News
Ironman Canada 2003 Race Report
Posted July 29, 2004 02:55 PM
August 24, 2003.
3.8km Swim, 180km Bike, 42.2km Marathon.
This year’s road to Ironman was certainly a different one from last year. Many impediments, both physical and mental, were thrown in my way. At the beginning of the year we found out that the bladder cancer for which our Sheltie, Finnegan, had been operated on last October had returned and spread throughout his belly. He hung on for another four months, but it was a very grueling ordeal and as upsetting emotionally as if we were losing a child and not just a pet. I then sprained my ankle in the spring and what should have taken 6 weeks to heal took over 4 months. In February Bob’s mother suffered a massive stroke, and in March my dearest friend who had been a second mother to me all my life went through a brief but intense final illness. I put everything on hold and spent the last 12 days of her life with her, and her daughter, in hospital and the hospice. Due to the stress from this period of time I made the decision to terminate my job as a legal secretary and was more than happy to have my last day at the end of April.
From that point on I was able to focus on Ironman and try to salvage something from the minimal training I had been able to achieve up till then. I had seriously been considering withdrawing from the race, but just couldn’t allow myself to give up. The next four months were devoted to trying to regain my lost fitness level and work on longer distance swimming and cycling. As I was still unable to run I continued water running and factored in more challenging hiking than last year. By June I was able to do long, intense hikes with short sections of trail running on the flat and downhill grades. Gradually my ankle became stronger and by the end of July I ran for 1.5 hours continuously, without pain, which was a milestone. I still was not convinced that I would be able to finish the race in the allotted time of 17 hours as I imagined having to walk most if not all of the marathon.
We had arranged to rent the same house in Penticton as last year and we shared the rental with my wonderful friend and training partner, Jan Frith, and her husband Ken. We were so fortunate, in that our personalities blend together very well and we all get along famously. This was certainly a plus as the days leading up to the race could not have been any more stressful. When we arrived on the Sunday evening, a week before raceday, there was a heavy cloud of smoke hanging low over Penticton. A forest fire near Kelowna (approx. 100km away) had broken out the evening before. 10 days later the fire had still not been extinguished. 248 homes were lost and 10’s of thousand of people evacuated. By Wednesday, due to the shift in wind direction, Penticton was completely “fogged” in with smoke. Visibility was very limited, it was difficult to breathe, and when you looked at the sun all you could see was a ruby red orb in the sky. It felt like we were on another planet. Luckily as the week progressed the wind direction shifted and the smoke cleared somewhat. The race organizers were scrambling to come up with alternate plans and the possibility of the race being cancelled was very high.
By Friday another fire had broken out, this one affecting the communities of Okanagan Falls and Oliver which are only 40 and 60 kilometers outside of Penticton and which are directly on the cycle route. The highway was closed, the communities were on evacuation alert and for all effects the race was off. I could not sleep that night as the helicopters carrying fire retardant were taking off from the nearby airport every 3 minutes all night long. I will never forget getting up to get a glass of water at 2:30am and looking out at Skaha Lake through the kitchen window. In the not too far distance, I could see a ridge of land with an undulating band of glowing orange behind it. I realized it was the glow from the raging fire on the other side of the ridge. At that point I was convinced that there was no possible way the race could take place as planned. Miraculously, due to the non-stop, intense efforts of the firefighters the fire was contained by early morning and at the pre-race briefing later that morning the organizers were able to give the athletes the amazing news that the race was on, albeit with some changes. The swim would now be a two loop course held closer to shore. The bike route would be unchanged as the highway had been reopened that morning. The run, which is normally out along the shore of Skaha Lake to Okanagan Falls and then back into town, would be changed to a 3 loop in-town format to keep the athletes within 4 miles of a hospital at all time in case of difficulties from smoke inhalation. All of the changes were fully supported by the politicians and citizens of Penticton who wanted the race to continue despite the desperate situations occurring nearby. In fact, many of the volunteers were from the Kelowna and Okanagan Falls areas – helping despite the uncertainty in their own lives.
So with the final “swoosh” of the week long mental roller-coaster ride, we were back in racing mode. We headed home from the meeting and prepared for a quiet evening and an early bedtime. The alarm went off at 4am Sunday morning and Jan and I were up getting some pre-race nutrition before being driven down to the race site by Bob and Ken – who had earlier in the week dubbed themselves the “Ironsherpas”. They even had t-shirts with this phrase printed on them which they wore proudly during the week and during the event. Jan and I took full advantage of their supporting roles!
First stop was body marking which takes place from 5 – 6am. You could cut the anticipation and excitement level with a knife even at that early hour. Then we headed down to the lakeside to drop off our special needs bag for the bike and run portions. These are handed out at approximately the ˝ way point and contain extra nutrition/drinks etc. Then we made our way to the bicycle racks to check on our bikes which had been dropped off the day before - to reinflate our tires and fill our water bottles. There’s always someone who discovers a last minute problem with their bike, and Jan was able to help one panicky woman reattach her chain which had slipped off.
Next we headed down to the lakeshore to get into our wetsuits and have a few minutes of mental quiet time. Bob and Ken were on the other side of the barricades so we were able to have our last minute hugs and words of encouragement before donning our wetsuits, using the porta-potty for the last time and entering the water. Unfortunately Jan and I were separated at this point which was a shame as I had envisioned starting the race side by side, but everyone looks the same in their wetsuit, red swim cap and goggles so we were unable to reconnect. I had a short warm-up swim before everyone was told to pull back to the start line. O’ Canada was sung beautifully by a local teenager and then the cannon was lit by Jill Savege, a Penticton triathlete who had recently won gold at the Pan Am Games. With the resounding boom of the cannon we were off. It was a very different start than last year as the water level was much lower due to the incredibly dry summer experienced by the Okanagan Region so rather than swimming right off the bat you had to walk for quite a way, start to swim, realize that it was too shallow, stand up again and walk some more. This was repeated 3 or 4 times before the water was finally deep enough to swim continuously. The swim turned out to be a bit of a nightmare for most people. Due to the new configuration everyone stayed much more bunched together than in previous years. Rather than having three points of a wide, elongated triangle to swim around, we swam parallel to shore, turned around a houseboat, headed back towards the start line and turned around a second houseboat and then repeated the route around the first houseboat again before heading straight back to the swim exit. Swimmers were not able to spread out the same way as in the past so there was a ton of bumping and bashing going on. It was difficult to swim continuously for any length of time and there was a lot of treading water and breast stroking taking place. Still there were some memorable moments the best of which was when I was swimming around the first houseboat. At the bottom of the anchor rope there was a scuba diver with a fabulous attitude. He was clapping and giving the thumbs up sign to everyone passing above him. It was surreal! The next best moment was at the end of the swim, exiting the water, when I realized that I had improved on my swim time from last year by more than 3 minutes. The one benefit of a tighter course was that I didn’t swim as far off course as I did last year!
Out of the water we ran across the timing mats to lie down on a grassy area where we were stripped of our wetsuits by the volunteer strippers – a much coveted job! The strippers whip off your wetsuit, put it over your arm and send you on your way to pick up your swim-to-bike bag. Into the change tent to the waiting volunteers who help you get organized and changed. This year I wore my biking shorts and sports bra underneath my wetsuit so I didn’t have to fumble removing my swim suit and then to get redressed. This helped to take quite a bit of time off my transition. Out to the bike racks, grab the bike and then it’s on the way for the start of the bike ride. As I mounted my bike and started pedaling past the cheering spectators I had such a wave of emotion roll across me. It had been an entire year since I’d done a triathlon, as I was unable to compete at all this year due to my ankle injury and for fear of reinjuring it prior to Ironman. So I was literally and figuratively “back in the saddle”. The first part of the bike, approx. 65kms, is relatively flat and scenic. I felt so strong during that portion and was passing many cyclists. I was amazed when I spotted Jan at about the 30km point as she had exited the water 6 minutes before me. She is a very strong cyclist so I did not expect to see her at all. I continued to feel strong up the infamous Richter’s Pass, which is an 11km climb, but was not surprised when Jan caught up to me near the top. We rode together for a short while and then Jan was off as my right knee was starting to hurt and I could not cycle as hard as needed to keep up. For the next 50kms or so my knee was really bothering me and then miraculously it stopped – go figure. Past Richter’s Pass there is a long stretch of 7 rolling hills (affectionately dubbed the “Seven Bitches”) and this area is quite grueling. As I was heading up one hill I heard a familiar voice (from last year’s finishers video and from TV coverage of other triathlons) asking wasn’t it about time for another downhill? I realized that Sister Madonna Buder was about to overtake me. She is a 73 year old American (who looks about 50) and is an absolute powerhouse. She just blew past me. A few minutes later, Mae Palm from Whistler, who is 63 also left me in the dust. It’s a very humbling experience out on the Ironman bike course!
At approximately the 100km point in the cycle course we head onto the “out-and-back” where we pick up our bike special needs bag. This section heads out for 15kms away from the direction we want and then finally turns around and heads back towards Penticton. When you exit the out-and-back the daunting Yellow Lake climb looms. Last year I experienced the wrath of the weather gods at this point, with thunder, lightning and downpours. This year it was hot and dry, with minimal headwinds but by the time I hit the summit I was really overheating. I took a few minutes to dismount and sit down quietly. The volunteers brought bottles of ice cold water to me and I upturned them over my head, poured them down my top and over my arms and managed to cool my core temperature to the point where I could continue. Luckily past this point is where the 20 km descent into Penticton begins so I was able to make up some of the lost time. The highlight of the cycle was coming into town and cycling past the rental house. Bob and I had spent a lot of time earlier in the week making large banners which were hung from the railing of the sundeck. I got such a thrill seeing the words of encouragement, plus all the Y Tri members names. It was an instant energy boost. Then it was straight down Main Street and into town and the bike transition area where I was met by Heather and Sylvia from the Y Tri Club who were volunteering in that area. Heather took my bike and I walked slowly to retrieve my bike-to-run bag. I felt like I was walking underwater as I proceeded to the change tent. Another kind volunteer assisted me out of my bike shorts and into my running shorts. I was really feeling quite out of it at that point, very low energy and quite nauseous so I had to really dig deep to find the motivation to get out on the run course.
The 3 loop run route would now be totally contained within the city limits. I’m sure there were many people who preferred the flat course, but I found it terribly boring to run past such exciting landmarks as Blockbusters, the Super 8 Motel, various gas stations and strip malls over and over again. However, it was better for the spectators. I was able to see Bob and Ken a number of times. In fact on my first time heading out of town I ran over and had a little break beside them. Time to recharge some mental and physical batteries. Then further along the ride I saw our daughter Eileen and her boyfriend Jeff, who had flown in the day before to be with us at the race. I had a little chat with them as well. The aid stations were plentiful on the route and I thought I should eat and drink each time I saw one. I walked through each aid station and also used the cold, wet sponges to cool myself. However, I think I was ingesting too much over the course of the run and my stomach continued to rebel. Luckily I was experiencing just the feeling of extreme nausea but no intestinal cramping, etc. I walked through each aid station but was finding it increasingly difficult to resume running. As I headed out on the final loop I thought “bugger the nutrition, I’ve got enough in me for sure”. I just tried to run for the final push of 14 kms or so. This worked much better as the nausea settled down and I was able to keep a continuous run (albeit very slowly) going. The improvement continued and by the time I turned the last corner onto Lakeshore Drive, with only the final 2 kms to go I was smiling and feeling much better.
The final run in to the finish line was exhilarating. The crowds are going wild and they make every finisher feel as if they’re the greatest athlete alive! I took my time to high-five the crowd, but unfortunately did not actually see Bob, Ken, Eileen or Jeff who were right at the finish line. I must have looked completely past them! I sprinted across the finish line, looked back at the finish time and saw that I had amazingly finished the race 35 minutes faster than last year – as it turned out I accomplished everything faster than last year with the exception of the marathon, which was 45 seconds slower!
At the finish line I was greeted by a wonderful volunteer who walked me around for a few minutes and then passed me off to the massage tent. I was fortunate enough to find that Dan and Amaiah from the Tri Club, who were volunteering as masseuses, were both free at exactly the time I arrived. Then even better, I heard my name being called and it was Jan who had come across the finish line 16 minutes before me. She was lying on one massage table and the very next table was available so Dan and Amaiah tag-teamed and massaged my legs while Jan and I lay head-to-head having a great old gabfest! It was a perfect end to a very challenging day.
After our massage we headed into one of the hottubs. That’s when we both realized that we each had certain areas of our bodies that had chafed during the run. Ouchhhh! After a relaxing 20 minute soak we retrieved our morning clothes, got changed, found some food and rejoined everyone at the finish line bleachers. There was a great crowd there from the Club so we were hugged, kissed and told how wonderful we were. What a great way to end the race!
Of course we had to stay until the last finisher crossed the line. We finally made it home at about 1am. Bob had bought champagne with which we toasted our successes before finally heading to bed around 2am. The next morning we were all treated to an amazing breakfast prepared by Ken and then Bob and I headed down to sign up for next year’s race. Yes, the Irongebbies are back in business! That evening we all attended the awards banquet. The highlight of the evening was when a large photo (approx 5’ x 4’) of the swim start, signed by the 10 top male and female pro finishers, was auctioned off to raise money for the victims of the Kelowna and Okanagan Falls fires. The bidding started at $500 and quickly rose by $500 increments. The crowd was going wild as the bidding war continued. Two individuals dueled it out with the final price being $5,100.00!! We headed home for a quick change and then Bob and I went back downtown to Elements Nightclub for the post-Ironman bash. Same as last year, we danced ourselves silly and returned home at 1am.
So we’re now home and unpacked. Ironman Canada 2003 is behind us. It was an amazing journey with many challenges along the way but the euphoria I felt crossing the finish line made it all worthwhile. Bob asked me afterwards if this finish felt different from last year - it really did. Last year was very special in that the experience was so unique and we were breaking new ground. This year I knew what I might encounter during the race, but more importantly I knew that finishing represented such a personal mental and physical triumph. It was a very sweet moment indeed.
So we now look forward to 2004 – hopefully the road to that race will be paved with fewer bumps along the way!
