Fat Lady

Monday, July 21, 2008

Lake Placid, NY

The Fat Lady has sung. She belted it out and then came back for an encore. It was the 10th Anniversary of the the race they call Ironman USA and the opera was staged from start to finish in the pouring rain. As if swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 through the Adirondack and then running a full marathon isn't drama enough, the torrential downpour added a not-so subtle external challenge. And hence the potential rewards.

Triathlon is sport that requires a huge amount of preparation. Most triathletes train, on the average, between 12-20 hours per week. Most days are double sessions. You live in kind of a constant state of dehydration, muscular fatigue, always on the very edge of illness. This because your immune system is working so hard to heal sore muscle fiber and repair tissue that has been damaged, sometimes severely. Diet is a major contributing factor as the body in training needs the proper type of high octane fuel in the proper amounts and at the proper times to operate at required intensity levels. And then there is rest and recovery. Try dialing up your workout schedule 75% without adding adequate time to heal and something is going to break. Feet hurt, knees ache, lower backs stiffen, joints swell, shoulders lock, noses run. And this goes on, week after week, sometimes for years, leading up to the big show. Not only have you paid the physical dues, you have dropped $500 for the entry fee, $5,000 for a new bike, $250 for a couple pair of running shoes, $300 for a wet-suit, and roughly another grand or so for miscellaneous stuff (like maybe even a $1,600 CompuTrainer). You have booked the airfare, let's just round off a number and call it $1,500 RT), booked a room in the local hotel who gouged you with not only a five night minimum but a "peak use" fee as well, for another large one, then eat a couple of meals on the town, rent a car, buy a present for Aunt Minnie and your Nephew and, cha-ching, you are over TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS. Please, let me retype that.

TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS.

And then it rains.

You might, in light of all of this, want to cry. Or curse. Or crumble. And herein lies the aforementioned potential for reward.

Outside of a lightening strike in the water, rain really doesn't impact the swim much. You're already wet. But out on the bike, it's another matter altogether. Most tri- geeks seem to think that just because the pros dress as skimpily as possible, they are somehow compelled to dress likewise. Yesterday, I had to cringe at all the folks in just shorts and tri tops. I saw more exposed skin that Malibu in August. And not one person had the foresight to pack booties along with their shoes, helmets and race numbers. There very few rain jackets. Folks, when you're out riding 112 miles in the pouring rain, DRESS FOR IT. It is easier to take off than to wish you had more. Trust me on this.

As skies crackled with thunder and lightening, Debby, my Harley rider and I, took off feeling very much like sea drenched Vikings in some Wagnerian ring cycle. She had the perfect bike, no windshield, low profile handlebars and a small back rest for me. The plan had been to do a two camera shoot but the rains reduced that to a single camera on the bars, out front and wrapped much the same was that we shot Roth, just seven days prior. Debbie, to her credit, was volunteering for the first time, so we had a longer than usual indoc session. She will be running her first IM at Florida come November and was very enthusiastic about the day, even though we were about to undertake a painful ride. We rode the 56 mile loop, watching, filming, helping whenever we could. At the end of lap 1, we called it a day as the gray skies gave no indication of turning to blue. My fingers were pink and shriveled, my nose running. We headed towards the coffee tent and left the 2,200 athletes to deal with the second lap and the marathon. Like I said, the potential for mega-rewards was here. All you had to be was tough. And fit. And focused. And strong, and.......and....

Eight hours and forty-three minutes after the mass start, Francisco Pontano of Spain, crossed the soggy finish line for his first Ironman win (it should be mentioned here that he finished 11th in Kona last year). And for the first time in the ten year history of the race they call Ironman USA, and American woman took top honors.

Somebody out there just go ahead and try to tell Caitlin Shea-Kenney that the rewards today weren't special. Her 9:51:00 doesn't even begin to sing the story of the day. Rain, what rain? Drama the likes of which Wagner would appreciate.

Cue the Fat Lady. And get your tickets early for next year.

Photos: Mirror Lake the day BEFORE the race. Our NY rep Doug Bush explains the features of the Pro 3D at the wet Expo. Debby and the Man with Nine Lives. Part of the bike leg. Parking is an issue on the man drag.