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"Missed the boat" experiences
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Anyone out there had "missed the boat" experience with triathlon? It seems due to the complexity of the bike prep, plus swimming and running thrown in there are so many potentials for not even making it to the start line (excluding injuries) that make this sport difficult (other than the actual racing). I'll offer up my own experience: this year I drove 8 hrs to get to a half IM and while getting all my stuff out of the car to head to transition, I realize, after body marking and getting into T1 to set up my bike...I realized i forgot my helmet (still in the car). A helmet is not easily replaced by a fellow competitor or bystander, so I had to haul back to my car (which was NOT close) and BARELY made it back into T1 before they called it closed. I ALMOST missed it. I'm sure had i not had that additional 5 minutes in the AM, I would have been sitting on the sidelines that day. Anyone else have a similar story?
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Re: "Missed the boat" experiences [cestmoi] [ In reply to ]
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I've left my race belt with my race number attached to it in my hotel room at least three times now. All three times I ended up "warming up" with a brisk 5k before my race, lol.
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Re: "Missed the boat" experiences [cestmoi] [ In reply to ]
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at escape from alcatraz you have to be on board the ferry to depart for the swim start at some early hour, I can't remember, only that it was still dark out so probably <6am. I'm sure over the 30+ years of holding that race many, many people have quite literally missed the boat.

As for myself, I almost missed the start of the inaugural IMLT. Had a condo a few minute walk from the swim start and since it was literally freezing that morning I planned to intentionally cut it close and show up just in time for the swim start. I did indeed cut it close but realized I had forgotten my bike computer back at the condo. I pace with power so that was a pretty essential piece of equipment to me and decided to go back for it. When I got back the gun had already gone off on the rolling start and I jumped a barrier and joined in towards the back of the line. It was the only time I was every truly happy about the switch to rolling starts.
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Re: "Missed the boat" experiences [cestmoi] [ In reply to ]
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cestmoi wrote:
Anyone out there had "missed the boat" experience with triathlon? It seems due to the complexity of the bike prep, plus swimming and running thrown in there are so many potentials for not even making it to the start line (excluding injuries) that make this sport difficult (other than the actual racing). I'll offer up my own experience: this year I drove 8 hrs to get to a half IM and while getting all my stuff out of the car to head to transition, I realize, after body marking and getting into T1 to set up my bike...I realized i forgot my helmet (still in the car). A helmet is not easily replaced by a fellow competitor or bystander, so I had to haul back to my car (which was NOT close) and BARELY made it back into T1 before they called it closed. I ALMOST missed it. I'm sure had i not had that additional 5 minutes in the AM, I would have been sitting on the sidelines that day. Anyone else have a similar story?

Not my personal experience and person still could have started and done race but I was at HIM NC waiting for my swim wave and announcer do the normal requests when people forget things (goggles, ear plugs, etc.) said "anybody have an extra wetsuit? women's size small?" and somehow somebody turned up with one. woman still could have swam without because water was not that cold. I think a volunteer or spectator must have run to their car and got a wetsuit.
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Re: "Missed the boat" experiences [TriTamp] [ In reply to ]
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Got all set up for an Oly distance tri (Leon's) a few years back, only to realize that I forgot my swim bag at home. With 30 minutes to go before the start I ended up buying a pair of goggles at the expo and a used sleeveless suit off another competitor.

Still swim in that wetsuit by the way.
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Re: "Missed the boat" experiences [cestmoi] [ In reply to ]
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I did the Barcelona 70.3 two years back as a bit of a jolly - had raced the Mallorca 70.3 the weekend before and was out for a hard training day. As a result of this, my mind was not in it at all. Woke up and got my stuff together. We were staying at a hotel about a km away from the start line. Got set the day before with the bike in T1 so got up there with a bit of time to spare to put air in the tyres. Left T1 with about 10 mins to spare and started to get my wetsuit on.

That is when it hit me I had left all my nutrition, puncture stuff and spare tubular back in the hotel room. Had to leg it back, get all my things and then sprint back to the start line. Must have looked a right site in my flip flops and wetsuit doing an extended interval warm up...They wouldn't let me back into transition to get all my things on the bike, so I had to stuff it all down the back of my wetsuit - gas, tubular, gels, pump etc. It made the swim a little uncomfortable, but it worked thankfully.
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Re: "Missed the boat" experiences [cestmoi] [ In reply to ]
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It hasn't happened to me in real life but I have nightmares about this kinda stuff all the time. I'm coming out of the water into T-1 and I can't find my helmet, or my cycling shoes are missing the cleats, I forgot to re-attach the brake pads when I swapped out to my race wheels, etc etc. One time I stripped off my wet suit only to realize that I didn't put my tri-shorts on. I'm naked from the waist down running around transition in a towel trying to find my shorts. Then I wake up and am overcome with relief and gratitude that it was all just a dream.
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Re: "Missed the boat" experiences [crujones#33] [ In reply to ]
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crujones#33 wrote:
It hasn't happened to me in real life but I have nightmares about this kinda stuff all the time.
+1


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Re: "Missed the boat" experiences [P McCatty] [ In reply to ]
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P McCatty wrote:
crujones#33 wrote:
It hasn't happened to me in real life but I have nightmares about this kinda stuff all the time.

+1

Same here. A variation is that I'm having the race of my life and then somehow can't find the finish line. I ask spectators, and they send me on some byzantine route that involves stairs and hallways, and all course markers have disappeared. The sense of panic keeps growing, and at some point I usually wake up and realize it was all a dream.

Ian
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Re: "Missed the boat" experiences [P McCatty] [ In reply to ]
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Not a huge deal but visiting family in Raleigh a few years ago and signed up for a local sprint. Went down the night before and checked in and it was one of those rolling swim pool starts. They told me my time to start the swim so I just had it in my head that I did not have to be in a hurry that morning. Ended up getting there too late and transition was closed. Wasn't again huge as I was in the midst of HIM training so I just went back to in-laws and got a nice bike/run brick in.
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Re: "Missed the boat" experiences [cestmoi] [ In reply to ]
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Missed the Flo wheel sale "boat" last week due to kids soccer/visiting family/aging parents "boat" I was on instead.... Does that count?
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Re: "Missed the boat" experiences [crujones#33] [ In reply to ]
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crujones#33 wrote:
It hasn't happened to me in real life but I have nightmares about this kinda stuff all the time. I'm coming out of the water into T-1 and I can't find my helmet, or my cycling shoes are missing the cleats, I forgot to re-attach the brake pads when I swapped out to my race wheels, etc etc. One time I stripped off my wet suit only to realize that I didn't put my tri-shorts on. I'm naked from the waist down running around transition in a towel trying to find my shorts. Then I wake up and am overcome with relief and gratitude that it was all just a dream.

This actually happened at St. Anthony's a few years ago. First timer got out of the water somewhat disoriented, the wetsuit strippers told him to sit down and started pulling off his wetsuit. As the story goes, the guy realized about half-way into the wetsuit removal what was happening and that he wasn't wearing anything and started shouting "no! no!" but it was too late. Lol.
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Re: "Missed the boat" experiences [cestmoi] [ In reply to ]
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Ironman Austria last year. Stayed at a hotel approximately 10 minutes to the start and Transition. Been to Ironman Austria before. Did lots of research this time to 'guarantee' smooth sailing. Walked to Transition early. Did my bike prep. Walked back to the hotel. Pulled my wetsuit on 30 minutes before the gun. Timing chip has gone. It was with my wetsuit in the same bag. WTF!!!! I am swearing. LOUDLY!!!! Turn the room upside down. Blame the wife for moving my stuff. You name it, I did it!!!! Clock is ticking. Flee the hotel barefoot. Wetsuit around my hips. Hoping to get another chip before the start. FURIOUS at having to pay for another chip. I'm not cheap but what a waste of money!!!! Cut across the dewy grass to save time. Start to tug my wetsuit up. Discover the velcro on the timing chip is stuck to the velcro on the zipper panel of my wetsuit. Went on to get a PB. Firmly believe it was because my warm up consisted of getting my heart rate as high as possible in the hotel room. Oh, and I'm still apologising to the wife.
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Re: "Missed the boat" experiences [cestmoi] [ In reply to ]
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I missed checkin for New Orleans 70.3 the day before. I didnt realize that check in was at a different location than transition. Thought I wasnt going to be able to race.

But I showed up before the opening of the transition area on Sunday morning, the race director gave me a bib, and I was good to go.

So just an FYI to people, if you miss check in the day before, you may still be able to race.
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Re: "Missed the boat" experiences [patentattorney] [ In reply to ]
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Good one!!! Glad that worked out. Here's another one for me. I'm at USAT Nationals...which i flew to, so i didn't pack a bike pump, since I'd assume such a national event would have several pumps floating around. 20 minutes until T1 closes, I'm walking around looking for a pump...and a friendly racer offers hers to me, but the valve was tricky, so no air was going into my tire. I borrow another person's pump - good valve but then I'm realizing its not the pump, but the stupid valve on my tire that's jammed. With about 7 minutes until T1 closes and still no air in my tire, i get my bike off the rack and head to the tech help area, which is basically a guy and one pump. He gets on it, but nope - no air is going into my semi-flat tire. I'm really having a conniption now...since i've NEVER had air not go into this tire. He's there jimmying the valve and then basically says...I'm SOL. Then he says he needs to help someone else....so I grab the pump and start trying everything in the book to make it work and SOMEHOW air goes in the tire, just as they are calling everyone out of T1. That would have been a total waste of a boatload of money had I not gotten that air in.
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Re: "Missed the boat" experiences [cestmoi] [ In reply to ]
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Does not swimming with or on your high school's swim team, that had multiple Olympians (including an Olympic team coach) and at least one world record holder, taking up tri's right after high school and failing miserably in swimming, then having to rely on your cross country base and time trial skills count?
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Re: "Missed the boat" experiences [cestmoi] [ In reply to ]
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I could have done IM Hawaii(Oahu) back in the day, just by sending a cheque. I didn't have the money on any years I was fit enough. Then when I earned enough, the qualification system came in and my chance disappeared forever.

I'm actually more annoyed at never seeing The Tragically Hip play live before they split up. "New Orleans is sinking", long before Katrina is a fantastic tune

TriDork

"Happiness is a myth. All you can hope for is to get laid once in a while, drunk once in a while and to eat chocolate every day"
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Re: "Missed the boat" experiences [cestmoi] [ In reply to ]
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Got to the start of the Big Kahuna HIM very late due to a flat car tire. Quickly set up my bike and donned my wetsuit. As I'm running to the start, the first swimmers are running in the opposite direction towards T1 (so people are screaming at me that I'm going the wrong way). I get to the beach about 3min. after the last wave, but they let me start. A few minutes in one of the kayak guys paddles over to give me swim tips, figuring that since I'm already 3min. behind the 60-64 women I must be a realllllly bad swimmer.

ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
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Re: "Missed the boat" experiences [cestmoi] [ In reply to ]
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Forgot my goggles, twice. On both occasions I had friendly competitors help me out.

'It never gets easier, you just get crazier.'
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Re: "Missed the boat" experiences [cestmoi] [ In reply to ]
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Bud lite tri series Chicago, around 1991, I think.

We had a group doing oly distance as a relay team. Since we were only doing one leg of the race, decided to go out on the town the night before. Suffice to say, we over did it. Crashed a birthday party that had one of those double decker buses taking them from bar to bar. We pretty much saw the whole city.

Painfully walked down to check in, the next morning. I was doing the bike leg, so it seemed like a good idea to catch a few z's until I was due to start. Slept through the bike, but showed up just in time to do the 10k (our runner did the bike for me).

Very painful run under the cloak of a severe hangover. Actually had one of my better 10k's because I wanted to hurry and get it over with.

Oh, to be young again.

Not everything is as it seems -Mr. Miyagi
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Re: "Missed the boat" experiences [cestmoi] [ In reply to ]
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I really try to KISS. Everything I need to race (besides my bike) fits in to a regular 30L back pack. There is very little I "need". I've forgotten stuff, but most of it is stuff I could do without anyways.

I did, however, get hit while riding and never made it to the start of an IM (my first attempt at one). That really sucked. Felt like I blew a whole year of training, not to mention the money lost.

Long Chile was a silly place.
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Re: "Missed the boat" experiences [cestmoi] [ In reply to ]
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Never missed the boat because my wife has a CHECK LIST for me since I am the type who would forget his head if it wasn't attached to my neck. Married 43 years and she knows me very well. ;0)
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Re: "Missed the boat" experiences [OlderTryGuy] [ In reply to ]
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I have a virtual checklist that I go through. But it is a bit alarming when you're in your hotel room looking at the massive amount of stuff you have splayed out on the floor in front of you and thinking how can I not forget something! But I always triple check the critical things i.e the stuff you cannot race without (helmet, bike shoes, run shoes, chip) anything else you forget, it might be a PITA, but you can still race.
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Re: "Missed the boat" experiences [Anton84] [ In reply to ]
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ITU World Duathlon Standard Championships in Ottawa, CAN (maybe 2013??)--my 2nd ever "travel" duathlon. Warmed up & then they called us to the start line area. I was warming up & awaiting the start--looked down to check out everyone's shoes as to what they were wearing (I was using the same shoes from Boulder 70.3 only 5 days prior & wondered if I had gone too heavy on the shoes vs. the norm, so was checking everyone's shoes out...) I saw all the timing chips on their ankles & realized, "Oh crap! I forgot to pick up my timing chip!" Hot-footed it out of the start area over to the timing chip pick up table. Got back to the start line with about 60 seconds before the gun start. Nearly missed the entire boat on that one. That would have been an expensive "WHOOPS!"
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Re: "Missed the boat" experiences [cestmoi] [ In reply to ]
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One of my first tris (sprint) a few years back I arrived a tad late, parked far, had to go pee (waited...).

Got confused with start times as there were many different tris going on that day.

Got in the water with other guys and looked at the previous wave in the distance.

Then I noticed everyone around me looked older, some much older.
I asked which age group had just left... bingo... mine.

Well, I'll subtract 5 minutes from my time and I should end up ahead of all these "older" guys.
Nope, still dead last and very confused by this odd sport.

Among my worst nightmares: showing up late for an IM, not having gear ready, missing bike...

Worst than the ever falling one.



Only fools never change their minds and I'll never change my mind about that.
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