Ironman Race Report

I thought I would send out a note to let you know that I survived and am officially an Ironman!!! I will try to summarize the weekend and race below:

- Madison, WI is a great city. The people are super friendly and very supportive.
- The support of the spectators was amazing. All throughout the race I felt like a star. Our race numbers had our names printed on them, so people were constantly calling out your name with encouragement.
- The weather was perfect. The weather people had forecasted rain, but it ended up being sunny and in the 60's.
- The swim was crowded, but manageable. Numerous times I was kicked and hit, but nothing that really caused any impact. I had to stop once to get some water out of my goggles after they were knocked loose, but that was it. I did the swim fairly relaxed in 1:10, which was better than I had expected.
- I lost my goggles when I got out of the water when the "wetsuit peelers" ripped my wetsuit off. I realized I didn't have them when I was running to the transition area. I was not about to run back.
- I took my time in the transition areas to make sure I had everything I needed to be as comfortable as possible. Heck, I even used the bathroom!
- The bike course was much more difficult than I had anticipated. There were few flat sections of road. It seemed we were constantly going up and down hills. The hills were sometimes super steep where I was only able to manage about 8mph. However, coming down, I hit 42mph a few times - coasting!
- In the city of Verona there was a festival going on. The people lined the roads and made it feel like we were in the Tour De France. Especially going up the steep hills.
- My nutrition on the bike went as planned and I felt good besides having a sore knee.
- I saw one bike accident in front of me where a guy failed to negotiate a turn at the bottom of the hill. I don't think he continued on.
- I finished the bike a few minutes beyond 6 hours. It was nice to get off it.
- The run started out really well - no aches or pains. And, I actually had a decent amount of energy.
- I think I was under 8 minute miles for the first 8 miles, then between 8 and 10 minutes per mile to mile 12. I thought I would be under 4 hours without much trouble. Then, trouble hit! I became so nauseated that I couldn't run. I felt like I had plenty of energy and power in the legs, but every time I tried to run I felt like I my stomach was going to explode! So, I walked. And walked, and walked, and walked....until mile 19. There, in front of a crowd of thousands I threw up. I quickly ran to the side of the street where the crowd parted and let me through so I could continue throwing up into a gutter. While this was happening, a few medics showed up to make sure I was OK. I assured them I was fine and continued on. I actually felt better and started running again. I ran/walked until about mile 22 where I threw up some more. I started to wonder if I was going to make it. I pulled it together and pretty much walked until about a half mile from the end where I ran it in and heard the words I was waiting for the entire day....."Craig James-Heer....you are an Ironman!"
- I finished in 13 hours and 6 minutes.
- I must have looked a little pale as some staffers took me to the medical tent where they weighed me and rehydrated me. I had lost 8 pounds and I could not keep anything down.
- After the race, I grabbed my bike and realized I had a flat tire. Thankfully, this happened after I was done with the 112!
- The experience was awesome! Several people asked if I would do it again! The day of the race, my answer was NO. The day after, I was thinking when it might be a good time to do it again. Maybe when I am 40. In the meantime, I am going to focus on shorter events.
- I will send some photos to you as soon as I have a chance.