Waiting for athlete 1884
Is it crowded enough for you?…, tired, but elated, I crossed the finish line of the 2010 Ironman Lake Placid. But, before going any further I wanted to say thank you to all my family and friends who were with me in-spirit, in-person, or on the Internet to cheer me on.
The day (Sunday, July 25th) started for me at 3AM with a quick shower and a 20-minute carbo-loading of about 2,000 calories. There was a light rain drizzle and it was anybody’s guess what weather will unfold for the race because Lake Placid is well-known for rapidly changing weather conditions.
The gun went off at 6:45AM for the professionals and at 7AM for the age-groupers. After about 300 meters of being swam over and under I found my rhythm and enough open water to finish the 2.4 mile swim in 1 hr. 12 min. A quick wetsuit peal-off by friendly volunteers set me off for a 400 m sprint to the transition. Following a slip on a wet runway and about 8 minutes later I mounted my bike for a 112 mile journey. I remember having this great sense of physical and mental freshness as I started descending the access ramp onto the main road.
I felt great climbing the first hill out of Lake Placid, as those who swam faster started coming back to me on the bike. The famous six-mile downhill to Keene recorded a speed of 47 miles/hour on my speedometer. Definitely, not the time to catch a flat or have any sort of a misfortune. I continued strong for the two bike loops despite the somewhat demoralizing head-wind from Wilmington back to Lake Placid in the last 10 miles of each loop.
A quick transition from bike-to-run put me in the final stretch of the race. I continued feeling very good. My legs felt fresh and eager to run. Only 26.2 miles to run, I thought, as I passed the cheering spectators lining up the downtown streets. My strategy was simple. Eat, drink, and take-in enough electrolytes to prevent muscle cramps and keep mental focus. All worked very well that day and the last mile and a half on the run was just amazing. It has been a little while since I had as strong race such as Ironman Lake Placid. Totally elated and full of emotions, I entered the Olympic oval for the last 195 meters. Crossing the finish line with my family and friends watching me there or live on the Internet made this race even more special. My finish time was 10 hrs. 43 min., good to place 29th out of 360 athletes in the M45-49 age group.
This is my last year before aging up to M50-54 in 2011, but before this happens I have two more Iron races this year: The Montreal Esprit Iron in September and The Great Floridian at the end of October and I plan to show up for both of them as I did in Lake Placid. Again, thanks to those who cheered for me.
Total happiness
Lining up for positions
Sprint to T1
Almost in T2. Two more corners left
Out of the transition. The first 200 meters
Mile 16th
Picture worth a thousand words
The cheering crowds were there to the end
Elvis has entered the house
And so did this athlete
The 17th hour. The party went on until the very end
Until next time. -- TOMasz
