Ironman Arizona...the gory details...

It was a SUPER hot (~95 degrees) and windy (20 mph winds) day in Tempe, Arizona on April 13th. It turned out to be the 3rd highest DNF (Did Not Finish) rate in Ironman (IM) history...not Arizona IM...ALL IM's. Here's a pretty nice recap of the day posted on Ironman.com. Another fact I really have never paid attention to, is that around 50,000 people enter Ironman races worldwide a year. That sounded like a lot to me, until I realized that the New York City marathon has 35,000 for that one race...and there are thousands of marathons worldwide in a single year.

Some of you may not understand what a Kona spot (Ironman World Championships) means to an Ironman athlete...it would be like: making the U.S. National World Championship team in your chosen sport, making the Olympic Team, getting to the Final Four, your horse running in the Kentucky Derby, playing at Carnegie Hall, getting into M.I.T., getting a date with Jennifer Garner (ok, that one's mine)...it is almost spiritual, possibly (I hope I don't go to hell for this one) like getting a private meeting with the Pope...uh, you get the picture. Ironman athletes usually only race 2 IM events a year...because it takes about 6 months of specific training to get ready for one, and then a long time to recover and build up for the next. You think about your next Ironman event everyday, and have to focus your training for months or years on that event...and dream of the coveted "Kona" spot. There is a lottery system, where 200 athletes are chosen at random...good luck with that one. You can also bid on eBay for a few spots with the proceeds going to charity...the bids start at $10,000 and the winner pays on average $40,000 for a spot. But the most satisfying way to go the Hawaii IM is to earn it through qualification.

What is important about the days conditions is not my issues I had during the race (those are documented below)...but, the stellar performances of a couple guys from Jacksonville. So, before I bore you with the tales of my misery...let me give you a brief synopsis of what these two guys achieved in Arizona.

Shawn Burke
The first is Shawn Burke from Velocity Multisport (His race recap). Shawn finished 9th in his age group to claim his first Kona spot ever...after 7 attempts! Not only did he get a Kona spot, but did it in dramatic fashion. Shawn's a super upbeat and helpful guy, and I can't think of anyone who deserves it more. "Ho'omaika'i 'ana" Shawn! (Congratulations)

Kevin Neal
Guy number two is Kevin Neal, a dentist from Ponte Vedra Beach. Kevin had the fastest Jacksonville time of the day, and ended up 51st overall (4th in his age group)...out of 2,200! It was like the heat and wind didn't even phase him. Kevin has been to IM Hawaii several times, so he seems to have what works for him dialed in pretty well. It was also extremely impressive that he broke 10 hours on such a tough day..."Ho'omaika'i 'ana" to you Kevin!

Both of these guys are super, and given advise and helped me...most recently with their condolences on my Arizona race.

Sween's Story
This is a long one...but you guys asked for the details...
The day begun with 2,200+ people scrambling around in the dark trying to complete all their pre race tasks: fill water bottles, pack nutrition, drop off special needs bags (for bike & run), double check both transition bags (swim to bike, bike to run), drop off dry clothes bag (for after the race), pump up bike tires, have your race number and age written on your body...then, put on wetsuit, goggles, cap...and head to the swim start.

Panoramic shot of the entire swim course. It starts at the 3rd bridge from the left, and goes beyond the bridge on the far right (1.2 miles, one way). I took this picture from the hilltop the first day there.


The Pro's started at 6:45 am, and the rest of us were herded into the water right after by Heather Fuhr yelling through a bull horn to jump into the water and swim away from the dock. It was a nice morning and the sun would be coming up directly into our eyes for the first half of the swim. The race would begin at 7 am, so we floated around and try to find the position we wanted to start. I was about a row back with Shawn Burke on the front line. I wasn't nervous, just ready to start the day. There was a little pushing and shoving at the front for a good spot, but I didn't get involved in that...just let those folks start ahead of me. If you've never seen an Ironman start, it's pretty cool...thousands of people watching, music playing, Mike Reilly (the "voice" of Ironman) getting the crowd fired up...and then they fire the cannon.

The swim is hard to describe, I guess the over used analogy of a human washing machine is pretty accurate. I just tried to block out everything going on around me, and being done to me, out...and protect my head and goggles as much as possible. People are all up on your legs, you're running up on to people ahead of you, you're getting hit by the person next to you...it's a H2O mosh pit. I made it to the turn around with only a few scratches on my ankles, then took a couple blows to the head getting around the return buoy. I was definitely in a lot of traffic the whole time...so I knew I wasn't out front ;-) I just made sure that I took it steady easy, and within myself. I came out of the water in 1:06:51, which I was happy with...especially since I had no idea of how long it would take for me to complete the swim.


I came out of the water in 437th overall, so the transition tent was pretty full when I entered. It was a long run to the change tent, and I must have taken a really long time to change in transition, 7:05...I've gotta work on that! Once on the bike, I started to try and bring my heart rate back down...it was 162-167 range! It stayed that way during the first lap. I was passing a bunch of people, but couldn't get a good idea of my average due to the winds. The first lap had the least wind, and the second an third were very windy. I was doing anywhere between 13-18 on the way out, and 30-34 mph on the way back. I knew by the second loop I wasn't having a great bike ride, and tried to concentrate on getting down calories, water, and salt tablets per my nutrition plan. The third lap is when I started having more trouble, so slowed down a bit and increased my salt intake...but, it didn't get too much better. I knew I was covered in salt, but thought I was taking in enough fluid...as it turned out, I probably was lacking on each. My bike split was WAY slower than I expected, but I passed about 340 people out there somewhere.

Right before getting off the bike my left leg cramped on me so bad it locked up. I coasted for a couple seconds until I was able to pedal again...then headed to the transition area. I handed off my bike and tried to run to get my transition bag...both my quads locked up. I stopped running and hobbled to the transition tent with full on locked up quads...I locked up again after barely getting into the tent. Once inside a volunteer tried to stretch out my legs, as I got changed for the run. I knew I was in major trouble, but hoped that once on the run things would work themselves out...but, they didn't.

I stopped to have them put sun block on my shoulders, and I was so woozy I didn't even feel or remember them putting sun block on my legs. I noticed the sun block on my legs about a half mile down the road when I looked down to see it smeared all over my knees. Out of transition my legs were cramping, and for some reason my left arm's bicep and triceps were cramping up. I forced myself to run the first mile trying to workout my cramping issues, then...bam! Both quads locked up so bad I had to stop and bend over. I tried to walk when the loosened a bit, but it was more of a peg leg hobble. A couple minutes later I had to stop again as Shawn Burke passed me. He asked if there was anything I needed...but there really wasn't, so I just yelled at him to keep going. I made it about 1/4 mile more before I had to stop behind the shade of a small building. I started getting dizzy and nearly passed out, so I sat down until the feeling passed. Once I was better, I got up and made it to the next aid station and got some cold sponges and water to take my salt tabs with. I could walk, but not run without totally locking up. I broke my salt tabs open to try and get straight salt thinking this would help...but it didn't. The run course is a figure eight, so you pass the start/finish area 6 times...and the first time was around mile 3-4. By this point I knew I would probably have to walk the whole marathon if I kept going...I didn't want to quit, so just kept going with the hopes I would feel better as the day went on...but they didn't.

I had set goals for this race, and kept going down my goal list as the day went on until I got to the last one...just finish. This was pretty tough considering I was in great shape and felt I could have had a good race. I had a lot of time to think, hurt, and practice self pity during that long time on the run course. I made a deal with my legs...I would run until they were just about to lock up, then I would walk until the feeling went away. Unfortunately I could only run about a 1/4 mile at a time, and then it took me 3/4 a mile to recover. During the run all the lower half muscles were cramping; quads, hamstrings, groin, and calves...even muscles I didn't even know I had.

I suppose I could go on forever, but he one thing I found funny was when on the last lap a Japanese guy ran past me wearing Crocs...yes, Crocs! I'm not sure of the model, but am pretty sure they don't make a "running" shoe. Although I was full of self pity and pain, and I did see what draws people to Ironman triathlons. The aid station at each mile was like a small party with a a buffet of different food/drink, such as: gatorade, water, coke, chicken broth, cold sponges, salt, fruit of all sorts, gels...and a staff of volunteers that were super excited and supportive for EVERY person, EVERY time around. They read your race number and called you by name...asked what you needed and shouted encouragement, EVERY time. Some had themes, like a bunch wearing toga's, some had dancers, some were from a fraternity at ASU, it was pretty cool. I also saw 2 wheelchair racers, and was passed by a guy with one arm...I started to feel less sorry for myself, and more about being able to compete and finish out the day.

So I finished in 12:29:05 in 526th place. I was pretty wrecked when I was done, so after getting finish photos with Jennifer (who was also in the heat ALL day), I went to get a short massage. I ate a half a slice of pizza and a half of a french fry. Then I slowly made my way around the different areas collecting my bike and bags...I was about to start back to the hotel when I dumped the contents of my run special needs bag and puked in it 4-5 times. I wasn't going to be able to hold anything down, so ended up going to the medical tent and getting an IV. I've never gotten one before, but have had the need in the past (94 Pittsburgh Marathon), and know the implications of not receiving one. I then stumbled back to the hotel to try and sleep.

Thanks again for everyone's support, and thoughts after the race. Lyndon "Dr. Pain" Box sent me a good analogy about having a bad IM race. He said that people outside of the sport would never be able to understand what it is like. You train for something for months for a single day, and then when things go really wrong, it's almost like the loss of a relative or loved one. Something that is your sole focus for such a long time is hard to let go...it takes a mental tole, and introduces a lot of self doubt...and since your body is broken down and in recovery mode, it makes things worse. Danny Domingo calls it something like "Post Poor Ironman Result Depression". I'll try and find a support group...and no, I'm not going to sell all my stuff and quit...I'm going to recover, regroup, and hopefully make the necessary adjustments for the Gulf Coast Triathlon (1/2 IM distance) in May, and Ironman Florida in November.

I have some video clips that Jennifer took, but I will put those in another post once I have them all uploaded...there is already PLENTY in this post!

I'll keep you updated...

-Sween