Ironman World Champs 2011

Intro:

The triathlon goal for 2011 was to qualify for Kona. Not to win my age group, or even place that high, but just to earn the right to compete. This was achieved just 6 weeks earlier in Ironman Canada (by the narrowest of margins). The Hawaii Ironman is essentially the Super Bowl of triathlon (at least to Americans.) It’s rare in the world of sport to have the opportunity to compete at the same time and place as the world’s best. Along these lines, I had no mis-conceptions as to where I stood amongst the competition. I wanted to know what it feels like to swim Kailua-Kona bay, ride my bike through cross winds near Hawi, and run out of the Natural Energy Lab; hopefully with both my humility and pride entact at the end. 6 weeks between ironman races is a tight turn-around, which was compounded by getting knocked off my bike by a car and spraining my right ankle 4 weeks out from Kona... Far from the ideal, but still all things came together in time for me to be ready to compete on race day.

A huge part of making this experience amazing was having family and friends out at the race. My family made a tremendous effort to be there for the race. My sister even made special shirts for the “GOwen fan club.” I’m absolutely blessed to have such an incredible family!

The 2 days in Hawaii pre-race flew by. I swam in the ocean (out to the espresso station… which should have stayed out there on race day,) participated in the annual underpants run (not to be missed,) and got in a couple easy runs (oh, and finished a 4 page paper for my busiess ethics class… I had to miss B-school mid-terms for the race… thankfully professors in Boulder are understanding of such things.)

Only snag in the pre-race prep was with my front 808 wheel I was borrowing. Had some trouble with the valve extender and my race tire & tube. I eventually resorted to putting back in the training tube, and that seemed to work okay (though I was stressful and left a slight uneasy feeling.) Dropped off the bike and bags. Snapped a couple quick pictures then back home for a great relaxing and inspiring dinner with the family. (including a fun serenade of sorts to the tune of “Going the Distance” by Cake… yes my family rocks!) Stayed the night at Uncle Billies the night before the race, which was great. Walking distance from the race start. Some pre-race nerves but nothing out the ordinary everything all set… just need to close the eyes for a few hours and then it’s game time.

Pre-race:

Up a bit before the 4am alarm. Had my customary uber-Boulder breakfast of quinoa with almond butter and honey, a banana, and coffee. Enough time for some race visualization and then threw on the race clothes, grabbed my pre-race bag and out the door at 5am. My mom and Patrick were right there and we walked over to the race start together. They’re awesome! Keeping me positive and relaxed as we stroll towards the bright lights. Got my custom arm stamps. Into transition, chatted with Eric and Steve for a few minutes (they both appear ready for a stellar fast day!) Get my stuff all setup before transition closes… oh wait, transition doesn’t close, we just hang out here until race time… sweet! (In theory you could hang out there as long as you want and start the swim whenever you pleased… so long as you could be back before the 9:20 swim cutoff.) National anthem. Goosebumps. Time to get in the water. Found a nice spot in the middle (about 50 yards left of the Ford floating out in the middle of the bay.) Feeling good and relaxed and just need to stay that way until the cannon…

Swim:

BOOM!!! Off we go! Flurry of feet, arms, heads and water. Things settle and I find a nice rhythm to my stroke. No break from people, which is good, staying on feet pretty easily. Ocean is amazingly clear (despite all the flailing people) I see some fishes, which is pretty cool. Then WAP!! kick to the face, “Aloha Owen! Ironman here, yes the fishes are pretty, just here to remind you you’re racing.” Regain the focus. I’m in a nice pack all the way out to the first turn. Generally feeling good still. Pretty crowded around both turns but manageable, no worse than the start. Come off the second turn and things start to feel different. People are spreading out. I take a big long sight. “Oh s@#$! We are way the heck out here!... Yes Owen, you are a mile away from where you started, now just get back there.” I’m losing the rhythm and feet - my race flow is off. “There’s the buoys and people.. get in with them.” I try, but things are falling apart a bit. “Keep positive! Just bring it home, focus on form and stay close to people.”
The final 1000 meters it’s goes completely pear-shaped, but feels good to be almost there. Set the expectation now: “Son, you are not going to psyched by what you see on the clock. It’s okay, this is the world champs, you’re fortunate to be here, enjoy it! Yeah, I know, I want to do well, but c’mon don’t get caught up on the time. Relax amigo, the day is young!” Finally! Sand between my toes, then up the stairs. “Yep there it is 1:14, hmmm, well at least that’s done, get those legs moving and find your bag.”

T1:

Nothing too special here. Being one of the last to go through, was pretty self-service… don’t rush, just be efficient… arm coolers, on; sunglasses on; helmet on; grab the shoes and go. “Wow, where’d all the bikes go! Yep, this is the World Champs” Get to my bike, put on the shoes, grab my bike and go…

Bike:

Across the line and on my bike. “Feels so good to be on the road!” Huge cheer right at the first turn… It’s my rock star family! Woooo!!! That’s the shot of energy I need! Best race fans ever.

Up the hill and out on the out-and-back. Feeling pretty good, getting settled… swallowed too much salt water… that will have to settle…. Just focus on smooth stroke and target watts. For there not being many bikes in transition, there sure seem to be a lot of people around me on the road. Passing people.. getting passed... it’s a cluster to say the least “Stay relaxed, keep smooth, don’t worry about anyone else, just don’t draft!” Take a few sips of water, but otherwise nothing for 15 minutes to let the gut settle…. Hit the first turn-around, nice decent back towards town… cruising…. Take in some calories… ooof that’s strong! (I increased the concentration on my energy/electrolyte drink a bit from Canada, as I felt a bit short on cals there, perhaps not the best idea, will just need to be sure to chase each hit with plenty of water.) Hit Palani and up we go! “I’m riding my bike up Palani Drive! In a race!! Hell yeah!” Big left turn onto the Queen K Highway.

Feeling okay, not sharp, but okay. The gut is still a bit unsettled, nothing too concerning yet. Keep up with the water, hopefully that’ll sort itself. “Focus. Relax. Settle into a rhythm.” There are still a lot of people around me, which is normal early in the bike for me. What I’m not used to is getting passed by people… Reminder: “Owen, this is the World Championships. There are dudes here who qualified with a 1:20 swim by biking 4:30… do NOT chase!”... Oh, hey look there’s the Energy Lab! Yes THE Energy Lab! Awesome!... The pack of riders never really breaks up. It’s good to have people nearby, though it takes constant adjusting to make sure I’m not drafting (have never got a penalty and not really wanting to change that.)

Mile 55(ish) Bike feels a little wobbly…. No, it’s not the wind, check the tires… F@#$!! Flat front. I haven’t rode over anything in miles, this is not good… Pull off. check the tire… nothing… F@#$!, this is probably a slow leak… “Don’t worry about it, O. Just change the tube and get back on the road.” I change the tube and apply the CO2, Pull it off and Wshhhhhh… F@#$!! Air’s coming out the valve… it’s probably frozen, hold your finger over it for a few seconds, off, still wshhhh, but less…. finger back on, off, and… silence. Wheww, but not good, not sure how long this will hold… “Don’t think about it, just get back on the steed and go. No point worrying about what you can’t control…nothing to do unless it goes flat again.” Extra concentration to ride smooth and get back to executing the race plan. Those 7 minutes are lost… just go forward.

Getting close to Hawi, seeing more pros coming back the other way. Finally found the notorious ironman winds as we got close to Hawi. They aren’t terrible, mostly a strong headwind, not so much cross, which is good. Into Hawi, lots of people cheering; good energy here. Quick turn-around and over to special needs. Special needs are slow and I have to stop and wait… standing there I realize I’m still way too tense… “Chiiiilll, Owen….You’re in Hawaii, bro” Get my new concentrated bottle and a couple of cocoa quinoa bars (Wendy McMillian’s awesome recipe) and off we go.

The uphill with a headwind has turned into a downhill with a tailwind - awesome! Flying down the road. Getting the mind settled, feeling good as I’m repassing people I saw earlier, then a familiar feeling… look down… flat front… My heart sinks, no emphatic internal swearing this time, just a deep breathe to try to fill the void inside. Hop off, look at the tire, and knowing it’s in vain, swap the tube… pull out CO2 #2 (of 2)… inflate… Pull it off….Wshhhhh… try to stop the air again, let finger off and the Wshhhhh…. Mental swearing ensues, add more air to no avail. Tire goes completely flat. Deep breathes [images of Stadler’s notorious ’05 melt-down running through my head…] I calmly set my bike on the side of road and prop the wheel against it. Step away from the bike…, deep breathes… “It’s okay, today is just not your day. They can’t all be perfect… Be patient, take advantage of the time and wait… because that is all you can do.” 25 minutes later help arrives they swap out the tube and pump the tire up by hand… it seems to hold, a hand-pumped tire got me 50 miles before, and I’ve got 45 to go, so hopefully this will at least get me back.

Back on the bike, and on my way. The fire inside is down to embers. I think of my friend Mike and his quote on a day that just wasn’t his. He gave himself 5 minutes to feel sorry for himself and do whatever he wanted, but after that 5 minutes, had get back to being an adult racing an ironman. This helps…. It helps a lot, in fact. (thanks Mike) After a slew of negative, woulda, coulda, shoulda thoughts; worrying about my family worrying at the finish line when I don’t show up on time, etc…, eventually the mind goes blank… "okay time to get back on it." The way back I try to focus on catching the next person, and the next, It’s a bit of a blur, concentration in and out, I’m well hydrated, gut still not settled (stress not helping) and starting to feel nauseous as I take in cals, but keep it up as it’s my source of electrolytes and I know I’ll need them on the run.

Nothing sexy for the remainder of the ride. I take in the view a few times… “riding your bike in Hawaii, can’t be all bad.” mostly hard to focus on numbers, riding a RPE mostly and ready to be back. As I pass the Natural Energy Lab, see Faris Al Sultan running the opposite way… “That’s pretty awesome! Owen, remember where you are. This is amazing!” Spirits lift up a bit, and I ride it in home…

T2:

Easy peasy. A volunteer nicely slaps some sunscreen on my while I put on my socks and shoes. Grab my hat and gel flask and off we go…

Run:

Come out of transition and “Wooooo!!!!” huge cheer from the GOwen fanclub. Great surge of energy! Regardless of how I feel, can’t help but run well with a big grin by my fam. The psychological boost of having your peeps hootin’ and hollerin’ is always amazing.

Up, around, and down onto Ali’i. Take it in, “Pretty freaking sweet to running down Ali’i. I know you don’t feel good, but this is still pretty freaking awesome! Stay positive, and try to just take it in.” The 5 miles out roll pretty smooth. Keeping my speed in check at 8-8.5mph. Stay relaxed, just let the legs roll. Take in water, ice, sponges at the aid stations.

Turn around and run back towards town. Mile 6 aid station, gut finally turns the corner it’s been threatening… not for the better… will definitely be looking for a blue closet at the next set of tables. Despite not feeling particularly good, I can’t help but take in the experience running down Ali’i. pretty amazing! So many people all cheering and psyched to be out there! Awesome! This really helps with the internal positive talk…. Though legs are feeling heavy and by mile 7, it’s clear today’s psychological battle is just getting started. At mile ten (where I turn right up hill, instead of just running straight to the finish line… oh so close, yet not really at all…) My inner 3-year-old has officially found it’s voice in my head. “No, turn right… You haven’t earned that yet!” Olympian, Matt Reed comes rolling down the hill as I go up, again, pretty awesome. Left turn then right up Palani… Definitely steeper than it looks on TV. “No walking! Keep the legs churning and feet quick.” Great energy from the crowd. It will be nice to see these people again! Big left onto the Queen K. Brain is telling the body and legs it’s time to be done with this… “I want to walk…. No! it’s only mile 11…. C’mon, man up let’s go!... Sure would be nice to be 45 minutes ahead… Stop it, that’s not helping. You’re here, keep running.”… I’m distracted from myself as Curt Chesney comes flying by coming in. He looks strong, great to see he’s having a good race! “Relax, take it in. Keep running… I then find my mantra: You can run one mile, not matter what you can always run one mile…” a few minutes later there’s Steve.. He looks strong, I haven’t seen many amateurs he must be having a good day. Awesome, psyched for him! I give him a shout. Back to my run… The next 5 miles is a blurry slog… I ditch the hat and continue to iteritavely run one more mile. Finally get to the energy lab. “You may feel horrible, but you’re running into THE Energy Lab! How awesome is that!” and it’s down hill… down we go, right turn hit the turn-around… whoa… don’t pass the blue closet! (stop #4)… back on the road… special needs… 5-hour energy is in there… sure, why not… down the hatch… whoa, almost right back up… focus, smooth strides, keep it down… perhaps not a good choice today… it’s pretty hard to balance a pissed off GI system with knowing you have to keep taking in calories, water, electrolytes, otherwise the whole system will fail…

Turn left to work my way out of the Energy Lab, hit mile marker 18.5… “I don’t wanna run… okay just run to the big sign… ahead, you can walk there, and only there, you’re allowed one minute… no more.” I hit the sign, and start walking… 10 steps… and I hear my name… It’s Mark! He’s at the turn back onto the Queen K… “You can’t walk in front of Mark! C’mon get those feet moving!” Mark gives my some words of encouragement and tells me to get on my way. Almost there!

It’s a slight down hill on the way back into town… that’s a huge help… The inner talk is dulled to a whisper even it knows the fastest way to rest is to run as fast as possible. “Family is waiting… don’t keep them waiting longer than they have to… keep running… keep running… 1 more mile… you can always run one more mile…” Finally get to the last slight up hill before turning off the Queen K… last uphill, power through it… turn right you’re off the queen K, “C’mon summon your strength son! I know it’s been a long day, but leave it all out on the road! Let’s go, run your best mile.” Down Palani… turn left… run for what feels like forever until the right turn down the hill… the crowd is amazing! Emotions are welling up…Right turn onto Ali’i… I hear huge screams, “Go Owen!” There’s my family huge cheer… high fives… no crying… take it in… into the finish shoot… run strong, run proud… I hear my name on the PA… down the chute and to the line…

I take a quick knee, Thanks, love and respect to those I carried in my heart to get me through the day… tears cannot be held back as I walk back to find my mom and sister….

Post-race:

After talking with friends and family, getting a massage, taking some pictures, shower, dinner, and stories, we went back to the finish line for the midnight party. Awesome! Not to be missed! So incredible to have that much energy and excitement cheering for everyday athlete!. The midnight finish at Kona is truly unique - absolutely amazing and inspiring!

Seeing 4 75+ year olds finish and 2 amputees in particular help put things in perspective. I may have had a long hard day that pushed me in ways I was not expecting - regardless, it was such a fortunate opportunity just to be here. don't ever forget that. I’ve got nothing to complain about, nothing at all, quite the opposite really. I see myself trying to get back to Kona, not sure if it will be next year, but the experience was such a grand adventure that it's worth repeating. If you ever have the opportunity to do something unique and amazing, don't let it pass. Experiences like this cannot be measured.

HUGE thanks to my family and friends for the all the support this past year (you know who you are.. .couldn't of had this experience without you.) Extra special thanks to Mike Ricci, Mark Van Akkeren, All Sports Recovery, Bob Cranny, Will Murray, Trek Bicycle Store Boulder and Max Muscle for keeping my body and mind sharp throughout the year.

Stats:

Split Name	Distance	Split Time	Race Time	Pace	Div. Rank	Overall Rank	Gender Rank
Total	2.4 mi	1:14:40	1:14:40	1:56/100m	136	1140	887
Swim DetailsDivision Rank: 136

Split Name	Distance	Split Time	Race Time	Pace	Div. Rank	Overall Rank	Gender Rank
5.5 mi	5.5 mi	14:32	1:33:28	22.71 mi/h
28 mi	22.5 mi	1:01:44	2:35:12	21.87 mi/h
59 mi	31 mi	1:37:58	4:13:10	18.99 mi/h
88 mi	29 mi	1:38:13	5:51:23	17.72 mi/h
112 mi	24 mi	1:08:29	6:59:52	21.03 mi/h
Total	112 mi	5:40:56	6:59:52	19.71 mi/h	140	1099	929
Bike DetailsDivision Rank: 140

Split Name	Distance	Split Time	Race Time	Pace	Div. Rank	Overall Rank	Gender Rank
5 mi	5 mi	37:53	7:40:45	7:34/mi
10.2 mi	5.2 mi	40:36	8:21:21	7:48/mi
17.2 mi	7 mi	1:05:05	9:26:26	9:17/mi
26.2 mi	9 mi	1:15:14	10:41:40	8:21/mi
Total	26.2 mi	3:38:48	10:41:40	8:21/mi	117	845	743
Run DetailsDivision Rank: 117

T1: SWIM-TO-BIKE	4:16
T2: BIKE-TO-RUN	3:00
Transition