Preliminary
Race Report from Joe Sauerbrey:
[Webmaster introduction,
Joe's email is below]
Not sure what you did exercise
wise last weekend, but this will make you feel like a slacker. Joe
completed a Triple Iron Triathlon. Yep, three times Ironman distance:
Swim (7.2 mi) 4:54:00
T1 14:51
Bike (336 mi) 27:06:07
T2 7:03
Run (78.6 mi) 23:40:19
Total 56:02:20
Joe says a full race report
will follow. For now, I am speechless...
r
ps: Go to Joe's MySpace
page (http://myspace.com/gopre39)
and click on
the finishing picture which will take you to all of his race pictures.
----- Forwarded message
from gopre39@hotmail.com -----
Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2008 22:31:30 -0400
Subject: Triple Iron Tri.......
well Its over, I completed
the Triple Iron Tri in 56hrs 2min 19 secs.
and im sore. few toes are numb and knees are sore. Realy dont what
to
say right now. so much to process w/a huge race such as this. so much
happen from the dinner thursday night to dinner on sunday night. ya
that includes the race. I dont think it has hit me that i just
completed a 421.8 mile race on my own power and was pushed to my limits.
so dont worry I will have a lil ...ok long race report about it.
for those who care to read see all my lows and highs along this
awesome race. so bare w/ me as I get it done. will take some time
to
get all my thoughts and emotions together.
oh ya I will be ok FOX 8 News Live this wed @ 5:30!!!!!!!!!!!! they
will show some pics that my awesome race crew took!!
thanks again so much to all who helped me!! couldnt done it w/ out
ya'll.
Ill be in touch, just got alot to do from unpack to processing the
whole weekend. getting much needed sleep(only slept like 3 1/2 hrs
the
whole race) and eating and eating.
thanks again
Joe
And now for Joe's
FULL report...it's long but well worth your time to read it!
08
Triple Ironman report
Race date: Oct 3-4, 2008
Report date: Oct 28, 2008
by Joe Sauerbrey,
aka GI JOE
Well it has
been close to 2 weeks since I completed my very 1st Ultra Triathlon.
It has yet to sink in that I covered 421.8 miles in 56hrs 2min 19sec.
That I swam 7.2 miles in 4hrs 53 mins, then biked 336 miles in 27
hrs 6min, then ran 78.6 miles in 23ish hrs. My big toes are still
numb! Other than that, I feel ok. Just a little bit of soreness still
in my shoulders, and few other places at times. Just to give ya heads
up, this might be a long report to read. It did take 56hrs, so a lot
happened during the race.
Some
of you are probably wondering how I got to doing this race.
2yrs ago, I ran in my 1st Ultra marathon, the Triple Lakes 40 miler
in Oct 06. I placed pretty well for it being my 1st, a top 5. After
that race, I was hooked. I wanted more of the Ultras. I started searching
on the internet for my first 100-mile run, and found Umstead 100.
That is here in Raleigh, NC.
5 months later,
I placed 24th overall at Umstead and 22:11:27 time. Well under my
sub-24 hr goal. When I was looking on the internet for more Ultra
races, I came across the Virginia Double and Triple Iron Triathlons.
I emailed the race director, Steve, asking about them. He told me
all about the races. The Triple Ironman Triathlon really tripped my
trigger. A 7.2 mile swim 336 mile bike and 78.6 mile run. I thought
it would be cool to do someday. But never really thought I could do
it. I felt like it was too much out of my reach, since my swimming
is not the greatest.
After I successfully completed the Umstead 100 in March 07, I thought
maybe the Triple Iron Tri could be done. I knew it would take a lot
of work. Yet I felt like I was biting off more than I can chew, with
not really knowing how to get sponsorship and how to train for such
a big race as this. The race fee was $525, plus with the cost of equipment,
food needed for training, bike tune ups, shoes. It would be more than
what my budget could allow. But I knew in my heart I wanted to do
this race so bad! I couldn’t wait another year.
So I was training for the 100 again and trying to juggle that with
trying to make ends meet getting things lined up for the Triple w/
training and sponsorship. You could say I had a lot on my plate. Russ,
a good friend of mine knew about this race and what I was trying to
do. Told me about this book called “Athlete’s Guide to
Sponsorship” which helped get me going in the right direction.
I spent so much time writing letters to sponsors to help cover the
cost. It kind was a headache at times, with not knowing what to say
or how to approach it. However, w/ all that hard work writing those
letters and sending out countless emails, it did pay off. A lot of
the sponsorship stuff came through in the few weeks before the race.
So I was really stressed that this race would not happen due to lack
of funds. I was very thankful when sponsors started to help me. That
took a lot off my mind.
I tell y'all all of this so you can see what kind of planning it took
to get me to the starting line and what kind of work I was doing along
w/ training for the race. It was not easy at all. I thought at times
I would have to postpone it, but I did not want that all!
Training….
I really wanted
a coach to help me. However, I did not get one, another way to keep
my cost down. I kind of knew what I had to do training wise. I have
read that when you train for an ultra, train to 30-50% of what your
race is. So When I trained for the 100, most of my long runs where
35 miles give or take. In addition, with this being a Triple Ironman
distance that made it easy to know what my long workouts should be.
Do Ironmans for workouts. I also knew I had to work on my swim big
time. The YWCA in High Point was kind enough to hook me up a free
membership to use their pool. Russ helped a lot with my swim. By having
me doing a lot swimming drills that would
help my form. Yet I did have my doubts about if I was training right,
doing enough. And if I did enough to finish the race.
While I was
training for the race, I was interviewed by FOX 8 news and NEWS 14.
Russ put it on that TV bit Slowswitch message board, and that’s
how I meet Eileen Steil, She said that if I needed any help that she
would be willing to help me for the race. She has done a lot of Ultra
Tri’s. She knew her stuff when it came to the Ultra tri’s.
So I started to email her and talk to her on the phone a lot leading
up the the race. Asked her a lot of questions about training and the
course at the park. Also asked about what to expect during the race
and what mental stuff I would encounter. She helped me out so much
with so many little things. She told me her goals for the race weekend
were to 1) get to me across the finish line alive and in good health.
2) to do the double for a workout. (She is doing the DecTriathlon
next month on Mexico that is 26-mile swim, 1,120-mile bike, then a
262-mile run. And you thought I was nuts!) I was glad to know I had
her in my corner during race.
Race
weekend!!
The few days
leading up the race where crazy for me. Getting all my gear packed,
getting a tent, food, camping stuff. I was glad I took a half-day
off from work Wednesday. I had a lot to do the night before. I so
was grateful when my mom baked my fav cookies, molasses cookies that
part of them where dipped in chocolate, and some homemade waffles
for me to take to the race. Thursday morning I got my truck all loaded
up with all the gear and my bike. On the way to the race, I had to
stop by to pick up my sweet jersey that had all my sponsors on it
that was made just for the race, and get my American flag out of the
cleaners. I had it hanging in my tent proudly during the weekend.
I picked up some food from Fresh Market, one of my sponsors.
I got to Lake Anna St Park around 3ish. I got there before most of
the other racers. I set up my camp/crew site next to a cool couple
from Canada. They where Michel and His girlfriend Francine. They did
the Triple as a 2 person relay. I got a kick out of hearing them speaking
French back and forth to each. They where so kind and friendly, and
they spoke in a heavy French accent when they spoke English. I really
enjoyed speaking w/ them.
Michel coming to the finish line
That night
we had a pasta dinner where we where all were introduced to each other
and had our pre-race briefing. Mainly it was about what to expect
during the race w/ the swim, bike and run. At the dinner I meet Richard
and Julian, two chaps from England. All 3 of us hit it off right away
and started picking on each other, and talked about some of the races
we did. I met Andy, from Vermont. He is a RD (race director) of 150
and 200 mile races in Vermont. I told him he is my new friend. Ya
I plan on looking into doing those very soon!!
I met Jane, a crazy girl and a Christian like me. She got into the
race 3 weeks before race weekend. But she is always in shape, She
is a fitness instructor at a All male college and teaches classes
there. Safe to say she can hold her own very easily. I was introduced
as GI JOE so when they said that that is when I meet Jane, her nickname
was GI JANE, we both thought that was cool. Rest of the Triple Racers
I would meet over the next 2 ½ days during the race.
The night before the race, I tried to get a good night's rest in my
tent. It was a little cold. Think I went down around 10pm. I was awakened
around 1am by the sounds of someone setting up their tent! Goof ball!
I think I was fully awake around 5am, but just laid there in the tent
resting much as I could and getting my mind ready for the swim.
By 6am I was up and getting my stuff ready. I had some coffee, oatmeal
for breakfast that morning. Eileen was there to help get my bike stuff
ready and making sure she had the right water bottles and gel for
me for the swim. Then we made our way down to the Lake.
SWIM
7.2 miles (Friday 7:03am)
The air temp was pretty chilly, I think it was around high 50’s.
The water temperature was around 70-72.There is a nuclear plant there
on the lake, So the lake was steaming, kind of cool in a way. Before
we all started the race, we did a big group pic of us in our wetsuits.
And at 7:03am the race started. I lagged to the back, knowing I was
a slow swimmer. When the race started, my heart felt like it was in
my throat, I was so happy and excited that this race I have wanted
to do for 2 yrs was finally happening. The swim course is a 644 meter/2112
foot loop. That we had to do 18 loops. It was marked with yellow rope
that had orange balloons tied to it. My plan was to stay close to
the rope/balloons so I would not swim off course. HAAA that was kind
of a good plan till when I turned my head to the right to breathe
only to have the rope rip off my goggles. Then I would gasp and suck
in the nuclear water in my lungs!!! Towards the end of my 1st loop
it happened so bad that I had to tread water to just get my bearings
and make sure I was ok and not going down. I didn’t want to
tell people that I almost drowned within the 1st mile of the Triple
Iron race. Not good at all!!! Plus it was kind of hard to see the
balloons with the steam coming off the lake and I was wearing tinted
goggles. It took me awhile to get into a rhythm for the swim. I would
change up between doing the breast stroke and freestyle. I really
didn’t care what I looked like out there, just as long as I
made the swim and didn’t drown.
Eileen would
wade out to me when I would finish up a loop to give me Gatorade and
gels. She would be there to give me aid about every 3 laps. It was
nice at the end of the loops you could stand up. At some spots you
could touch and other places you couldn’t. it was nice when
the sun came up, made it easier to see the rope/balloons.
By that time the lake was nice and clear easy to see. At times I felt
like I was a Navy SEAL when I was doing the breaststroke, because
my head would barely be above the water. Felt like I was sneaking
up on the bad guys but I had on a hunter orange swim cap, so I would
be easy to spot. Towards the middle of the swim, lap 12 (mile 4.5)
I think, my shoulders felt like they were on fire. Just a burning
pain down in the joint. When I was heading back to finish up a lap,
I passed Jane (GI JANE) right at the turn around point and asked how
she was doing. She asked how I was doing. I told her my shoulders
were killing me. Then she fired right back with a classic line I heard
a lot in the Army, she said “pain is weakness leaving the body.”
Right after she said that to me, I got back to swimming, and my shoulders
started to feel better. The pain was still there , but it was not
as intense. I also heard this little voice in my head saying “you
will finish this race” I just didn’t know when I would
be done or how much pain I would endure to get to the line.
During the
swim I really didn’t think about the whole race, I just stayed
focused on the swim and kept knocking out the laps, no matter how
many other swimmers pasted me. I did finally pass 2 other swimmers
during the swim!!! That’s a 1st for me during a triathlon. Eileen
would occasionally get on me because I wasn’t drinking enough
or taking enough energy gels during the swim. So I'm glad I had her
to tell me to drink and eat more to make sure I wouldn’t be
crashing later. She also put some bodyglide on my neck halfway through
the swim to make sure the wetsuit didn’t rub me too bad. Most
of my breaks where 20-40 seconds. Towards the end of the swim, the
lake started to get little choppy with a few swells at times. Love
that - more lake water to breathe in. I was so glad when John (my
lap counter in the boat) told me I had one lap left and I would be
done. I was checking my watch kind of hoping to get a sub 5r swim.
But didn’t want to kill myself to get it. Since I still had
to bike and run a lot. I loved that last loop and was so glad when
I did get a sub 5hr. It took me 4:54:00 to swim 7.2 miles!!!! The
longest swim I did before the race was a 3 mile swim once! I was so
stoked at the end of the swim, feeling pretty good about the race.
I was in no rush to get on the bike. Walked up to the bathhouse, had
help getting out the wetsuit and took quick rinse off shower and got
on my Off-n-Running, Spinz bike shop , Mangum Track Club, Endurance
Magazine, New Bridge Bank, YWCA of High Point , Fresh Market, Studebaker
Control Solutions Inc, Der Wagen Haus repair shop, Diane Webb Insurance,
Ron & Wendy Horton, Rosemary Baxley, Janet Smith, Chris &
Rachel Embler Jersey. Which I wore the rest of the race!
Bike 336 Miles (Friday
12:13pm)
I had a little
bit of a walk to get to where the bike started.
I was in no hurry to get there, since at this point I still had 55hrs
to cover 414 miles. I kind of knew it would take me about 24hrs on
the bike. But I still didn’t waste a lot of time, in other words
I was always moving forward. Hopped on the bike and I started to knock
out the miles. I didn’t check the miles or count the 67 ½
laps we had to do over the 4.869 mile loop , or roughly 2.4 miles
out and 2.4 miles back. My goal for the bike was to hit around 100
miles before it got dark. While I was biking I was looking forward
to seeing Dave and Chris, from Spinz Bike shop to show up. They where
going to help crew me while I biked. So I was really anxious for them
to show up.
I think I
was about maybe 1hr or so into the bike, when I saw Dave’s ol'
bald head sticking out of the car yelling “GO JOE”. Part
of the bike course was on the road that led into the park where the
race site was. So there was some traffic to deal with. I was so happy
to see Chris and Dave make it. When I made it back to camp I talked
w/ them briefly telling them where my tent was and that I planned
on stopping in a few more laps to eat lunch. So I biked a few more
laps, got to talk and bike with Jane for few miles. Enjoyed talking
w/ her, along with Andy Weinberg (he placed 3rd). It was nice to talk
with them and hear about the crazy races they did. Stopped for lunch
and had spaghetti, talked with Dave and Chris. Getting them up to
speed on things, like what drinks and food I would need during the
bike. While I was eating my quick lunch, Eileen came over and gave
me an order/pep talk. Saying that you're doing good and you're full
of energy, but don’t spend too much time biking with the other
athletes. I need to focus on the race and do it at my pace.
I admit it
kind of rubbed me the wrong way, but I understood where she was coming
from. She has done a lot of these races and she knew what she was
talking about. She wanted to make sure I finished the race with plenty
of time to spare. And that’s what I wanted. We talked about
this when we were on the run, and we were both cool. So I’m
glad she told me that. So I took her advice, I would ride with someone
for a few miles then push on. I was still able to talk with my new
crazy friends and still push it. I loved it when Michel or Francine
would pass me they would yell “ GO GI JOE” in their heavy
French accent. There was a lot of that going on, Everyone cheering
each other on, making sure we were all good.
The road had
the right side with pavement on it, but in the middle it was not paved.
So we all rode on the smooth pavement. I also knew where all the bumps
and dips were in the road to make sure the ride was smooth and did
not make the saddle soreness too bad as the miles passed by. Around
4-5 pm, Dave and Chris started to bike with me, in their black and
yellow poka- dotted Spinz jerseys. It was cool to see them out there
riding with me.I can't recall eating supper, I know Chris made a lot
of PB&J sandwiches for me. I ate a lot of them while on the bike.
I drank a lot of acclerade and perpetuem. Love that stuff, it has
much needed protein in it.
At one point
my odometer on the bike went out, not working!! Had me freaked out,
thinking the battery went dead. Thats how I was keeping track of the
miles and pace without having to ask the score keepers like crazy.
It somehow came loose off the base, so it started to work again after
messing with it . That messed me up little bit mentally. I wanted
to make sure I did 336 miles and not a bit more, in case the timers
were a little off. When that happened I came in on the next lap and
told Dave about it. So While I took a lil food break, he popped my
bike on his work stand and checked it out and did a quick look-over
over and made sure everything was working on it. That man was fast,
so glad I had Him in my tent. I know he also helped out a few other
racers as well, so others benefited from his skills.
7pm rolled around and the sun was starting to set, so Dave added the
lights to the bike. Ahh the lights, the problems we had with them.
I started out ok w/ the 1st battery for the lights. Not sure how long
I biked by myself in the dark. For grins and giggles I covered up
the light for a few seconds to see how dark it was. DARK!!!!!!!! The
race crew did place some Chem-Lights (glow sticks) along the course
to let you know kind of where the edge of the road was. SO ya it was
really dark, so dark the stars looked awesome, so bright! But I tried
not to look up but instead in front of me in case a deer jumped out
of the woods. And the noises coming from the woods, freaky , even
more if you were alone!! At some point during the night I noticed
the battery I had was dying, so I pulled in and Dave put a “fresh”
battery in. It lasted only 2.5 miles, roughly to the turn around.
Stupid me I didn’t have my headlamp on ,so I was lil freaked
out when the light started to die. Right when it was dying I heard
Chris come flying up behind me in the nick of time to save me.His
light was bright! I told him he was a good wingman. So grateful for
His perfect timing. I know God was watching over me when that happened.
Stopped by the tent and told Dave what happened, so he put it back
on the charger, gave me a headlamp and spare battery that was kind
of charged just in case. Chris and I rode together with him lighting
the way for awhile. Since it was dark I really could not see how fast
I was going or what mile I was on. Which I liked in a way, kept my
mind busy and not worrying about the miles. It did get pretty cool
on the bike, I had on a long sleeve shirt w/ a light wind breaker,
along with gloves that kept me pretty warm.
Dave brought up some leg warmers, which were so nice. I think I wore
them the rest of the bike. While Chris and I were riding in the night,
his light started to go out, right at the turn around point. So I
had to use my lights, knowing they would not be bright and would not
last long. So I switched on my headlamp, it was dim very dim. When
I was about 1/2mile out from camp I hit the headlamp on the bike.
I rolled into camp right when the light went out! So lucky, and the
whole time Chris was riding ahead of me without a light! So when we
made it back to camp, Dave put a new light on for Chris, and we took
off. Well we barely made it out of the camp when his light went out!!
Lucky I saw Jane was up ahead and told Chris I’ll ride with
her while you get the light fixed. I wanted to keep on moving no matter
what. I was glad She was close. Plus I kind of enjoyed riding with
her. I think it took Chris a few mins to catch back up with Jane and
I. Around midnight Janet, a fellow Mangum Track Club member showed
up. I was so glad to see her. She could only stay till mid-day on
Saturday. She was running in the Army 10 miler on Sunday. She was
able to send updates out to other fellow Mangum track folk. A few
emailed back wishing me luck. Thanks to all who emailed me through
Janet and through the race email. Around 1am I think is when Chris
was done. I think He biked around 60 miles with me. I was so glad
to have Him riding with me. Heck he even took a flat tire for me!
He had a flat towards the end of his ride. The Dave came out and rode
with me till about 2:20am. That’s about when I wanted to get
some rest and fuel up. So I ate right before I went down for 2hrs.
Tried to eat as many calories as I could before I laid down. I crawled
in my tent around 2:45am and planned on sleeping till 4:45am. Felt
kind of bad for Janet, she slept in her chair with her sleeping bag!
She said she was good. I remember waking up at 3:38am, ugh and tried
to get back to sleep. It was a ok sleep, tossed and turned a lot.
I was up around 4:30am.
Janet made me some oatmeal and nice gourmet hot chocolate. Ahhh So
nice. It was tough getting up, kind of didn’t want to. But after
a nice breakfast I was back on the bike and got back to knocking out
the miles. It was nice to see the sunrise on Saturday. Most of the
morning Dave did ride w/ me some of the morning telling me use the
downhill it was free ride and just spin up the hill, and other little
tips to help me out. Around 10am they started to pack their stuff
and had to get on the road. It was so nice to have them there, helped
pass a lot of time on the bike .I think Dave biked close to 90 miles
w/ me. I had Dave loosen up my shoulders before he took off. They
were killing me bad, from the swim and being in the areo bars a lot.
After they took off I was praying and hoping my bike would not break
down!! Thankfully it didn’t during the whole 336 miles. Right
before Janet had to take off for her race around noonish, she made
me about 6-8 turkey sandwiches. She put a few hot dogs ( I love eating
them during a ultra) and some bananas out on my table, making it easy
to grab the food and keep going till Josh got in late Saturday night.
Around the same time, the Doublers were getting on the bike after
their swim. Man they where flying! I would too if I only had to do
a Double Iron. Winning time for the Double was 24hrs 3 mins. A guy
from Slovenia set the record with that win. So it was nice to have
the other racers out there to keep you company and see more crazies.
Towards the end of the bike, around mile 280ish I was starting to
really hurt from being in the saddle that long. I was using Chamois
Butt’r to help ease the saddle pain. But that stuff would only
last about 20-30 miles and the pain would be back. I didn’t
want to stop every 30 miles to apply the stuff. So I would just do
my best to block the pain, and avoid any dips or bumps in the road.
I would also keep my butt in the saddle and make sure I did not move
around that much so it wouldn’t hurt.
Toward the
end of the turn around the road had this little dip in it. Well I
would try to find the flattest part of it so it would not hurt when
I would go over it and I would clinch my butt in fear of any bumps.
Not fun. While I would bike , the park's trucks would drive past us.
They were the same model as my Dad’s truck, a GMC Canyon. So
a few times I would think how it would be nice to have him here. Never
did give it a 2nd thought. When I had about 30ish miles to go on the
bike I was starting to feel real drowsy. I was able to push it a lttle
bit. But it got worse and I didn’t want to push it to the end
of the bike like that. I was in fear of falling asleep on the bike
and running off the road and wiping out and be out of the race. Not
when I was that close to being done on the bike, just wasn’t
worth it.
So I stopped when I had 3 ½ laps or 17 miles to go. I stopped
and sat down to take only a 15 min cat nap.
Well after 10 mins I was awake feeling so much better! When I was
getting up and getting ready I saw this gray truck drive by that had
a OHIO ST plate on the front, I looked to see who it was. It was my
DAD!!!!! I sooooooo surprised that He came out. Never did I expect
that. I was so happy. I yelled at him to let him know where my tent
was. While I was waiting for him to come to the tent I woofed down
the last 3 hot dogs and topped off my bottles. When he go to the tent
I told him I was about done on the bike and asked if he would like
to start my run with me. He said ya. Man I was stoked and all pumped.
See back when I was a Little Joe, my Dad and I use to run and bike
together a lot. Kind of how I got started running, it was a form of
punishment to help burn off all the energy I had. I enjoyed doing
it with my Dad even if he was far ahead. That meant a lot to me that
he would do that. I quickly got back on my bike and I took off to
get the last 3 laps done! Bad idea, towards the end of the 1st of
3 laps, my stomach started to let me know that the 3 hot dogs in there
were not doing so well! I had to slow it down a little to make sure
they didn’t come back up and my stomach would calm down before
the run. I got the last 2 ½ laps done!! I was so glad to be
off the bike and those last laps, I didn’t feel any pain at
all. The results say I did the bike in 27hrs 6min 9sec. But that include
sleep, eating time, and light problems. According to my Bike odometer
, I averaged 16.1 mph, and it took me 21hrs 2min 38 sec. My longest
bike that I did for training was only 170 miles, I did that when I
did a 27hr training block, also ran around 30ish miles. So now only
3 marathons were left to go.
Run
78.6 Miles (Saturday 3ish pm)
I got off
that bike and got my running shoes on in under 10 mins. I think I
had the fastest bike to run transition. So I got ready to start the
run with my Dad. We walked the 1st lap together (a 2.015 mile loop,
had to do 39 laps). Kind of wanted to make sure my legs where ok after
biking 336 miles. So he and I walked, talking about the swim. He got
a kick out of how I nearly drowned in the 1st mile.
He called Friday and left a voicemail making sure I was out of the
water. They told him how the rest of the race was going up to when
he got there. I really enjoyed that lap, it was so nice to talk with
him, he told me how he tried to get my mom, my bro-n-law, and my uncle
to come. I told him I was glad he did make it. That so made my day,
when we got done with the lap we got a pic together. Then he was off
to go visit his brother in Richmond. On the way out of the park he
passed me again when I was starting my 2nd lap. He told me something,
can’t recall what it was, but hey I was glad he made it. Slowly
I started to pick up my pace to get the laps knocked out. I felt good.
I started to run on the grass, to lessen the impact. I knew the pavement
would wear me down if I kept on running on it. The 1st marathon I
think I knocked out in 6ish hrs. I really didn’t stop, just
would swing by my tent and grab a sandwich that Janet made or grab
a bottle that she mixed up for me and keep on going.
I was ok crewing
myself for awhile on the run. Kind of used to it when I do my long
runs by myself. Around the time I was starting on my 2nd marathon
(9ish pm) my good friend Josh from church showed up to help crew me
the rest of the race. It was sweet to see him. He didn’t have
any running shoes, but he started to run/walk with me in the night.
He talked a lot about his new girl Megan! Ugh!! But I know he was
all giddy about her. Plus it was nice to have the company. Josh I
still love ya!! When it got dark, the runners had to have a glow stick
attached to the back so the racers who where still biking could see
us from behind. The Run/bike course used the same road for about 1
mile. I wore the glow stick along with a reflective vest to make sure
I was not hit. I had someone tell me that it looked like I had wings
on my back and I was flying. I guess maybe they were having a hallucination
or I really was running fast?! I don’t know.
My goal was
to get a marathon and a half done before I took my last nap. I got
that done around 12:45 am. I ate a lot before I crawled into my tent
for a 90 min nap. I slept good, in other words I was out!! I got up
at 2:30am, Josh made me some oatmeal and last of the gourmet hot chocolate.
So nice and had a few of my mom’s molasses cookies for breakfast!
It was sweet seeing the sun come up again for the 2nd time Sunday
morning, because then I knew that I would be done sometime soon
The morning went by kind of fast, I can't recall much of it. I was
able to talk with Jane more when she got to the run! Also talked with
Dan Jensen, he is an awesome guy. He is a below the
knee amputee and the first amputee to finish the Triple Tri. Talked
with Kathy Roch-Wallace (1st place female) and her husband Eric. They
told me where I could get a warm shower after the race. So for a while
I longed for that more than to finish! I told my friend Josh either
Saturday night or early Sunday morning that I could taste it, as in
I knew I would finish the race with time to spare. Around I:00am with
30 miles to go I started to crash. At this time of the day , it was
pretty warm out.
Dan Jensen
All I was
taking in was water and E- Caps (electrolyte pill). I didn’t
want to eat anything. I was sick of eating Gels, Acclerade, Heed,
Gatorade endurance, Gatorade endurance mixed with red bull, Perpetuem
(a extreme endurance fuel drink), any kind of sandwiches, starbucks
coffee, coffee beans, cookies, pancakes, bagels. I knew I was in trouble
when my speech was slurred and I was swaying a little bit back in
forth. I took a much need food break. Oranges were all I wanted, something
sweet and wet. They did hit the spot! Do believe that’s all
I had the rest of the race..
Right before
I got up, Eric who was crewing for Andy, came up to me saying “I
heard you have not been eating, so here is a plate of food for you”.
That kind of caring, compassion went on during the whole race, other
racer's crews were helping each other out - lending a hand with food
and gear, even sharing a tent. I loved that so much. We where a big
family with everyone, even though we all met less than 72 hrs ago.
It was sweet because we all knew what we were going through and we
wanted to see everyone finish. We would ask Jane’s, Andy’s,
Richard’s, Dan’s and other Racer’s crew "How
are they doing?" A lot of joking when on, yet we still kept on
pushing to the end. When I was done I had to have Eileen pick me up
out of the chair. I could not stand up on my own power. Boy it hurt
when I started to get back on the road, my legs were so tight, beyond
tight. I looked goofy when I started back after my break. So almost
every lap after that Josh would run ahead and get me oranges.
As the day started to wind down, so did the racers. I was able to
see a lot of them finish, either from the double or triple. It would
get me all choked up with emotion seeing that and even more when it
was a fellow American finishing the race. The racers ran the last
1/8 mile carrying their nation's flag while their national anthem
was being played. That kept me pushing trough the pain. Knowing I
wanted that so bad. It hit me hard at mile 401 , that I had pushed
my body to this point. I only had a mere 20 miles to go, that I was
this close to the end. My feet where killing me, felt like they were
on fire and someone hit them with a baseball bat. I tried to run but
it hurt with each step - but I didn’t want to stop. So ya I
was struggling again.
Eileen saw this and told me to lay down and take a quick rest. While
I did that she took off my shoes and socks and rubbed out my feet.
WOW that felt so good. I was very impressed by my buddy Josh, As I
was laying there he put my smelly sock back on!! I wore Injinji socks
- the ones with toes in them. Josh had to make sure the sock fit over
each of my toes. Ya they look odd but I didn’t get a single
blister the whole race.
After Eileen and Josh were done I got back on my feet. Boy they felt
100% better. Eileen came out on the course to help me knock out the
last ten laps. I was close to crying a few times towards the end of
the race. I held it in, Eileen told me it was ok to cry. I wanted
to want until the end to let it all out. She helped me on the course
, by saying “we will walk to that sign, then run to a that gate,”
she would break it up like that. The goal was to do the 2-mile loop
in 30 mins. Ya sounds easy, but remember I was on mile 400ish and
only had less then 4hrs rest. So 30 mins was cooking. Slowly the laps
went by, and we would ask the other racers as they pass by how many
laps they had left. That kept you going if they had less then you
or help the others who still had more to go, knowing that you will
get there eventually.
The
Finish
On my last lap right as I’m heading out to knock it out, my
Dad called Josh to see where I was and how I was doing. I talked with
Him for a few seconds. I started get all choked up, started to cry
a little telling him I had only 2 miles to go! My last lap ……..I
really didn’t want it to end. Ya it’s the truth. Because
for the last 2 ½ days I was doing what I loved, racing and
pushing my body to the limits. So ya I was going kind of slow to try
to soak it in.
As I came
around the bend I saw Josh there waiting to hand me the American flag.
It was so sweet to carry the flag. I had a huge smile on my face and
had my chest puffed out while I was looking towards the finish.
I started
to really pick it up, like a sprint, and the race photographer had
a hard time keeping up with me. Josh video taped it while I was heading
to the finish with the our National Anthem playing for me!!!. So Sweet!
As I got closer, I heard Michel saying in his French accent “enjoy
it , enjoy it”(he was already done and was still there helping
and cheering us on).
So right before
I crossed the line, I stopped and squatted down and bowed my head
and started to cry, thanking God for letting me do this race, for
having a smooth race with no major problems. Thanking Him for all
the help He provided for the race and getting me to the finish line
in one piece. Then I slowly stood up (no pain) and crossed the line,
thus completing the Virginia Triple Iron Triathlon in 56 hrs 2 minutes
19 seconds.
It felt great!!!
Such a awesome feeling of accomplishment , knowing that I swam 7.2
miles, biked 336 miles, ran 78.6. for a total of 421.8 miles, the
distance from Wilmington NC to Knoxville TN.
I had my picture
taken at the line with Steve the Race Director...
...and then
had another taken with Josh and Eileen in the picture.
I kind of
joked saying I wanted to get another 22 miles knocked out so I would
have run 100 miles when I was done. Right after that I went to enjoy
my Blue Moon beer while Eileen gave me a back, leg, and foot massage.
Man that felt soooooo good.
I t was nice to lay down and not having to worry about how long I
was laying there. I was so on a high when I was laying down!! I would
see my other fellow racers still on the course and I would cheer them
on. The hot shower felt so good! Since the last shower I had was on
Thursday morning, I smelled ripe! Josh kindly drove me to the showers.
While Josh and I were tearing down my makeshift home I had for the
weekend, I saw Jane was still out there racing. She was going to finish
the race no matter how long it took her.That impressed me, yet she
was hurting bad. So I offered her some of my food to help her. I kindly
gave her a bag of my Mom's homemade waffles and molasses cookies and
some trail mix. I wanted to make sure she had enough to finish. I
think that gesture helped me get a date with her 2 weeks after the
race.
Post Race
As I was leaving
the park to go to the awards dinner at the Local Winery, it felt so
weird leaving the park. It was my home for 3 days and got to know
Lake Anna St Park very well. As I drove over the dip in the road I
tensed up as my truck hit it! Weird, that my body did that. Guess
I was on the bike little too long.
The dinner
was nice, had all the wine we could drink. I only had one glass with
the nice warm meal that was served to us. I got to talk with the other
racers. The guys from Slovenia liked my truck and asked questions
about it. That was fun to talk to them. Kathy and her husband kindly
invited to me spend the night with them at a local B&B they had
booked. Man it felt so good to sleep in a warm comfy bed!!! Then the
next morning Eric cooked us breakfast, while we talked about the race
and other races we did for a few hours. It was a cool sight to see
Kathy gimping around like me after the race.
At the dinner
they took a picture of all the Doublers and Triplers. It took us a
few mins to get the pic, since we were all sore and had a hard time
walking. Nice to know you're not the only one who is hurting after
the race.
I haven't
yet taken time to sit and think about what I did that weekend. I have
been busy after the race with cleaning, putting away gear, getting
back to the swing of things, being on FOX 8 and NEWS 14 for this race.
Plus I have started to date Jane from the race. So I have been busy.
I could go on about so many other things that happened at the race,
from two athletes being sidelined a few hrs due to serious medical
conditions (both did finish) to all the goofy things that I saw and
talked about.
Final Thoughts
Will I do
it again, HECK YA!!! I loved it.
Just to let you all know, this was my 5th or 6th Triathlon. I never
did a half Ironman, or even a single Ironman. Yup I jumped from doing
Sprint Tris to a Triple. But I did a lot of training for this race,
and had a lot of ultra-marathons under my belt too. Plus I got mentally
ready for this race. I knew a lot of it would be mental. You can do
anything you want, if you want it bad enough and have your mind totally
set to it. It did take some sacrifices to do this race. Less family
time, no going out as much. But it was well worth it.
I know God had his fingerprints all over this race, from getting sponsors
, my awesome friends helping out and my race crew, to my training
to finishing it - and especially to meeting Jane. So it’s to
Him I give all the thanks, praise and glory for this race. I could
not have done it without Him.
So I hope this wasn’t too long for you, and I hope this inspires
you in some way to go out and test your limits! All things are possible
with Gods Help!
Well I'm off to start training the the Umstead 100 and any other long
races that catch my eye!
GI JOE
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