Race Reports
This was my second Great Floridian and second Iron-distance triathlon.
I came to Clermont this year in hopes of bettering my time from 2000
by cutting my transition times, not stopping as much, hoping not to
have another flat, and possibly swimming, biking, and running a little
bit faster.
I would like to thank two first-time Ironmen, Barry Powell, who placed
fourth in the Clydesdale 30-39 group, and Rick Spencer, a fellow
teacher and cross country coach; and Greg Springs and Ali Arasta,
future Ironman triathletes, for training with me, particularly on some
of the long swims, bikes, and runs. These four friends helped me in my
preparation, and made the long, slow, distance workouts a lot more fun.
I also appreciate the patience, understanding, and support of my wife,
Gwen, and kids, Kathleen and Steven, who raced some of the early-season
sprints with me, went to cross country practice with me every day, and
also ran a 10K with me two weeks out. Gwen and Kathleen couldn't make
the trip this year due to school commitments.
As we know from last year, the swim was probably short. This year it
seemed longer, and then some. I started off the front inside and had a
good swim, but my time was 8 minutes slower than last year. I think
the water was more shallow farther out this year, and it was exhausting
running until it was deep enough to swim. I started swimming sooner
than most people on both laps. I came out of the 2.4-mile swim in
1:06.17, and headed into T1, which only took me 4:56, cutting my last
year's T1 time by 5:24.
I saw my son, Steven and dog, Nutmeg, and tried to run my bike out of
the transition area. I had put too much vaseline in my bike shoes,
and they were almost slipping off of my feet. This year I carried
everything I needed with me on the 112-mile bike. I used the Ironman
Cocktail I found on the Internet in a 70-ounce CamelBak. I sipped on
this continuously throughout the bike, taking a bottle of water at
every aid station and pouring it into the front bottle.
I liked last year's course much better. I found this year's course to
have much more traffic. There were some bad roads, but I was one of
the lucky ones who did not flat. At the Bike Special Needs area, I
stopped, ate a bag of trail mix and drank a half a bottle of Dr.
Pepper, saw Steven and Nutmeg again, and headed back out for the
final 52 miles. My back tire was a little low, but I didn't try to
pump it up. After last year's flat, flats on Thursday and Friday
before this race, plus a minor crash on Friday while riding the run
course, I was fairly paranoid about mechanical problems.
The bike took me much longer (6:30.12) than I had anticipated, and
even longer than last year, due in part to the increased difficulty
of the course, heat, and winds. This year I left my shoes on the bike
pedals, so I could run to the tent a little easier.
At T2, once the feeling returned to my legs, numb from pulling the
last twenty miles into the headwinds, I was ready to run out of the
tent in 3:00, saving another 4:47 on last year's transition,
improving my overall transition time by 10:09.
During the run, I kept running the entire time, including the initial
hills, albeit slower as I progressed. I started at 9 minute miles and
ended up averaging 10:56 miles by the end. I walked only through the
aid stations, where I alternated water, Coke, Mountain Dew, [yes, the
dreaded] Ultima, and chicken broth. The only solids I ate on the run
were one bag of pretzels, one bag of popcorn, and one banana.
All of the volunteers at the aid stations were superb. These people,
their enthusiasm and encouragement throughout the long day, and the
overall family atmosphere are what make the GFT the best Iron-distance race.
After the initial disappointment at having to run uphill to the
"hot corner," I actually enjoyed passing through the crowds
downtown. I saw my friend Barry on the second lap. He was alternating
walking and running, but faster than I was, so we passed back and
forth until the end of the race. At the beginning of the third lap,
Steven, who knew I was hoping to break 12 hours, told me to "haul
it," but I told him I probably would not break 12, but not to
worry about me, that I would not be upset if I didn't. It was starting
to get dark about 2/3 of the way into my last lap, where I got my
glowstick around my neck.
The black biting mosquitoes almost ruined that lap! It sure seemed
like a long way to the Mad Dogs Station on the third lap, but the
sight of the search light, and the sounds of finish line activity
were very reassuring. What a great feeling it was to turn off of
the lake trail for the last time at the American Flag and head to
the finish! Steven and Nutmeg met me at the hot corner, and we
sprinted it in for the last 0.2 of the 26.2- mile run. I think the
crowds, who were also great, got a big kick out of seeing our little
miniature dachshund running in beside of us.
My run time was 4:46.13; my finish time, 12:30.36, almost 10 minutes
faster than last year. The feeling of accomplishment is every bit as
great as last year's, and the afterglow still burns now over a month
later. I look forward with great anticipation towards training for and
competing in the Great Floridian XII on October 19, 2002.