IMSG - 2012 RR

In an effort to get some outside perspective on some of the ridiculous conditions that unfolded during our race day at Ironman St George...I made a decided effort in the recovery area right after finishing to get a few others experience in their own words & their thoughts to see how it felt to them. It was definitely a rough day...and left to my own devices if I start typing I would probably make it end up sounding like a swim scene from the movie Perfect Storm!

I met Matt from Minneapolis! He was wearing a local Mpls shop UrbanTri shop kit...he finished just a few minutes after me. He has done like 4 or 5 of these Ironman's including a sub 10hr at Cozumel last November narrowly missing a Kona slot. He said this was the hardest swim and also the hardest bike ride he has ever done...training or racing.

I met J.B from Madison! Super awesome guy...He has done 14 Ironman's including last year St George and also Kona in 08' where he said conditions were really tough. He said neither of those compared to our day this year at IMSG. He is a pilot and is experienced at estimating wind. He thought during the swim it kicked up out of nowhere once the sun came up... to be around 28 knots (30mph) which is the needed wind speed for white caps. Learned something there! I think he said he estimated waves and surge during the swim to be 2 to 4ft? He estimated the wind during our first bike loop to be around sustained 30mph gusting to 40mph.

I have read several accounts of the race over the last few days, each with varying opinions on the wind estimate and swim conditions, and also the fallout percentage of DNF'ers. Regardless of what it actually was....they were some seriously tough elements to be contending an Ironman Triathlon in!

I thought the Ben Hoffman quote was pretty telling he said it is the hardest thing he has ever done. I read Mike Reilly said in his 10+ years of calling IM events he has not called a winner over 9 hours. It looks like no age groupers went under 10hr....but it was after talking to J.B from Madison after the race that it dawned on me how hard the day actually was...

Pre-Race-
Everything went smooth and all pre triathlon activities went as planned.

Swim -
1:09:38 (27th AG, 142 OA)
The pro's went off at 645am. I have been swimming really well for the past 6months and have felt especially strong in the water over the last 4 weeks. I had been logging some 1000yd timed efforts at 13:45. I thought I could go 54min to 56min and was hoping for a top 10 in my age group. I seeded myself up front. It was 60 F air temp and water temp of about 63 F....it was really quite calm.

My seeding changed in the 15 minutes we all waited for the cannon... as everyone started floating past the start line! This is the first time I have seen this in a triathlon swim.  I thought for sure they were all going to get in trouble, and that officials would start marking down cap numbers so I stayed back. Mistake....nothing happened and when the gun went off I was already behind a solid pack of swimmers...basically stuck for the first 500 meters. I had noticed before we started the wind had picked up only just a touch.

The IMSG swim was a big rectangle, counter clockwise, with 3 left turns. The second half of the first stretch I broke free a bit and found a rhythm and pounded it out until the last buoy. After taking a left turn for the short "end" of the rectangle...I noticed a few things: it felt like it was raining? But the sky was blue...and also there were these waves were coming at me from the left - which would have been inside the swim box...I was pissed off....why the fk is a boat cruising the course making waves. But then it dawned on me a rescue boat would not be making waves that big, it would have to have been a ship! ...and the spray was from the wind sweeping the lake. I immediately knew we were in for it on the long stretch.

Initially I had really really been looking forward to the long 1800 meter top stretch of this swim as I thought it might afford me a chance to find a groove and really get it on. Instead it was the most brutal swim ever- huge waves coming straight into us. There was no rhythmic pattern like the ocean, it was ruthless and chaotic and wild.....and I can only remember seeing two other swimmers near me the whole stretch. Magically I stayed on the buoy line,  on about four occasions I would have to stop and ride a couple of waves to sight, at which point I could see swimmers way off to my right and well off course....but also way to my left completely missing the buoy line and obviously the swim course.  I knew my time goal was out the window with the stops and swimming into the waves...I just wanted to get through it.

My right calf seized up and cramped bad during this portion, but it went away and the left side locked up! I relaxed and that one also went away after a few minutes. I swam with new goggles, using the Aqua Sphere for the first time, and this probably saved my swim. My other goggles would have no doubt failed in the rough conditions and this new pair worked totally awesome. They held up great as I got smacked in the face by the waves and knocked around...taking on mouthfuls of water but no leak in the goggles!

I swam past an overturned kayak dude...but what was I going to do for him? At this point I became concerned for other swimmers and how everyone would fare. I actually saw a guy at the start in board shorts and no wetsuit. He looked terrified. Since the race I have heard accounts of screaming swimmers asking for help, and varying reports of between 90 or 200 that had to get in boats. I heard there were a number of people standing on the rock formation in the middle of the reservoir waiting to be picked up. It must have been quite a scene.

I was able to sight the last turn buoy and worked for it. Once I turned I was really glad to have the boat landing for sighting and it came up pretty quick. Wetsuit stripper and into the tent. I couldn't believe how many people were already in there! was my time that bad? I'm wondering now if some of the athletes I saw sitting in there with literally no sense of urgency had already been scooped out of the water and were just hanging out? It was really odd. There was one dude just sitting there with his bike helmet on doing nothing....was the weirdest thing.

Have not been happier to be rolling on my bike after a swim in a tri.

This feeling lasted about 3 minutes.

Bike
6:15:32 (26 AG / 118 OA)
Rolling out of transition is a slight downhill that leads to the main road out of the reservoir. This main road out turned out to be  4 or 5 miles of straight into the wind. One bad gust really gave me a good push and I realized what we were in for all day on the bike. This stretch included getting pelted in the face with some red sand and dirt.

This was a "lollipop" bike course and the roughly 20 mile "stick" portion had a mix of uphill, downhill, and all different wind directions. It was not terrible. There was quite a bit of chatter about the swim and people were for the most part in shock about what had just happened.

The real fun began when we started the first loop. I am not sure how many miles it is but I think about 25 or so to the "Veyo wall" This stretch is pretty much all climbing toward Gunlock and it was straight on dead into the wind. It was ridiculous hard. I was going 6 to 8 mph for like an hour. More? a long time! To make matters worse the road in this section was TERRIBLE. buumpy bumpy BuMpY. It was the type of road material. This was just so mentally taxing. It was the hardest moment for me in a race so far, by far. I had no idea how I was going to make it. Poor me Poor me! I

I basically just stayed to myself and tried to keep going and decided I would make decisions about how I felt until later. I took on a lot of calories. A lot! After going less than 10mph for what felt like way over an hour I decided to stop at a port-o-pottie to pee. What was the difference. I did this again 2 more times after the first stop. Usually on the bike I hate to stop and have the sensation the race is passing me by...today I did not care.

The hairpin turn to the famed Veyo Wall provided the change in wind and we had it at our backs finally. That climb was actually pretty easy and once we turned past the pie shop it was one short climb before game on flying downhill with tailwind. The descent is not as dramatic an incline as IMLP was last summer, but it was longer and with tailwind it was FAST. I looked down a couple of times and I was 51mph. In retrospect this was stupid, as it saved very little time compared to had I gone 40 with brakes, and I would have paid the price hard if a wind gust had come during this section.

The second loop was tough...but not quite as miserable as the first lap. The wind had to have come down about 10mph or so? There was a reservoir near Gunlock that had whitecaps the first lap but not the second lap. The info from my new friend J.B this would tell me it was at least 30mph lap one and maybe 20 to 25 on lap two.

I started to see a lot of people on their first lap of the loop on my second time around. I felt terrible for them they had to go at it twice still. Nearing the end of lap two and heading for transition I saw at least 15 to 20 riders packing it in for the day, presumably because they knew they would not make the bike cut if they were to head back out.

I saw a guy who had passed me on lap one at mile 80 at an aid station lying on his back with medics surrounding him....he overcooked it?

I saw TWO age grouper guys wearing speedos on the bike a la Faris Al Sultan. WTF

I heard reports from officials after the race and online reports of between 200 - 300 people failed to make the bike cut.

I read an online news report that said Winner Ben Hoffman actually got knocked off his bike and had to remount.

I am most surprised at the fact that I was able to actually move up one position in my AG on the bike and about 20 spots overall. I really feel like some of the spin bike sessions over the winter really paid off.

Run
4:18:00
(36 AG / 158 OA)
The run was the run
The hardest factor here was that it was a marathon after the hardest swim I have ever done along with the most gruelling bike ever. Not that I have a ton of experiences in either....but still!

It was warm but not scorching hot, and the up and down out and backs through the town were not terrible.

It was fun to pickup my pace during the end of lap one on mile 8 as Ben Hoffman was on mile 25 and get a few strides with him. He passed me on my mile 1 and his mile 14 last summer at IMLP so he got faster or I got slower. He told me "I wouldn't wish this day on anyone."

I was happy to get the half at 1:59 and made a goal of only to walk the aid stations in the second half. This changed to adding walking some of the uphills on the final lap.

On the final 400 meters toward  the Finishers Chute I started thinking back to the whole day and everything that had happened on the swim and the bike and then getting through the run. It was an amazing experience. I am grateful to be able to train and race....and grateful to be surrounded by many great people.

Result - 11:52:32

Postlude
I felt like if I wrote too little it wouldn't do the day or race justice....but now after writing all this,  it doesn't seem to convey how hard it was anyway! Its a shame they are doing away with this race.

It is a great area and date to hold an Ironman...the way the course fits into the landscape is just perfect, and I love the flow of the course big time. The area landscape and its weather conditions can make for a tough race...and have done so for three years in a row. It is for the athlete that wants to choose the tough test, the physical and mental test of a possible wicked Ironman. On this day it was!

The volunteers and residents of St George did an amazing job hosting this event, even if they knew they were losing it to half iron status moving forward.

Probably the best part of the race is its proximity to Vegas!

If anyone needs a recommendation for where to stay...the "Tower Suites" at Wynn are a solid choice!