As I stood on the bank of the Zurichsee at 6:58 Sunday
28.July probably lots should have been racing through my mind like “how did you
get here?” or “will I survive this?”
Honestly it was a beautiful morning and though I was surrounded by stunt
doubles for Brad Pitt and Angeline Jolie, men and women with amazingly sculpted
bodies, and the tension of the start as everyone anticipated the beginning, I felt
really calm.
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| Beautiful morning. Calm before the storm |
When I was 5 in the year 1976 across the US and on an island
in the Pacific a group of athletes were deciding who was more fit the swimmer,
biker, or runner.
There were three
challenging races held each year on Oahu, a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike, and
a marathon.
These athletes decided to
test themselves by doing all three in one day.
It was decreed that whoever could do them all would be an Ironman.
I think 11 of the 15 who started it completed and the
Ironman triathlon was born. It quickly
grew into a famous race and spawned a group of professional athletes. In my childhood I had never really heard of a
triathlon (except for the Ironman.) I
had grown up on Bruce Jennings on my Wheaties box, who was the decathlon
champion, 10 track and field events, and dubbed the world’s greatest
athlete.
The idea of combining sports is quite cool and had been around
for a long time. The biathlon is a
combination cross country ski and shooting, the pentathlon is 5 events that a
19th century soldier would need to be skilled at: shooting,
swimming, fencing, equestrianism, and cross country running. It seems that triathlons had been done as
early as 1920 but never really made it big until the Ironman started.
Somewhere in the 80’s a triathlon craze hit the world. While most of the other multisport contests
had events that most ordinary people did not do, nearly everyone swims, bikes
and runs. Of course the Ironman distance
is pretty unattainable without a lot of training and effort but race organizers
started creating smaller more reasonable triathlons. The sprint is 0.5km swim, 20km bike, and 5 km
run. The Olympic distance is 1.5km swim,
40km bike, and a 10 km run. I find it
strange that the Olympics use this quite short triathlon, I would not be surprised
if TV coverage had something to do with it.
Then there is the half Ironman, half the distances, and the full
Ironman.
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| Me in local race. The woman in blue is Nicole Spirig. The 2012 London Gold medalist in triathlon. She lives in the same town as me. She beat me in this race. |
Two years ago I had been swept up in this craze. I am not sure what started it other than it
seemed cool. I had moved to Switzerland
and had met people who were doing bike and running races and started doing them
too. I seemed like a good value to get
to do three sports at once so I tried it one and was hooked. Of course if you are doing triathlons then
the Ironman is the Holy Grail. I had noticed
that there was one in Zurich every year and since that is a mere 3 hour car
drive was psyched to give it a try.
After Christmas I started thinking about it but was unsure.
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| Ronnie Schildknecht winning Zurich Ironman for the 7th time in a row. |
Most athletes follow some kind of training plan. You can get elaborate plans of the web for
marathons and Ironmans. I am not big
into training but I do need to have some way of convincing myself that
something is doable. Over spring break I
went to Chile to go backpack in Patagonia.
By luck the Santiago marathon was on the last day of my spring
break. I decided to do it. My friend Eric, who lived in Santiago and was
a colleage of my dad who is now living there, wanted to do a marathon. It was his first one. I decided that I would do it with him. I had run two before at 3:33 and 3:43 but the
long Swiss winter had been very snowy which meant lots of skiing but no
running. My training was 8 days of 20+
km a day backpacking. I did the race
with Eric at his pace and it took us 4:12.
Though running 26.2 miles is always painful I was able to do it fairly
easily with no real training. This
convinced me that I could do the Ironman.
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| Finished Santiago Marathon with Eric and Neil |
I signed up for the Zurich event and proceeded to not
train. School ended and I was on summer
vacation, which means that I spent nearly every day running or biking. This was how I was going to get in shape. I focused mostly on the bike because that is
what I like to do the most. One day I
put my flip flops, a shirt and shorts in my bike jersey pocket and rode across
Switzerland in three days. Each day I
would do the length of the Ironman bike.
When I traveled with my mom and sister I would run in the afternoon
while in Zermatt and the Bernese Oberland.
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| Mom and Sister and Me in Zermatt |
The summer flew by and before I knew it I was packing up my
bike and gear into the Green Gremlin, my car, which I am convinced is the worst
car in Switzerland. The Swiss have a
rigorous inspection every two years and if your car isn’t in great shape it is
not allowed to be driven. On the Swiss
motorways nearly every car looks shiny and new and I think in the 4 years I
have lived here I can count on one hand the number of cars broken down on the
side of the road. Somehow my car passes
even though it has been run into twice (huge dents on side), has duck tape on
the bumper, and is always dirty from being parked under trees.
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| Green Gremlin buried in snow this winter. |
Back to 28.July. I am
standing on the bank of the lake. It is
an open water swim and basically swims across the lake and then parallel to the
far shore and back across and repeats for a second lap. Confession time. I had not at all trained for the swim. In fact I had literally swam 4 times this
year. Twice in the pool in the winter
and once in another Olympic triathlon I did in the summer. Last year I had done a half ironman and
completed the swim okay so I wasn’t too worried. Since it was very hot, it was actually the
hottest weekend in Zurich in 10 years, it was a non wetsuit swim. Most triathletes prefer the wetsuits. They have extra buoyancy and swim times are
always faster with them than without.
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| Wetsuits, great for swim but near impossible to get on and off |
|
I started in the back because I am such a slow swimmer that
I do want to be run over by the faster swimmers. There were about 3000 athletes that day and
even with starting in the back I was still in a pack. It was a mass start so we literally all
started at once. It was a wrestling
match for the first 10 minutes, banging into other simmers, kicking people in
the face, being kicked in the face, swimming over top of others, absolute chaos. At some point I managed to get myself far to
the outside of the pack and then started slowly cruising.
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| Swimming rush hour. Pic from actual race. |
Probably about halfway across the lake I had
a panic attack. The adrenaline of the
beginning along with the underwater fighting had unnerved me. The realization of swimming 2.4 miles without
any training struck me as about the most foolish thing that anyone could do. If you can’t finish the bike you hop on a
train, the run you call a cab, the swim I believe you drown. That thought had me debating whether I should
turn around and swim for the shore.
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| Pushed that button. |
I settled down though and rested and off I went free
styling. I was in a group of about 10
and being near others helped ease my worry.
The first lap went by and I felt okay and was had my confidence
return. About halfway through the second
lap I was miserable. My awkward swimming
style ahd been reduced to only breathing on the left side and I am sure that I
was doing some type of weird sideways stroke with my right arm barely getting
out of the water. My goggles were
squeezing my head and I had a dull ache which turned into a intense ache around
my eyes from the pressure. Water had
gotten into my swim cap and I could feel it go down my ear each time I turned
my head. It was pretty much
torture. Everyone now and then I would
tread water and look up to get my bearing.
I would see the next buoy and the sad trail of about 20 other swimmers
who were moving about my speed.
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| Halfway point of swim you run across this island. |
2.4 miles is a long way to swim. As I approached the exit 2 hours and 23
minutes after I had started the feeling a pain and dizziness overpowered any
joy I felt at completed it. I heard the
announcer saying as I exited the water something about the last swimmers and a
lot of people were clapping and cheering, obviously out of sympathy and
charity. Ironman’s are pretty snazzy
events and the swim exit was the main staging area so there were plenty of people
to witness my struggle. So add
humiliation to pain and dizziness. I
grabbed my bike gear changed into it. In
the transition area there had been 3000 bikes and now there where about
10. It did make it easy to find my bike. I pushed it out to the road and jumped on and
off I went.
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| Thankfully swim is over. Can't believe there is a person behind me. |
According to the tracking I was the 1930th
athlete to get out of the water. I am
not sure if there were really 3000 athletes as they said since there were not a
1000 swimmers still out in the water? I was
psyched to be on the bike, It was my favorite activity of the three, and over
the first few km I was slightly proud of my swim. I had done the free style the entire time and
aside from stopping to get my bearings and during my panic attack had never had
to rest. Being last has the great
advantage of getting to pass lots of people.
The bike was going well. The
course was flat for awhile then had a pretty steep and hilly section. I love riding up steep while others suffered
I sort of enjoyed it.
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| Me enjoying climb. Friend, Ian Nelson, suffering. |
The bike was two 90km loops.
About halfway through the first loop I discovered two big challenges of
the race. The first was peeing. It was momentum breaking to come to a stop
get off the bike and pee so I was holding it in. I should have just succumbed to the first
feeling of need. I am not sure what I
was thinking that I would go all day without peeing. Finally at the 30 km when I thought my bladder would explode I stopped. After
that I quickly realized how thirsty and hungry I had become. I had been exercising for nearly 3.5 hours
and had gone through my one bottle of water on the bike. Luckily the first feed station came soon and
volunteer handed me a bottle of Power bar athletic drink and I grabbed a Power gummy
(this whole race was sponsored by Powerbar.)
Eating proved unfun. My stomach
was not very happy with me. I am sure
the many liters of Zurichsee water along with the constant churning on the bike
was the culprit. I knew I had to eat and
devoured the gummy and drank all of the drink in 1 minute. While I was sated the next feed station wasn’t
for another 30 km and there were 2 big climbs between me and it.
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| Eating on the run or in this case bike. |
I got to the feed station dehydrated and famished. I needed a new system so I grabbed a water
from a volunteer. Held it in my teeth
and grabbed a Powerade. The I got a pack
of gummies and two Powerbar and stuffed them into my jersey pocket. I rode slowly and drank all of the water and
poured the other bottle into the one on my bike. I ate a gummy, unwrapped the Powerbars and
wrapped them raw around my handle bars, a trick I had heard about, for eating
later. Then you get to take all of the
trash and throw it to the side of the road, as long as you do it within the
feed zone. Psyched that I had now a
system and having passed about 100 riders confidence returned.
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| The bike transition area. |
I passed the staging area and had one 10km section left of
the first bike. It was mostly flat with
one challenging short climb called Heartbreak Hill. Here was the coolest part of the race. The amount of fans at the race was
amazing. On this one section people
lined up Dutchman corner style ( the iconic hairpin curve on the Alp d’Huez where the fans
go crazy) and literally the fans were so close there was just enough room for
you on your bike. They lean out in front
of you and just before they reach you pull back all the time cheering you on. Again my climbing legs were with me so I put
on as much of a show as I could by powering up the top of Heartbreak Hill. It was pretty awesome. What I didn’t know was that the race leader,
Swiss triathlete Ronnie Schildknecht was about 5 minutes behind me finishing
his second lap. He zoomed by me a few
minutes later and was off to the run as I started my second lap.
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| Coolest part of race. |
This is pretty much the sequence of emotions that I felt on
each of the three events. First eighth,
wow this isn’t so bad I am going to do well.
One quarter, this is pretty challenging but I feel okay. Three eighth, Oh my god I can’t believe I am
not even at halfway yet, this is going to take forever. Halfway, okay halfway done I just need to keep
it up. Five eighth, wow my, choose two:head,
back, face, butt, toe, knee, quad, calf, shoulder, eyebrow, really hurts. Three quarters, I wish this was finished, I
can’t wait for the next event it is going to be so much better. Seven eighth, the pain in my go back to five
eighth selection is unbearable it is all I can think about. Finished, whew! that wasn’t so bad really.
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| Sine Curve seems to graph emotions quite well. |
The second lap of the bike was much more challenging. I didn’t have that excited energy that the
first lap had provided. Plus it was
getting really hot and I was struggling to stay hydrated. The best part was that fans that lived on the
side of the course often where armed with garden hoses which they gladly doused
you down with or without request. I
think I managed to cope with the heat fairly well. I saw plenty of riders though abandoned the
race to the shade or walking up some of the bigger hills. Everything was smooth except for my butt
which was aching from sitting on the tiny saddle in tri shorts which have
almost no padding on them and my left toe mega ached.
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| On the tri-bike. |
The only real exciting moment came on the one steep downhill
descent. After the climbing section
there was a very steep, 15% grade, hill that you zoomed down. I was going around 70 km an hour when I hit a
bee right in the center of my forehead between my helmet and my glasses. The sheer impact was enough to hurt is was
literally smashed into my forehead like it was a windshield. It did manage to sting me and I felt like I
had just been shot. I pulled the bee out
then got the stinger out all at 70km/hr.
It was painful but luckily after a few kilometers my triathlon pain
overcame the bee sting and it was quickly forgotten.
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| If only bees were this fun. |
Heartbreak Hill was a ghost of its former glory as I pedaled
up the second time. I dropped down and 3
km later had finished the bike. I was
now 1577 having gained almost 400 places.
I parked the bike and grabbed my running gear and off I went to run a
marathon. The run was four 10 km (plus a
little) loops. Almost immediately I got
to the first marker and it said 1km / 11.1km / 21.2 km /32.km. Somehow this sign was really disheartening. I had so long to go. Luckily the run was much better supplied then
the bike. Every 3 km there was a feed
station. I hadn’t eaten too much on the
bike and was psyched to get plenty of food.
I had been exercising for 9 hour now without a break. Also at each feed zone you could get a sponge
a use it to cool down. Of course the
first 10k went well but soon it became very challenging.
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| The run. |
The way they kept track of your progress was that at the
start of every lap you got a colored scrunchie that you wore on your arm. The first lap was blue, then green, followed
by yellow, and at last red. I was so
envious of people who went running by with more colors then me. I also delighted when I saw that I was
catching up with someone who had my color(s).
A lot people were ahead of me and the run really rubs it in your
face. As I scurried around with my lowly
single blue arm bad it seemed that everyone already had multiple colors on
their arms. Also doing a loop four times
really ingrained the course into my mind.
There was the section that I hated, the one on the far side of the lake
where you ran on gravel. There was the
dark tunnel as you crossed under the main street. The pedestrian bridge which seemed plenty
high enough if I needed to end my suffering.
The only small hill in the park I looked forward to just so I could use
slightly different muscles as I ran.
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| Two scrunchie down. |
Through all the pain and suffering at this point I knew that
I was going to finish. My goal was never
to stop running, it was amazing how many people had to walk, and to try and
keep a reasonable pace, the definition of reasonable dramatically changed each
lap. Once again the fans were
great. So many lined up to see this
event, obviously most were friends and family of athletes. My name was on the bib so people as greeted
you with your name which is pretty cool.
I would always at least try and weakly smile back in acknowledgement but
that was not always so easy. I did feel that
I had some groupies. Doing 4 laps you
pass the same groups and while I am sure they cheered every runner it did feel
sort of special when they cheered me each time.
It was like they were invested in me.
I am sure my pace quickened a hair at each of these encounters.
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| Fans |
While there was food a plenty a new wrinkle had developed in
my eating. When I was in college on a
bet I had eaten two large pizzas. I
remember halfway through the second pizza the taste of it revolted me and it
was sickening to eat. I had gotten this
way with the Powerbar family. The taste
disgusted me. On my second lapped I
gagged on a powerbar and spit it out revolted by the taste of it. I am sure that it is normal for your body to
freak out. I had seen at least 4 other
runners bent over vomiting on the course.
I was really hungry though. As a
last measure I grabbed some banana pieces and ate those with a glass of
water. This did it. For the rest of the race good old banana was
my fuel. It was delicious, palatable, and
did the trick.
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| Famous churches of Zurich in view. |
I remember the thrill of getting the red scrunchie for the
last lap.
I wanted to show it off to
everyone I was so excited.
I tried to
speed up for the last 10k and my spirit was high knowing the end was near.
The last lap was done more than 12 hours
after the start.
It was getting dark and
the number of racers was drastically reduced.
Every lap went by the finish line and on the penultimate one for me
about 10 runners I was in a pack with peeled off to the finish as they were
done.
I remember running by myself for
about a kilometer feeling like the last man on earth.
It was clear there were still plenty of
athletes left as I did the last lap.
The
cutoff time for the event was 11pm, 16 hours after the event began.
I passed some walkers with only two
scrunchies on their arms and felt pity for them.
Part of me was proud that they were going to
attempt to finish no matter what but I thought to myself if I was reduced to
walking then I probably would have given up.
I felt that I wanted to complete this in style.
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| So happy 4 scrunchies. The end is near. |
It is amazing
how well I felt those last few kilometers.
I could run fast again.
The pains
I had didn’t seem that bad.
There were
about 4 of us who finished at the same time.
There were still a lot of fans at the finish line and cheerleaders.
Usually I sprint hard at the finish but I
slowed to an easy jog 100 meters away.
I
don’t usually show too much emotion but I was jumping up and down waving my arms
in the air screaming with joy.
It was a
very emotional moment.
I crossed the
finish line.
There I was given my
medal.
Usually I hate medals for races
because I don’t really want them and I have to carry this metal chunk around
with me not wanting to throw it away but upset that now I would have to keep it
somewhere and deal with it.
Again I was
really sentimental this time and I gladly had it put around my neck.
I have a feeling that I am going to be
hanging on to this one for awhile.
Then
they wrap you in Mylar (essentially aluminum foil) to keep you warm.
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| Hooray |
I was aching
and sore but didn’t feel awful.
I went
to go get some food.
Not feeling awful
soon changed.
I had two cups of Powerbar
recovery drink and my stomach just cut loose.
I hurried to the toilet.
Sitting
down I had a huge diarrhea attack and felt the energy leave my body.
After that I quickly realized that my legs
were so stiff that I couldn’t get off the toilet.
So there I was on the commode, my tri pants
around my ankles, wrapped in aluminum foil, stuck on the toilet.
I am sure it looked hilarious and with much
effort I righted myself.
I went to the
recovery tent and luckily they had some mats.
I laid down on one and had seizures of shivers and fell asleep for about
10 minutes.
I slowly woke up and managed
to stand and go get my street clothes.
It was a Herculean task to go collect my bike and gear and go with the
trains back to my hotel but I managed and that was it.
_001.png) |
| Hercules |
Will I do
another one?
Yes.
My final time was 13 hours 26 minutes and 27
seconds.
My place was 1375.
I had done a half Ironman in 4 hours 59
minutes so I was hopeful to do this full in under 12, I even secretly hoped for
under 11, but obviously that didn’t happen.
Maybe I will actually train and try to do it correctly.
I did have a good time and through all of the
pain and suffering I never really regretted it.
I was happy to never stop moving and swam the freestyle through the
whole swim, was always going on the bike, and never stopped jogging.
It was a cool experience and the crowds were
great as was the venue.
I am recovering
quickly.
I have to because tomorrow is
1.August Swiss national day and I running the Aigle to Bernuse mountain half
marathon here in my town that happens every 1.August
J Too much fun!
Dedication:
I have enjoyed dedicating these posts.
This one goes out to my mom and dad.
They both tracked me from the States and
Chile as I did the event.
Knowing that
they were watching gave me strength as I competed.
I love them both very much.
