it all the time. When I saw my Spect-Athletes on the last loop everything changed. It had been a long day for everyone but I could feel their enthusiasm willing me forward. My brain suddenly switched out of survival mode into “Hunter Mode” (catch and pass as many athletes as possible). A new PR may not be possible but I was going to give this 10K everything I had.

OnPointFitness.com
Media Pass

So I locked in on a runner about 100 meters ahead, focused my e-Chi and dropped the hammer. Kept reminding myself to Relax, Lean & Lift. I sang and hummed my way thru to stay motivated. The play list went something like this:

10K- The hills are alive with the sounds of music. With songs they have sung for a thousand years.

9K- Do-re-mi-fa-so la-ti. Doe, a deer, a female deer. Ray, a drop of golden sun. Me, a name I call myself. Far, a long, long way to run.

8K -Buffalo soldier, dreadlock rasta. There was a buffalo soldier in the heart of America.

7K- In my best Count from Sesame Street voice: 1 slow runner passed ha ha ha, 2 slow runners passed blah ha ha, 3 really slow runners passed, 10 very slow runners passed. “C” is for cookie that’s good enough for me.

6K- Rubber Ducky you’re the one, you make bath time lots of fun.  It’s time for the Percolator; it’s time for the Percolator.

5K- Oh we are the Pathfinder strong. Servants of God are we.

4K- I was born by the river in a little tent and just like the river I’ve been running ever since. Its been a long, long time coming but I know a change gonna come. Oh, yes it is.

3K Out of the night that covers me, black as the pit from pole to pole. 

 Ironman Switzerland
Finisher

With just over 2K left you could faintly hear the finish line crowd cheering as people finished. There were more spectators lining the course the closer you got to the finish line. I fed off their energy and basically sprinted the rest of the way home. Now I could hear the names of each person as they crossed the line. When I made the last turn into the finisher’s shoot my Spect-Athletes were there to greet me. To my surprise Colin (SAV) was in the official press box taking pictures. He had obtained an “All Access, Media Pass” and was stationed with the other professional photographers at the finish line with his camera.

I ran thru the finish line with my arms in the air as the announcer declared: “Lloyd Henry, you are an IRONMAN”! The race was finally over and I had done it. A “Day Light” Finish, a new PR 12:57:31, ran a negative marathon split averaging 9:15 min/mile for the last 10K with the last 2 miles averaging 8:18 min/mile and got one continent closer to becoming an “Ironman Globe Finisher”.

Lessons Learned

1)    Plan your race and race your plan.

2)    Protect your personal space during the swim. Maintain a patient lead arm, high elbows and a good two beat kick.

3)    Swim with the tri top under the wetsuit. Leads to a faster T1 time.

4)    Save something for the last 30 miles of the bike. Proper fueling goes a long way. (Herbalife 24 Prolong)

5)    Never eat orange pegs and BBQ potato chips ever again.

6)    Carry Imodium A-D and bring an extra one to share.

7)    Triathletes come back stronger and faster after childbirth. Discovered soon after the race that the only reason I actually caught my friend Adrianna on the run was because she was pulling over every lap or so to feed her newborn baby.

8)    Always travel with your Spect-Athletes. It makes the experience so much better. Plus it doesn’t hurt if one of them can also get an All Access Media Pass to photograph your entire race experience. 

Proud Parents

Best Spect-Athletets in the World