IRONMAN LOUISVILLE: AUGUST 26, 2007:
So a quick recap of the story so far. Having taken a year off work with the express goal of qualifying for Kona I find myself with two strikes against so far and a very difficult race looming. I’ve now completed five Ironman races in my short triathlon career and I’ve managed to show across the board improvement in each race except South Africa. I’ve learned so much along the way, but perhaps the most significant thing I learned is that I was stretching my goals too far to make it to Hawaii this time round. So really I’m planning to enjoy IM Louisville, do the best I can and set some more PBs along the way. My biggest aim is to complete a respectable run, and by that I mean a sub 4 hour marathon.
Then from T-24 hours the news just got better and better.
- The course organizers had changed the swim course so there was to be
less swimming against the current.
- My mail ordered pointzerothree speed suit from blue seventy had arrived
and I tried it out on Saturday morning. I could feel the extra buoyancy upon
entering the water. This will certainly help on the race and not everyone will
have one! Everyone would have had a wetsuit if they had been allowed. Advantage
Neil.
- A drive around the bike course with an altimeter showed an easier course
than expected with only 1400 meters of climbing versus the 2500 I had been
expecting.
- My Louis Garneau Rocket helmet arrived along with a set of Zipp 808s.
These should help a bit too. Damn, it would have been cheaper to have purchased
a Kona slot on E-bay.
- The T-storm hit Louisville on Saturday afternoon for about 30 minutes. It seemed to rid the place of the humidity and the forecast was for much, much cooler weather on race day.
Equipment
Well if I don’t qualify then it certainly won’t be through any lack of top of the range equipment. Let’s summarise the weaponry we have available.
- Swim:
BlueSeventy pointzerothree speedsuit,
- Bike:
Cervelo PC3 frame, Shimano DA groupo, FSA bars and shifters, Zipp 808s,
Michelin Pro Race 2 tyres, Profile Aerobottle, Zipp Carbon bottle holders,
Polar Bike computer and a LG Rocket on my head.
- Run: Ascics
Gel Nimbus running shoes. Garmin Forerunner
- General
Race: Lance Tri-suit, InfinIT energy drink, and most of all my HTFU wristband
Also I’m bringing to the race the following 2007 training
numbers
- 8,000 Km
Bike
- 1,400 Km
Run
- 230Km Swim
I know what you’re thinking….. the swimming looks a little
light doesn’t it? Or maybe you’re thinking that the athlete is not up to the
same standard as the equipment. You’d be right in both cases. Not gonna argue
with you.
Pre race
Awake at 3:45 am well before the alarm. This always happens.
I get up, and put a good amount of calories inside me and do my morning yoga.
10 Sun Salutations. I check on Ben and Melanie and of course they are both
ready so we head off to the start. After getting the body marking and loading
up the bikes we then follow the crowd over to the swim start which is about 1
Km away. The line has already formed for the time trial start. As expected the
“self-seeding” plan was really “first come, first served”. We get in line and
it looks like we are quite a way back. We get to see the pros start, which is a
first for me, and then 10 minutes later the Age groupers start entering the
water one by one. The line of athletes winds back and forth up the river bank
so we have a great view of the proceedings. They are getting the athletes into
the water at a very quick rate. At this point I feel the urge for a final
toilet break and after discussions with Ben we feel that it is better to lose
our place in the line and get this taken care of now rather than later. I
emerge a few hundred grams lighter from the porta johns and we sidle back into
the line, hmm not quite and the end. As the line works its way forward and we
approach the start the volunteers are all there prepping us for the entry. The
last one even reminds us to start our watches as we enter. Finally we are here.
I guess I wasn’t thinking clearly enough to take a check on the elapsed time on
the race clock, actually it turned out to be about 25 minutes after the pros
started.
Final “good lucks” pass between Ben and me and we cross the
timing mat and jump into the water. Now the plan was for me to try to hang on
behind Ben up to the turn as we are swimming against the current. However there
are a few problems with this plan. Firstly Ben is a far, far better swimmer
than I am and is easily going to drop me whether I’m on his feet or not. Ben
also weighs about 62 Kilos so does not create much of a draft anyway. Also
having started this far back in the line, Ben is going to be zigzagging between
all the swimmers as he passes them and I’m never going to be able to keep track
of where he is. Also I never feel comfortable for the first 10 minutes of the
swim so I’m not at my best then anyway. Finally, well, even if this is not
illegal per se, in the swim section, this is an individual event and I’d much rather
take my chances with what I’ve got. I think it’s OK to draft of swimmers you
pick up at random during the swim, but I think that a pre-arranged draft is
pushing the ethical limits of the competition too far. So as expected, I lose
Ben in about the first 50 meters and feel much happier about that. Then I
realize that again, for about the 4th time in 6 IMs I have forgotten to start
the watch. So I start it and figure about a 3 minute delay.
I get over to the left hand side of the swim course near the
island. This is what everyone has been doing and probably for a good reason. I
negotiate my way round a few swimmers, and notably some athletes that are
already breast-stroking after less than 500m swim. This is the easiest sighting
I’ve ever had to do since the river bank is constantly in view on both sides as
I breathe. After about 1Km we get out of the sheltered area and out into the
main river where the current is a little stronger. It seems to take a long time
to cover the 3-400 meters or so to the turn around which I finally reach in 30
minutes. Then I try to sight the end of the course, move out as far to the
right as possible into the middle of the river where the current is strongest
and head home. We’ve got a few bridges to pass which serve a good reference
points. I’m pretty much out on my own here and hard to say whether my tactic
has paid off or not. I can feel the speed suit rubbing my neck on one side and
this is where I had tucked the zip cord inside my suit. I switch to breathing
on even sides to avoid the rubbing. Another small note for future reference,
leave the cord outside.
I make the swim exit in 1h10. That means 30 minutes for the
first 1300 meters and then 40 minutes for the last 2500 meters to give you some
idea of the current!
Swim Time 1h10m01s
Overall 409th
Age Group 73rd
Transition 1
A few of the athletes in front are obviously just not trying
of super T1 times. Already the guy in front of my climbing up the steps out of
the water seems more concerned with having a conversation with the volunteer
helping him out. I get past him and start running towards the bike pausing to
get out of the speed suit which is much easier to do than a full wetsuit. I
find my Bike Bag instantly and have unloaded the swim stuff into it and
recovered the helmet and race belt before I’ve reached the changing tent. I
sprint through the tent, passing all those sitting down having a rest, drop of
the bag and head out to the bike park. Locating the bike is no problem but I
lost a few seconds recovering my glasses from the tope tube. Maybe I’ll put the
in the transition back in future. Then as we head out of the bike park there is
a long passage before the official bike start and again there are plenty of
athletes who seem to be in no particular hurry. As courteously as possible I
negotiate my way passed them and get to the starting line.
T1 Time 3m27s
Overall 34th
Age Group 2nd
Race Time 1h13m26s
Age Group 50th (-23 places)
Bike
One of the golden rules of triathlon, and particularly
Ironman racing, is that you never, ever, ever, under any circumstances, try any
new piece of equipment, nutrition, tactic, strategy etc that you have not
tested in training.
So we head off for 180Km of riding. I get a good amount of
drink inside me to make up for what I have spent during the swim. At this point
I’m not pushing the bike at all and the first 15Km is very comfortable. I’m
keeping the cadence in the high 80s and the heart rate drops from 140bpm after
the swim and transition to a more normal 130bpm. The road surface is excellent
and everything looks good. So my main plan here is to give set myself up for
the run. I could probably go around 5h15 but I’d probably trash my legs in the
process. I’ve significantly upped my run training but I still need to rely on
being in good shape to execute. So although I’m running at around 31Kmh
average, rather low, I feel that this is comfortable and where I should be.
Kona is calling in the distance, but I can’t go chasing after it like a madman.
Patience.
After 15K we begin to climb so I’m glad already that I’ve
got some of the bottles emptied to reduce the weight on the bike. The
temperature is still quite low so I’m not sweating too much at this point. We
climb at 5% for 1Km and then it settles down for another 15Km although the
rolling terrain has begun. I hit the turn for the out and back section where the
biggest climbs of the course are hidden. I like out and back sections normally
because it gives you an idea of where you are in the field. However with the
staggered start today’s race is pretty much an individual time trial. In fact,
just as it should be. The staggered start has spread out the field sufficiently
so that there is no drafting in evidence at all. I hit the descent on the out
and back section during which we have to be careful as there are the riders
coming back the other way up hill. Not only that but as I approach one rider on
the down hill I quickly realize that he is relieving himself on the bike and I
have to swerve rather sharply to avoid the stream emanating from the region of
his bike saddle. That’s the first time I’ve ever encountered that. Let’s call
that one a near miss. Then we in turn start to climb up while the on coming
riders are descending and there I see Ben. Then of course we hit the turn
around 3 minutes after seeing Ben (so he is 6 minutes in front of me) and then
do the reverse portion of the out and back. At the bottom of the hill at about
60 Kmh around I hit a seam on the bridge and the yellow “plug” on my aero
bottle goes flying as well as one of my bottles. Fortunately it fell out of
harm’s way behind me. I make an immediate decision not to go back for anything.
After the out-and-back we head towards the two main 50Km
loops. The roads are good, the terrain is rolling, but very manageable, the
temperature is still nice a cool (relatively). I notice that there are a few
guys about the same overall level as me and we keep passing and re passing each
other all the time due to the rolling terrain. I seem to be the strongest on
the short climbs and they eventually catch me up and pass me just before the
next climb. In addition to the staggered start, the rolling course prevents
drafting just as effectively by continually moving the cyclists from their
strong to weak areas and back again. The combination of the two effects is
perfect. Suddenly I see Ben ahead. I’m surprised to have caught him at all, let
alone so quickly. Notwithstanding his steering issues, he’s only out for a
training ride anyway as he already has his slot for Kona in the bag and will
probably not run the marathon. I pass him quickly and we exchange a few words
of encouragement. At La Grange
there is a party going on. Noise, crowds, cheering, cow bells and even a dead
raccoon lying on the side of the road in a party hat with a bottle in its paw.
I feel like I’m riding in the tour de france as the crowds part to let the
cyclists through. After La Grange we head back
towards Louisville
but there is of course the little matter of doing that loop again. The second
loop feels much easier than the first for some reason. In fact my times for the
loops were 1h32 for the first and 1h34 for the second which shows a nicely
managed race. Having completed the second loop we head back to Louisville with only wind assisted down hill
sections to go. This helps bring the average speed up a bit and I’m heading for
about a 5h30 bike split. At this point there is a fair bit of traffic on the
road. The cops are doing a great job of controlling the intersections but it
always pays to be vigilant. Afterwards I found out that there was indeed on
serious accident when a car jumped out and T-boned a triathlete who had to be
med-evaced to hospital in a very bad condition. Then I hear a huge metallic
“ping” and a couple of ricochets emanating from the bike. It seems like
something has given out. I check all around and can find anything missing and
the bike seems to be fine. I found out later that it was one of my CO2 tubes
that had fallen off the rack and had pinged against my precious 808 spokes. I wonder
how close that could have been to disaster.
About 5Km from the end of the bike I switch on my Garmin
which I plan to use for the run. It has been strapped around the base bar (not
the most aerodynamic method) awaiting its call to action. As expected it takes
most of the time of the rest of the bike before finally finding the satellites
and declaring itself ready to go. I make the final turns towards the bike park,
get my feet out of my shoes and start thinking about the run. We pass some
runners on the last Km as there is a short 2Km loop at the beginning of the
run. I dismount and my feet hit the ground just before the dismount line that’s
it. The bike is done. Now the moment of truth arrives as I will find out what I
have left in those legs.
Split
Time 5h32m19s
Overall 143rd
Age Group 23rd
Race Time 6h45m45s
Overall 146th (-156 places)
Age Group 25th (-25 places)
Transition
As my legs hit the ground and I start running with the bike
get a chance to see how they feel. Not great, but certainly not the searing
pain that I had in South
Africa. Hopefully it’s just a bit of
stiffness that I can run off in a few Km. I hand off the bike and start running
towards the transition area. Before I get there I realize what I have done, or
rather what I haven’t done. I forgot entirely to take the Garmin off the bike.
Damn!!!! I continue on, grab the Run bag and get to the changing tent. I could
certainly do the run without the watch, I still have my polar and I know the
course distances will be well marked. But the Garmin average speed data point
has become a psychological crutch for me and I know I want it. Against all
logic I head out of the changing tent and instead of turning left towards the
run course I head back towards the bike park. I notice immediately that the
bikes are being racked in their original positions, i.e. by number. This means
I should be able to find it where I picked it up after the swim. However it
isn’t there. I scan the area, but trying to pick out my red Cervelo out of a sea of Red Cervelos isn’t going to be easy. Damn its
popularity! I then notice that there is a staging area and the volunteers are
working in an efficient tag team set up. One group is picking up the bikes from
the athletes and putting them on the staging rack and another group is putting
them back out in the park. I head to the staging rack and look again, but it
isn’t there either. I’m now burning time and at some point I have to cut my
losses and just go. I talk to a volunteer and explain my situation, we run back
over to my rack number and hey presto! There is my bike. I take the Garmin unit
off and start running, then I head back to the bike again and put my polar
watch back on the bike. I run back towards the tents and, well, since we’ve
burned so much time anyway, why not burn more and have a comfortable pee in the
porta john. That done, well, might as well get some sun screen from the
volunteers as the temperature has picked up a bit. Finally I head out towards
the run course. This was not a transition to be proud of!! What is amazing is
that it was still quicker that over half the finishers and only lost me 1 place
in my age group. I really do wonder what some people do to pass the time in
transition.
Split
Time 9m20
Overall 616th
Age Group 95th
Race Time 6h55m05s
Overall 164th (+18 places)
Age Group 26th (+1 places)
Run.
Well maybe that disastrous T2 was a blessing in disguise.
It’s perhaps not a well know fact that when Luke van Lierde set the course
record at Kona (that still stands today) he served a 3 minute penalty between
the bike and the run. I remember also that both Herve Faure and Marcel Zamora
both served 3 minute penalties at the same point in Nice 2005 and yet both
reeled in Gilles Reboul on the run to grab 1st and 2nd places. There is a
school of thought that says this rest will pay dividends in the long run. And
talking of long runs, that’s exactly what lies ahead.
Run Split
Time 3h51m16
Overall 96th
Age Group 16th
Overall 103th (+61 places)
Age Group 16th (+10 places)
Post Race.
Well with no internet at the hotel, I didn’t find out my
time or race position until the next day. 10 Hours 46 minutes and 21 seconds
was the time. Awesome, and also I was very surprised to see that I made the
103rd overall and 16th in my age group. A huge positive was that my best
placing was the run and, for once, I actually gained places on the run instead
of losing. I need to take sometime and figure out exactly what contributed to
this. My current thinking is that it is a combination of the following, in
order of priority.
- Higher
volume run training/preparation
- Better
overall race management by holding back on the bike
- Better
Nutrition plan
- Yoga
- Long T2
- Not being
subjected to the pressure of being passed by other runners
- HTFU
At the roll down the first piece of news regarding our category was good. Only 2 out of the first 6 finishers took their slots, so there were 4 to roll down. However the 7th and 8th both took their slots so my brief moment of hope seemed in vain. Then 9, 10 and 11 were not present so suddenly we’re back in business again. I’m standing by the results list so I can see the names as they are being read out. 12th, Lenny Wishart Jr is called out and he takes his slot. Now there is only one left. 13th Karl Zueger and then 14th Todd Briggs are not present either. OH…. MY… GOD!. This is potentially disastrous! The next guy on the list is Rick Crump and he finished less than 2 minutes in front of me. WHAT ON EARTH WAS I DOING IN T2? WHY DID I NEED THAT WATCH SO BADLY? IT COST ME 5 MINUTES! This is going to haunt me for a long time. Rick Crump’s name is read out and there is silence. And more silence. And with each moment of silence it dawns on me what is going to happen next. I see Steve MacFessels lips read out my name. “NEIL HAMMOND”. “YES” I reply and he sends me towards the Kona office. I cover my face and tears well up in my eyes and through the tears I can see cool, clear Kona waters with me swimming on the surface above shoals of tropical fish at the start of the FORD IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS. I turn around and there is Ben, my friend, coach, mentor and certainly the person who I want to see most in the world at this moment. Thank you so much Ben. This was an impossible dream and you’ve made it come true. With hundreds of dollars in my hand I join the line to sign up for Hawaii.