Runovia the experience: Racing the day after a flood.
Thursday & Friday
In an attempt to replicate an Ironman Wisconsin situation (itinerary, schedule, etc...) , Nikki and I chose to head to Lake Barkley on Thursday afternoon. Due to some poor planning and ordering of my e-gel's, we couldn't leave until the Fed Ex man showed up at 4:00pm. That still allowed us to show up around 9pm central time.
Feeling tired, we got our lodge keys and headed off to bed. There wasn't a lot of solid sleep Thursday night because it was thundering, lightening and raining all night long. It didn't deter my enthusiasm Friday morning; it can't get much worse - I thought.
All day Friday, Nikki and I spent time going over the course and trying to find a break in the rain to get in a short swim. I ended up getting in a 40 minute easy spin on the bike and a 10 minute swim in the lake. Friday night many of the other triathletes were hanging around the lodge area, eating dinner, checking equipment, discussing the course and getting ready for the athletes' meeting.
Saturday
As my pre-race ritual, I woke up 3 hours before the race start and began to drink down 3 Boost Drinks. It is always the hardest part of the day for me because the drinks are not delicious. I continue to use them though because while they are not great, they at least go down.
The thunder, rain and lightening continued while I gulped down those treats and I began to wonder about swimming in a couple hours. Loading my bike in the rain, I began to worry just a little bit more, but I wasn't the only one that noticed the weather. After following the caravan of triathletes to the beach (a couple miles through the park), I realized that there were more cars leaving the beach then there were heading towards it.
The race was cancelled due to the flooding and tornado warnings. A race meeting was called for 10:00am to discuss our options.
What should I do?
The great thing about the meeting was that most of the athletes understood the situation. There didn't appear to be anyone that was upset, but really how could they be, it was nasty outside. Todd (the race director) offered race vouchers for other races that he put on, but he also said that if people were willing to try on Sunday, he would be there to help. The only problem about going on Sunday was that he couldn't promise that the volunteers and support would come out.
What would you do? To be honest, I knew I wanted to try on Sunday if possible and if Nikki would let me (she was suppose to be on a triathlon relay on Sunday). Nikki had no question either, but it was a little stressful for her to find someone to take her place on the team. This was the first of many over-the-top efforts she made to support my race weekend.
I spent Saturday watching college football in the lodge. At least the Huskers won by 56!
The race goes off
As an athlete that continually tries to use "sport" to find out more about myself, this seemed like an ideal situation. There were some people that were going to do the half, while 6 of us were going to attempt the full iron-distance. It was going to be a day spent competing against myself.
The spirit of Ironman
Some people know the story of the original Ironman race in 1978, but here's a snip taken from wikipedia:
There are a lot of things just written there that make me realize that Runovia was truly supporting that same spirit. First of all is the obvious situation that those athletes faced in 1979 compared to the choice we had this past weekend. We had 6 people that chose to still do the race, they had 15 athletes. In both cases, it is a far comparison to the 2400+ athletes that toe the line of most Ironman races today. (To be fair I didn't know the fact about the 1979 weather delay until today.)
The second interesting fact has to do with the winner of the first race in 1978 - Gordon Haller. The certificates that Todd is giving to the finishers of the full distance race were signed by Gordon Haller! How great is that. I can not tell you where one finisher's certificate is that I've received over the years. I don't even have all the finishers medals for my marathons (moving all the time does that). But this certificate will be framed and hung.
My take-home thoughts
I can not imagine the stress that Todd and Cynthia went through this past weekend, but I know that they seemed upbeat and supportive none-the-less. (Well my friends Beth, Eric and Jeff put on the triathlon in Lexington this past weekend, so they have let me know how stressful it might have been!) I can not tell you how appreciative I am that they did everything they could to give us the opportunity that I had on Sunday. It's hard to imagine a more genuinely spirited experience.
For the athletes that competed on Sunday, thank you. It was good to know that there were others out there trying for the same experience I was seeking, even if we rarily saw each other. It was also nice to have your family members and friends around to participate as spectators!
Lake Barkley. It was a perfect venue for a race in my opinion. The lodge, the lake and the trace (the name of the road we did most of our riding) were ideal. The terrain may not have been "easy", but the Land Between the Lakes area offered a perfect experience. Hopefully next time the weather compliments the surroundings a little better.
In an attempt to replicate an Ironman Wisconsin situation (itinerary, schedule, etc...) , Nikki and I chose to head to Lake Barkley on Thursday afternoon. Due to some poor planning and ordering of my e-gel's, we couldn't leave until the Fed Ex man showed up at 4:00pm. That still allowed us to show up around 9pm central time.
Feeling tired, we got our lodge keys and headed off to bed. There wasn't a lot of solid sleep Thursday night because it was thundering, lightening and raining all night long. It didn't deter my enthusiasm Friday morning; it can't get much worse - I thought.
All day Friday, Nikki and I spent time going over the course and trying to find a break in the rain to get in a short swim. I ended up getting in a 40 minute easy spin on the bike and a 10 minute swim in the lake. Friday night many of the other triathletes were hanging around the lodge area, eating dinner, checking equipment, discussing the course and getting ready for the athletes' meeting.
Saturday
As my pre-race ritual, I woke up 3 hours before the race start and began to drink down 3 Boost Drinks. It is always the hardest part of the day for me because the drinks are not delicious. I continue to use them though because while they are not great, they at least go down.
The thunder, rain and lightening continued while I gulped down those treats and I began to wonder about swimming in a couple hours. Loading my bike in the rain, I began to worry just a little bit more, but I wasn't the only one that noticed the weather. After following the caravan of triathletes to the beach (a couple miles through the park), I realized that there were more cars leaving the beach then there were heading towards it.
The race was cancelled due to the flooding and tornado warnings. A race meeting was called for 10:00am to discuss our options.
What should I do?
The great thing about the meeting was that most of the athletes understood the situation. There didn't appear to be anyone that was upset, but really how could they be, it was nasty outside. Todd (the race director) offered race vouchers for other races that he put on, but he also said that if people were willing to try on Sunday, he would be there to help. The only problem about going on Sunday was that he couldn't promise that the volunteers and support would come out.
What would you do? To be honest, I knew I wanted to try on Sunday if possible and if Nikki would let me (she was suppose to be on a triathlon relay on Sunday). Nikki had no question either, but it was a little stressful for her to find someone to take her place on the team. This was the first of many over-the-top efforts she made to support my race weekend.
I spent Saturday watching college football in the lodge. At least the Huskers won by 56!
The race goes off
As an athlete that continually tries to use "sport" to find out more about myself, this seemed like an ideal situation. There were some people that were going to do the half, while 6 of us were going to attempt the full iron-distance. It was going to be a day spent competing against myself.
The spirit of Ironman
Some people know the story of the original Ironman race in 1978, but here's a snip taken from wikipedia:
Prior to racing, each athlete received three sheets of paper listing a few rules and a course description. Handwritten on the last page was this exhortation: "Swim 2.4 miles! Bike 112 miles! Run 26.2 miles! Brag for the rest of your life", now a registered trademark.
With a nod to a local runner who was notorious for his demanding workouts, Collins said, "Whoever finishes first, we'll call him the Iron Man." Of the fifteen men to start off the in early morning on February 18th, 1978, twelve completed the race and the world's first Ironman, Gordon Haller, completed in 11 hours, 46 minutes, and 58 seconds.
With no further marketing efforts, the race gathered as many as 50 athletes the following year. The race, however, was postponed a day because of bad weather conditions and only fifteen competitors started off the race Sunday morning. San Diego's Tom Warren, age 35, won in 11 hours, 15 minutes, and 56 seconds. Lyn Lemaire, a championship cyclist from Boston, placed sixth overall and became the first "Ironwoman".
There are a lot of things just written there that make me realize that Runovia was truly supporting that same spirit. First of all is the obvious situation that those athletes faced in 1979 compared to the choice we had this past weekend. We had 6 people that chose to still do the race, they had 15 athletes. In both cases, it is a far comparison to the 2400+ athletes that toe the line of most Ironman races today. (To be fair I didn't know the fact about the 1979 weather delay until today.)
The second interesting fact has to do with the winner of the first race in 1978 - Gordon Haller. The certificates that Todd is giving to the finishers of the full distance race were signed by Gordon Haller! How great is that. I can not tell you where one finisher's certificate is that I've received over the years. I don't even have all the finishers medals for my marathons (moving all the time does that). But this certificate will be framed and hung.
My take-home thoughts
I can not imagine the stress that Todd and Cynthia went through this past weekend, but I know that they seemed upbeat and supportive none-the-less. (Well my friends Beth, Eric and Jeff put on the triathlon in Lexington this past weekend, so they have let me know how stressful it might have been!) I can not tell you how appreciative I am that they did everything they could to give us the opportunity that I had on Sunday. It's hard to imagine a more genuinely spirited experience.
For the athletes that competed on Sunday, thank you. It was good to know that there were others out there trying for the same experience I was seeking, even if we rarily saw each other. It was also nice to have your family members and friends around to participate as spectators!
Lake Barkley. It was a perfect venue for a race in my opinion. The lodge, the lake and the trace (the name of the road we did most of our riding) were ideal. The terrain may not have been "easy", but the Land Between the Lakes area offered a perfect experience. Hopefully next time the weather compliments the surroundings a little better.
posted by gary at 8:55 PM
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