Race Report, The Big One!

The day begins at 3:30 am with some much needed coffee and a good breakfast. An hour later and we're on the way down Ali'i drive. Jim and I get down to body marking and hook up with Adam. A quick check of the bike and transition bags and we are off to the "beach."

Here is a picture of the start a few days after the race. There is really no beach, and you have to swim about 200 yards out to the start by the pier. Adam convinces me to get into the water and out to the start line shortly after the pro start at 6:45. We were treading water for about 15 minutes before the 7:00 start for the age group race. Those 15 minutes seemed like hours and I ended up starting about three rows deep behind Adam, probably too conservatively. The cannon goes off and like mad 1800 eager athletes take off. Immediately, I'm surrounded by swimmers and by the first bouy, it's a mad house. I look up and all I see is whitewater and lots of bodies. It does not really thin out until about 15 minutes into the swim, where I find a group and settle in. Unlike prior swims, this one is beautiful. The ocean floor below is within sight and while racing I'm also on a mini-snorkling trip admiring the sealife below. At the turn, I keep with my group, but start to get some cramping in my right calf, and had to swim with one leg for about 10 minutes. Never really subsiding, my cramp is managable and before I know it we are approaching the swim exit. I get out of the water, up the stairs to see the clock at 1:08. At first I thought the time represented the pro start, thus I swam it in 55 minutes. Quickly reality strikes, and Irealize that I just had my worst IM swim at 1:08. Not a good start to the day.




Just before I realized how terrible of a swim I had!


I was quick through transition and on the bike headed up Pulani to a quick right hand turn at the "hot corner." I see the family and begin a gentle but sustained climb up the road. The first 45 minutes on the bike were pretty tough. i was working out my calf, trying to stretch it out on the fast downhills. It was pretty hot, and I probably took in too much nutrition for the first hour. My stomach was not bothering me, but it was hard to find the rhythm. I was settled into my goal wattage of 255-265, but was well over that on any uphill climb. About mile 35 I started to feel really well, and was going by most of other athletes. When I got to the bottom of the climb up to Hawi, I was in stride really feeling the pace. The climb up to Hawi is gradual but long, 7+ miles. On the way up I got a front row seat to see the pro race unfold right in front of me.


Coming down from Hawi was the men's leader, Chris Leito followed by the rest of the field. I also saw Chrisse Wellington, the eventual women's winner, with a huge advantage over the second place winner. Once at Hawi, I grabbed my special needs bag, the second nutrition bottle and an instant ice pack. I heard that it was 100 degrees from about mile 30 to mile 100 on the bike. Coming down Hawi, I reached speeds of 40+ miles an hour and contrary to what I expected, the winds were not fierce. It was great to go downhill for 30 minutes but at times very scary. Back on the Queen K, we encountered a strong headwind for about an hour until we reached the airport at mile 104. This was the toughest part of the bike, as I struggled to keep pace and consistent watts. I found myself coasting a bit more stretching my back and getting pressure off my nether region. After the airport, it is basically all downhill, and I took advantage. Looking at my time, I figured that if I could average 21 miles and hour the last 45 minutes, I would come in around 5 hours. I flew back down Pulani to the transition in 5:01, 22.4 miles an hour average, with a normalized power of 244. I was so happy with the time, by far my best IM ride, and felt I was back in the thick of the age group race.

A very quick transition of 2:44, and I was out on the run........except I forgot my sunscreen and most importantly the latex glove I had trained with to keep ice in and attempt to cool the body via the hand. Finding Jim and friends just up Pulani, I knew he would not be happy with my rushing through transition. I would learn from Kelly and Megan post race that Jim was indeed very upset that I had not taken the glove with me.

The first 10 miles are out and back on the famed Ali'i Drive right past our rented house. I felt really good for the first mile and ended up running it in about 6:20, way too fast. Once on Ali'i, I quickly adjusted the pace to feel and was steady at 6:50 pace. About three miles into the run, I could feel my calf and quads begin to show signs of fatigue. Mild cramps were happening, so I decided to take on board as much liquid and gels as I could stand at the first aid station. Once the cramping was under control, I settled continued on my sub 7 mile pace. I saw Suzie, Kelly, and Megan about four miles into the run, and then again at mile seven. I can't tell you how awesome that was even if I could barely manage a simple wave. Inside I was so happy to see them, and immediately began to think how much they sacrificed to make the trip to join me. It was like an instant shot of energy as I sped past them. I got to the bottom of Pulani feeling okay, then the climb up........Pulani Drive is a short but very steep road out of town to the Queen K highway. I struggled up Pulani Drive running no faster than 10 minute miles, more like a shuffle. At the top of Pulani, we took a right hand turn to the Queen K ready for miles and miles of lava fields and intense heat. The rest of the run was similar to running on the moon, except only if the moon was on the sun. The dull lava rock landscape with little to no spectators makes each mile on the Queen K seem like eternity. I reached the half way of the marathon in just over 1:30, and began to do the math in my head. I knew I was slowing down, but wanted to manage the damage. Every aid station went like this.....four cold sponges down the back of the neck, as much water as I could down the front, sip of Gatorade, sips of water, ice in the hand, then more ice on the head. I can't begin to tell you how hot it was, there was a little relief running with the wind against me, but when the wind was at my back, I felt like my skin was going to burn off. Jim had been on a bike for most of the Queen K doing his very best to put the right thoughts into my head. Basically, I was hearing everything he had to say, but had no response, not because I did not want to, but I was so focused on what was in front of me.

Miles 13-18 are uphill to what I am convinced is literally hell on earth, the Natural Energy Lab. Entering the Natural Energy Lab at mile 18 was such a big deal. Here is where my race was either going to end or I was going to fight to the finish. It's down hill for about a mile, then flat for a mile, than back up hill for a mile. It was well over 100 degrees in the Lab, and you could see how the extreme heat was affecting the race. I got my special needs bags, another ice pack and was on my way back up the hill to leave the hottest place on earth I have ever been to. Why would anyone in their right mind want to run in a place like this, but I guess no one is in their right mind on this day!!!

Back to the Queen K with seven miles to go, I was reduced to counting to 100 over and over again and singing "When the saints go marching in," a favorite of my son, Logan. I had mental images that I consistently used to keep me moving forward. Kids, Tobi, Timmy, they all kept me in the race, even though they weren’t there. By this time, Jim was doing a great job of following me on the bike. "Lean forward, count to 100, take a risk" were all very familiar things I was hearing for the last seven miles. I won’t lie, there were times when I wish I was deaf. The problem was that I was already taking risks. The feet were on fire, and I was simply hanging on. My pace through the aid stations got down to 8:30's but I would get it back up to 7:15's back on the highway. I managed to catch a few more guys in my age group. The final climb up to Pulani was insane, then down Pulani was tough. Back through town, I just wanted the pain to end. I wish I could have enjoyed running down Ali'i Drive to the finish more, after all it’s the holy grail of triathlon, but at that point all I was thinking about was stopping running. Crossing the finish line was a huge relief. It was 26.2 mile of pure pain, by far the hardest mental and physical experience I have ever had. No way would I have made it without Jim giving me………………………well, we'll call it encouragement.

I finished in 9:29, a 10 minute IM personal best on a very, very tough day, 8th in my age group and 97th overall. I knew it was going to be hot, but this heat blew my mind. Went straight to the medical tent and received an IV for some serious cramps. Then met the team and they took me home. My mom and sisters hung in their all day, cheering in the heat, and never once complained. For that, I'm forever grateful, and so happy they got to experience this with me. I also knew that I had a fourth supporter with me the entire way looking down upon my journey, and I know how proud of me he’d be. I’m sure he asked himself why I did it too!!! I'll get back someday, this time with my wife, but for now I remain on cloud nine. Thanks for all your support, time to eat my third Whopper.

SJI