It's no secret that over the last 2 years I have come to love the sport of triathlon. I have learned much about the sport, watched them on T.V. and the internet and competed in the sport. Yesterday for the I was a volunteer for the St. George Ironman.
For those who may not be familiar with the Ironman triathlon I will tell you just a little. For a more detailed history you can go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironman_Triathlon. This distance is a grulling 2.4 mile open water swim, followed by a 112 mile bike course, last but not least 26.2 mile run, covering a total distance of 140.6 miles. In order to be considered a finisher you have to complete the entire course in 17 hours. The race starts at 7:00 AM and ends at midnight. There are time requirements for the other segments as well. The swim course must be completed by 9:20 AM. The bike course by 5:30 PM and the run by 12:00 AM.
Yesterday as I said I volunteered for the St. George Ironman. My position was a T2 bike handler, as the athletes are making the transition from bike to run I was there to help them off their bike (if they needed it) and put the bike in it's place on the rack. I signed up for this position because I really wanted to touch the bikes I will never afford costing $6,000 to $14,000. I spent 6 hours in the sun and got so much more than I ever expected.
It was amazing to watch the pros come in, the biked toward T2 at very high speeds slammed on their brakes and ran barefoot to through transition in making in less than 2 minutes in most cases. This was also the case for the lead amateur racers. They are very fast and in very good condition spend 20 to 40 hours per week training. Then there are the rest who are just trying to finish and not die. To complete the course in time running, walking, crawling, rolling or whatever else it takes to get down that final stretch, and hear your name called by the announcer followed by a title that can never be taken "You are an IRONMAN."
The last group are those who have the least amount of time to train, the least money to spend on equiptment and are struggling the most. Instead of $6,000 tri bikes they are on a road bike. Some more high-end than others, some have areo bars others don't. They are just trying to get through the 112 mile ride and start the run to finish. There are a few of these who stand out in mind from yesterday's race.
Andrea Humphrey #74 from Portland, OR after biking for 7:47:03 came into T2 leaning hard on her areo bars, the crowd was quiet, she sat up, pumped her fist in the air and cheered "that's the furtherest I've ridden a bike! The whole place lit up and cheered her the rest of the way into transition and onto the run course, she finished with a total time of 14:24:52.
Christopher Rey #1157 from Glendale, Co after 8:38:52 on his bike came to transition. I helped him off and took his bike. One look at his bike told me this had been a hard ride. He had a 25 year old chomoly steel frame with shifters on the down tube. His bike weighed 7 to 14 lbs more than most of the bikes in the pack. Shocked that he had completed the bike course, I said "You're my hero, I can't believe you did 112 miles on this thing." He said "Neither can I and will never do it again!" we both laughed and I wished him good luck on the run. He then told me that he told his girlfriend when he is done with Ironman he going to burn his shoes and never run again. We laughed again. He finished in 16:54:53 second to last across last night's finish line.
The last group of people on an Ironman are those who's day did not go as planned and have the dreaded DNF (Did Not Finish) next to their name instead of a time. For one man, his handle bars broke and he could not finish the bike race. One woman misses the turn for the second loop around St. George and was not allowed to leave T2. Others simply could not go on once the reached T2. Traveling 114.4 miles by swimming and cycling is an impressive feat.
There were several riders who came into transition after the cut off time. Their efforts for the day failed to achieve the monumental goal they set out to accomplish. As we helped them off their bikes, and to their feet, one of the volunteers would reach down and remove the the timing chip Velcroed to their ankle. Letting them know without words that something was wrong, the race director told them "You have done so well today, I am sorry, you just missed the cut off by a few minutes." Dejected and exhausted they didn't protest, some wanted to continue the challenge even though they could not be considered true finishers and would not be called "Ironman." The rules won't allow for it, they must leave the course. One man was relieved he said I have been throwing up, as we pulled him from the bike, I think there was a sense of relief for him to not be allowed to continue.
The last biker approached T2, they crowed had left, she must have come the race alone or maybe was expecting some at the finish line 6 hours, but no one was left at T2 for her. There were only a few of us volunteers left there, we lined up at dismount line, and clapped and cheer for her. Helped her from her bike, her timing chip was removed, and she was informed that she missed the cut off. Disappointment and exhaustion brought her to tears.
This was an amazing experience for me. I felt inspired by the pros and their speed and ability, by those who struggled and finished the race, and by those who's timing chips were removed because they did not finish the course on time. It is always better to have started and DNF than to be one who Did Not Start.
The sport of triathlon is amazing. The Ironman is hardest single day event ever made. The St. George Ironman is said to be the hardest course in North America and some say harder than the World Championship in Kona Hawaii. I hope one day to both start and finish the course.
Here are the course maps:
What a great experience!
ReplyDeleteWow. I totally agree with you. It's so amazing to see/read about those that finish and the accomplishment of the winners, and the fast racers (in whatever it be, marathons and things like that or even smaller races). It's the people that never give up too though. It's amazing to see the determination that has been there, even if they aren't allowed to finish, or if they finish last or whatever. The effort put in is what is amazing. Glad you had a good time. Did you see that Kade Matthews volunteered as well?
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