I was positioned in the middle of the beach in about the third row from the front among a group of 2488 other people all ready to begin the 25th anniversary edition of Ironman Canada. After the national anthem was sung and the professionals had started everyone was getting nervous, you could feel the energy of the people around you, focused on the swim and how they could make the most out of this portion of the race. I tried to remain calm and stayed focused on the fact that too hard of an effort on the swim can ruin your day, something that I painfully learned in training. The cannon went off and everyone jumped into the water trashing around in a form of controlled chaos. I immediately was kicked in the goggle by someone in front of me an started thinking, "oh great, this is how this day is going to be." But after a few hundred meters I found someone who was a good kicker and I started drafting off their feet, the swim is the only portion of the race where you can draft off of someone else and save some of your energy. However, as people start to converge towards the first turn, you have people on either side of you pushing you this way and that way and it's difficult to keep a steady rythym. Getting through the first turn I felt good and started to have some space where I could maintain an consistent stroke while not tiring myself out. The final turn is difficult because you are making your way back to the beach but it is still 1800m away and it seems like an eternity. The last 500m I was very tired but I concentrated on keeping my form and remaining calm and relaxed. I couldn't see my heart-rate monitor but I knew I was comfortable and not expending a lot of energy in the water.
I exited the water, ripped off the top of my wetsuit and had the volunteers help with the remainder. Ran to my swim- bike bag, picked it up and then to the change tent. When I looked at my watch I was happy to see that this was my fastest swim in an Ironman event at 1 hr and 2 mins. I put on my socks, bike shoes, helmet, loaded up my pockets with some food, stopped for a washroom break and headed out towards my bike. I looked for my landmark, where my bike was situated and immediately found it. Everything was in order so I grabbed it and headed out for the long day on the bike.Going through Penticton on your bike is one of the great experiences in the race, you feel fresh and fast and the crowds are lining both sides of main street cheering everyone on. It's very hard to try and keep your heart rate down and your adrenaline is pumping all the way out of town. That was the case with me anyway, my heart rate was a lot higher than I wanted it to be, I was trying to keep it under 141 beats per minute and I was pushing 155 during the first 20 minutes on the bike. After riding along lake Skaha I managed to settle into a good rhythm keeping my cadence at 100 to 107 rpm and my heart rate around 136 bpm, my speed was up around 40 to 42 km/hr so I was feeling good and going fast. The main thing in Ironman is to keep your heart rate down while going as fast as you can. I knew this was the fast section of the course so I was prepared to slow down considerably.
I passed a lot of riders on the 67 km section out to Osoyoos and finished that section of the race quite quickly, in about 1 hr and 55 mins. At 67 km you reach the first climb, Richter pass, a long 5 km climb that can ruin your race if you are not prepared for it. With all the climbing Amber and I had done in training I cruised up it trying to keep my heart rate under control but still pushing 165 bpm in some sections. After the climb you get a long descent that provides a great opportunity to take in some food and try to replenish some of the lost calories. I had already drank two water bottles of hammer heed, downed a peanut butter and jam sandwich, a banana, and two fruit bars on the way out, but I knew now would be the time to eat as much as possible as I wouldn't feel like eating anything later so I had a cliff bar on the way down Richter. Also I was quite conscious of taking in salt tablets so I was taking one every half-hour.After the descent the course turns into a rolling gradient where you are constantly going uphill or downhill. I was caught in a group of about 6 people all of similar ability that kept changing the lead, none of us were trying to draft off each other but it was nearly impossible to keep 7 bike lengths between us (that is the rules to prevent drafting on the bike). I tried to stay out of the way if someone was passing me and other riders were also giving me the same space, but with that many people on the bike course at the same time, you always have someone around you.
The section most people hate on the Ironman course is a long 20 km out-and-back stretch of road that seems to never end. By this time most people are getting really tired and the bike ride is just going on for too long. I like this section because it gives me a chance to see who is in front and who is just behind. I picked up my special needs bag at the turn around loaded up with two more bottles and another sandwich that I never ended up eating. After seeing that I was well positioned on the bike I headed out for the final major climb of the day, Yellow lake. This is typically where I "blow-up" on the bike but this year the temperature was good and I was well fueled so I handled it very well, still suffered reaching heart rates of around 165 bpm but the crowd out there is so motivating that they simply carry you all the way up. Cheering and running beside you, you feel like you are a part of the Tour De France climbing in the alps with the crowd screaming at you to push on.
At 150 kms into the bike I was very sore and tired but still moving quite well and didn't feel nausea like other years. The last 25 km of the bike is a very fast descent into town and I took the opportunity to rest my legs as much as possible and take in as much fluid as my body would let me. Riding into Penticton is great with the crowds cheering you all the way in but it seems like a long stretch of road when all you want to do at that point is get off your bike. I finally reached transition, dismounted the bike, handed it to a volunteer and made my way to the bike- run bag.
After changing shoes and dumping the rest of my bike gear I made my way out to the run course. I didn't feel like carrying the bottle I had waiting for me in my run bag and decided to simply use whatever was available at the aid stations, they were positioned every mile so there was a lot of support. I looked at my watch at the start of the run and it said 6 hrs and 30 mins, okay you have 3 hrs and 30 mins to complete this marathon and reach your goal of finishing under 10 hrs, I can do this.
The first four miles of the run felt great I was running strong and passing a lot of people, I didn't stop at any of the aid stations and simply took water and coke on the go. Once I hit the fifth aid station things started to get worse, my legs were really starting to cramp up and despite taking 9 salt tablets on the bike I was still craving salt. I took the last three tablets I had with me and then relied on pretzels offered at the aid stations. I was determined to have a good run this year and as long as I was moving I tried to keep running. I felt fairly good at the run turn around and kept shuffling along while walking the aid stations and taking in as much as possible. I knew a sub- 10hr finish was possible, I just had to keep moving! By mile 17 my legs were screaming at me and I was getting some sever cramping in my right calf but I just tried to run through it and it eventually subsided.At 20 miles your body is crying out for you to stop the punishment and to just rest but this is when the mental preparation comes into play. I knew this was going to happen and you have to be willing to focus on the moment and not think too far ahead. Terry Fox said it best when someone asked him how he prepares for the monumental task of running across Canada, "take it one telephone pole at a time." That is what I tried to do, focus on the moment and concentrate on the next mile and nothing else. Slowly but surely the miles started to tick off 21, 22, 23, 24, buy the time I hit mile 24 I could see that I was still moving very well and I just needed to keep it up for two more miles and I would reach my goal. The last three miles are very painful and your legs are ready to crumble from underneath you but I simply focused on the next stretch of road and allowed the energy from the crowd to carry me to the finish.
By the time I hit riverfront avenue I was cruising along and racing towards the finish. I looked up at the clock and it read 9hrs 51mins and 17sec, YES! Good enough for 38th place overall and fifth in my age category (male 30-34).At the finish I was carried to the message tent and had a 20 minute rub down that hurt with the events of the day but I was still able to eat a little something, unlike other years. I was so happy I broke down in tears while getting the message and just allowed myself to be happy with the results of all the years of hard work that led to this moment. I had qualified for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, something only 99 other people will qualify for on the day and surpassed all the goals I had set for myself. Although I decided not to take the Hawaii spot, the race is in October and I've used all my vacation at work. I know one day I'll get the opportunity to go there and now I know that it is totally achievable.
Amber also had a great race, finishing in 12 hrs and 1 min, and although she is a little disappointed in her bike time, she had an incredible race and I'm very proud of her. She's shown me that fully committing to anything you want to achieve in life is the key to success and I plan to take that attitude into everything I do, in work and in my personal life. Anything is possible if you just take it "one telephone pole at a time."
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