I’m feeling much better now, a little more human, so I figure I can write a decent race report. The race was awesome. My friend, Chad, and I left to go to the race on Thursday and checked in to the race and the hotel. I swam with Chad all four years in college, and he lived at my house last summer to train for his first Ironman, Wisconsin last year. He was supposed to be competing with me, but he tore his ACL, MCL, and meniscus last spring while playing intramural softball (dumbass). He formally withdrew from the race, and even received his refund check. When we went to check-in, though, his name was still on the athlete check-in list! He ended up signing in and competing in the swim portion of it! They must have messed up something…
The next morning we went to check out the swim start. A few days before the race, they had to change the swim course. The two days before the race, we weren’t allowed to swim the race swim course, just one near the swim finish. It took me over 25 minutes to swim the ½ mile out to the buoy and only 4 to return! At one point, the current was SO strong that I was going backwards! People were being pushed so far away that the lifeguards in kayaks had to help bring swimmers back to shore!
Instead of a mass swim start, we lined up like sheep for the slaughter. One by one, they essentially pushed us of the pier for a ¾ mile swim against the current. The water was sooo gross! I saw a tire, large tree branches, a basketball, and a shopping cart! I heard stories about people who swallowed water on the swim and were not able to compete because they could not stop throwing up! At the athlete briefings, they had told us to “self-seed” before the swim, but in reality it was first come first serve. My friends and I ended up towards the back and I had to swim around lots of people that were slower. I got out of the water just under 1 hour, and crossed the timing mat in 1:00:45.
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The transition area, including the changing tents, was outside. Because it was supposed to rain the night before the race (which it did), many athletes decided to tie our transition bags up so that our shoes and equipment would not get wet. I had my friend Peter do it for me. The volunteers were great in helping you get your bag before you even enter transition! Peter had done such a good job tying my bag up that neither me nor my volunteer could get it open! After I got changed, I ran outside to get my bike, but not before I got sprayed down with sunscreen!
I honestly didn’t feel all that great on the ride. I planned on holding back until at least mile 80, so as to save my legs for the “run”. Normally I am a pretty strong climber, but I couldn’t get in to the groove for some reason. I had borrowed a friend’s Zipp 202s for the race, and I was really nervous about getting a flat because I’ve never changed a tubular flat before. I just kept praying that I would make it home without flatting out, and I did! I met one guy on the ride who I hung with for a while. I actually saw him the day after the race because it ended up that he stayed at the same hotel as me, and he said that out of the nine Ironmans that he has completed, this was by far the toughest. That made me feel kind of good about completing it. It took me just over 6 and a half hours on the bike.
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I got off the bike feeling somewhat alive and ready for the “run”. I use the term “run” very loosely hear because at best it was a jog. My mom, Chad, and twin sister Erin were all there cheering me on. In addition to them, my mom had befriended my friend Peter’s family and they were there cheering me on as well. It was great! I was a bit nervous about the heat for the run, so I tried to keep to whatever shade was available as much as possible. I ran with a coin purse of endurolytes and began taking in gel and water at the first aid station. I cannot express how great the volunteers were! They had such energy and were so helpful. I had planned on walking the aid stations and more, especially for the first 18 miles (gosh that sounds long!).
At just past the half way point, the course comes within a few hundred yards of the finish. In fact, you get to look at it, and know that you still have 20k to go! My mom and Chad jogged with me for a little bit and it was great. My mom was practically in tears. Because Chad was still registered in the race, he “ran” with me for at least two miles. It was nice to have familiar company.
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After we parted ways, I met up with a couple of guys while walking through an aid station. One was carrying a decent pace and I decided to try and pace with him. We ended up talking and I learned that this was his first triathlon. Ever! I couldn’t believe it! He was doing great for having no previous triathlon experience! I definitely would’ve walked more aid stations if I wouldn’t have been with him. I looked at my watch and realized that if I kept up a strong pace for the last 10 miles that I could possibly break 13 hours. I was WAY ahead of my original goal of 15 hours! With about three miles left a blister on my right foot split. I don’t know if you’ve ever had that happen to you or not, but boy, does it hurt! I muscled through it. About ten minutes later, the left foot went! Ouch! I was so close! Evan, the guy I had been running with, was so strong. I didn’t want to lose him because I knew I would fall off pace.
I’ve read a lot about training and strategy, and I’ve learned that you should hold back the first 18 miles of the run. So true!! I passed so many people that had passed me at the beginning of the run, had gone out too fast, and died! It was sort of gratifying to pass by people that I had been depressed about passing me a few hours earlier!
The finish was electrifying. I was so overcome with emotions that when I turned the final corner to approach the last 200 yards, I began having an asthma attack. I kept thinking, “This is it! I’ve done it! I’ve made it!” I was so happy and emotional. I really can’t put it in to words what it feels like to hear the words, “Kimberly Fischer, you are an IRONMAN!” announced over the loud speakers. All the pain, all the training, all the discipline had finally culminated into one moment of glory. I crossed the finish line, smiling and crying at the same time. I had made my goal time of under 13 hours, and finished in 12 hours 58 minutes. The volunteers grabbed me while I struggled to breathe and find my inhaler. They placed a medal around my neck and congratulated me. I found my support crew and they were crying and hugging me. I was so tired but so full of energy!
I found Evan, and hugged him and thanked him for the support. I made my way over to massage and laid down for a nice 15 minute massage from a volunteer, also named Chad. I wanted to see how my friends were doing, but because of my looming date of my next Ironman, I decided that it would be best if I went and had an ice bath (yuck!) Thankfully, we were staying at the Hilton, and it was right by the Finish. My body temperature was so thrown off that I was just convulsing in the bath, so it got cut short. I put on some real clothes and went to watch the finishers.
My one friend Peter had not been doing so well. He is a really sweet guy, who is from Louisville, so he was well aware of the course and the heat. I found out from my mom and his, that he had fallen way behind me on the bike and had actually stopped at an aid station on the bike and fell asleep under a tree. He finished the course, and fell asleep in T2 for 42 minutes. I ended up catching him on his first loop of the run, my second, and walked with him for a bit. He was bound and determined to finish the race. I prayed that he would.
I ate some pizza and cheered on finishers. When the cutoff loomed nearer, Chad, Erin, and I made our way down the course to try and look for Peter. Chad went much further ahead. I began to get antsy and worried. Erin and I walked further and further down the course. I stopped at the last aid station to ask the volunteers if they could radio and find out if he was still on the course, or if medical had taken him. They didn’t know. We walked further down, and finally we saw Peter, being escorted by Chad and another boy. He looked absolutely terrible.
I wanted him to finish so bad that I mustered up the strength to jog with him. We kept encouraging him to keep going. At the final turn, less than 200 yards from the finish, he started to walk and then bent over and puked everywhere. We encouraged him to keep going. He took a few steps, and threw up again. After a third attempt and failure, I yelled at him to stop looking at the ground and look at that finish line! They were calling his name! I took his arm and helped him up to finish the race. He began to run again. I had tears streaming down my face. It was the most moving thing I’ve ever seen. He crossed the finish line, and passed out across the finish line. Medical took him away and he was taken away in an ambulance. We got his stuff from transition and his mom called us when they were at the hospital and she said that when Peter regained consciousness, he asked him mom if she had his medal. She looked at him and said, “Pete, honey, you didn’t finish.” She said that she would rather be shot than have to receive that look again from her son. He was devastated.
The next day, Chad and I went to the awards banquet, where I bought a Finisher’s shirt, because they didn’t give us them! We cut out of the banquet early, checked out of the hotel, and went to visit Peter in the hospital. As a last minute decision, I decided to give Peter my Finisher shirt. We told him that he crossed that finish line with more determination than anyone else and deserved that shirt more than anyone else. http://i2.tinypic.com/642i6j9.jpg
He is still in the hospital as I type this. His kidneys are still not working. I think he will be okay though. Considering the circumstances, I am in pretty good shape! I’ve already gone for an easy swim, and plan on going for an easy ride this weekend. I am excited to get back on the horse to start training again for IM FL. I hope to improve my times and continue learning. Although this race report has turned out to be extremely lengthy, I still stand by my belief that there is no way to really put in to words how amazing of an experience I had. It definitely has changed the way I view challenges.
