My initial plan for the year included Kansas 70.3 and Vineman 70.3, but with the late addition of IM CDA, that meant scratching Vineman. It was good experience to do another Ironman, but I was bummed to skip Vineman. Since I had 3 athletes racing, I decided to volunteer instead. It was a great experience being on the other “side” and helping out for a change. It did make for a long day and I think I am still recovering ;-) I also don’t have any pictures, since I was busy most of the day...
From an athlete perspective, PRs all around!! Justin Waller posted a 4:59 and knocked off more than 20 minutes from his PR for the distance – a smokin’ fast 28 minute swim and solid bike and run rounded out his day. He did the run in 1:42 – major improvement and a negative split!
Rebecca Reichardt had raced here last year and was ready to get her revenge. It came in spades as she was solid all around on the swimbikerun. A 33 minute swim; 2:48 bike; and steady 2:04 run gave her a HUGE PR for the course, taking 40 minutes off her time on the same course!
And Karyn Hoffman also set a new PR for the distance by 14 minutes, going under 6 hours with a sub-2-hour run. And this PR is compared to Clearwater, the notoriously flat and fast course… not only that, it came just 3 weeks after finishing the Western States 100-miler. A great performance and gutsy race!
While watching all of these PRs and inspiring performances unfold, I was also spending some time working in various capacities on the course. My first assignment was in the penalty tent. The volunteer coordinator wanted somebody in there who was at least familiar with the sport, and I guess I fit the bill. It was not overly exciting as we only had one pro serve a drafting penalty. I did get to see the pros come into and go out of T2 pretty up-close and personal. They transition just like the rest of us: some smooth and effortless, some not so much. The field was stacked so I saw the likes of Chris Lieto, Paul Mathews, Joe Gambles, Matty Reed, Tim O’Donnell, etc. Andy Potts had a particularly awkward transition as he came into the parking lot in the wrong spot, tried to correct, caught a curb, and went down. It wasn’t a hard crash, but nonetheless, not the best end to the ride for him I am sure. Turns out he went on to an OK run (i.e. 1:13 half marathon and 3:45 win and course record).
Since the penalty tent was not busy, I headed over to the finish line. The men’s winners had already come through, but I was there when the women’s race came to a close and Melissa Rollison, relative newcomer, pulled off the upset victory over Leanda Cave and Mirinda Carfrae, posting a 1:16 half-marathon (she is a former star runner for Australia). I hung out there, removing timing chips for a couple of hours. It was pretty fun to see people come across the line and how different people respond – relief, joy, fatigue, pride – all rolled into one. This was especially true once the masses of AG’ers started coming in. It was just great to watch.
Then, I was summoned over to the food tent to direct traffic - basically telling people not to enter the exit and making sure people knew where to go. It wasn't the most glamorous duty, but it did make me appreciate all of the little details that go into an event like this. I was standing by the catering truck and the amount of food served was incredible. It's like putting on a wedding for 2000+ people. I certainly have a new perspective and appreciation now for these races and will appreciate it more as an athlete!
I've taken a little mid-season break and am starting to get back into some "real" training after Coeur d'Alene and the motivation is definitely back. Next up - Folsom Long Course - should be a fun event with unique distances: 1 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 9 mile run.
