Ironman Wisconsin 2009

Well, it's been a horrible week or so of training with injuries and illness. On top of my two flat tires (feet) i'm fighting a viral infection of the nerve roots up and down my left arm. i'm relieved it's not related to my back pain and will go away soon, but i'd love to shake this fever and the burning and stabbing can fade any time, please.

Anyway, i have something more positive to write about: IMWI 2009. Jodi, Mike, and i made the trip to Madison last Friday in order to volunteer on the swim and bike course. We also had a couple friends who were competing to make the weekend even more interesting.

Friday we enjoyed dinner and chilling with Lindsey, Dana, Fred, Mariana. Saturday we had our volunteer meetings, went to a beautiful farmers market, snagged an easy run through campus, listened to Paula Newby-Fraser, and pondered our Ironman destinies on the terrace over the lake.

Sunday we were up at 3 something and prepared to serve our fellow triathletes. Mike found a place overlooking the swim course so he could watch the start and then jet to his position on the bike course. Jodi and i launched into the lake with 82 other kayaks several more boats, jet-skis, and boarders to oversee the first 2.4 miles of the race. About 20 of us were charged with holding the starting line before the race. It was a middle of the water start with pros going first, so those elites hung off our kayaks to conserve energy and relieve themselves one more time. Once we peeled off the line the pros kept sneaking forward to get that little edge before the gun.

We paddled back to the line to get the age-groupers going, all 2000+ of them. It was an awesome sight to see. After they were clear we paddled to our assigned buoy where the swimmers would begin their second lap. We were to position our two kayaks right up against the turn so no one would cut the corner. The calm day helped but it was still hard work at times with the surge of arms and legs churning by. It felt good to be a part of the washing machine, even without numbers on our arms and legs.

With a handful of swimmers left to finish their first lap, Jodi and i adopted a slower swimmer in order to see him safely around the course, hopefully within the required time (2 hrs 20 min). "Archie" was slow but steady, passing others now and then. He had a hard time keeping a straight line so we had to do a bit of yelling. He rarely took a break, though, and just kept working hard from buoy to buoy. We started timing him on the back stretch and knew it'd be close. His swim cap falling off, his long hair partially blocking his goggles, he kept clawing at the water. Finally turning for home, it became clear that his day would end at the swim finish, but we kept encouraging him. Just ahead, with our swimmer a few hundred yards away, a Madison triathlete was pushed across the line just in time by 40 kayaks and the wild cheers of spectators. Now it was Archie's turn.

The sea of kayaks parted in front of us and turned their heads at our arrival. It was part parade, part funeral procession. i hoped against hope that they would see his consistent stroke and let him continue despite being just past the cutoff, but i knew they couldn't bend the rules. Archie started veering left so i tapped his back with my paddle and reminded him to head for the white finishing arch. This was HIS arch. His day. Dig deep! Finish strong! We passed through the aqua-throng and 50 yards out we stopped paddling and set him free. Tears were streaming down my face. My boat settled against the rocks on shore as he climbed out of the water and was told the bad news by race officials. Two minutes too slow. His day was done. They shook his hand. He did not look back.

...

Jodi and i floated a bit, glad for the opportunity to serve, knowing we'd be back. We loaded up the kayaks and made our way to Mike on the bike course. His was a 5.5 hour shift, patrolling a residential intersection. Infinite clapping, answering questions for passersby, watching for traffic. One house near his post had a few tents and some music going, otherwise it would have been pretty quiet, aside from Mike's encouragement and a few others on the course. After the final cyclist came through, we headed to cheer on Dana and Lindsey on the run course. We saw them several times. We brought Dana across the line in 11:35:49. We had to head back to the hotel and close our eyes before Linsdey finished, but she had a great day on her home course, coming in at 12:34:33.

As we packed up our stuff we discussed registering for the 2010 race, but we decided on a two year plan. So, Madison, maybe see you in 2011?