HAWAII IRONMAN 2010

On my birthday a year ago, I was sitting in the kitchen trying to think of something big I could do for my next birthday.. The big 4-0! Trolling the forums, I noticed that the lottery for the Hawaii Ironman had just opened up for registration. The race was going to be held Oct 9th 2010. Racing Hawaii Ironman seemed like the perfect big thing to do to celebrate turning 40. Hawaii Ironman is the mac daddy, the World Championships. I can remember watching it on television when I was in high school, wondering to myself, why, how?

I promptly signed up. I did not expect much though as I have heard that people sign up for the lottery years and years in a row with no luck..The winners would not be announced until April 15th.. Time to wait.. and forget about signing up..
Forget I did.. and so on that April morning in my office when I noticed the email with the heading "Congrats Kona lottery" my brain was scrambling to figure out what it could mean..Was it spam?! This email was the real deal and I lost all self control when I read it out loud. I was going to KONA!! Holy Shit!!! This was about the only thought I could seem to register in my head..

After spending the past few days collecting my thoughts, I have decided that writing a race report that covers 5 months of workouts, mishaps, joys, lows, highs, doubt and relief is just too much for my busy self to bear; And too much for all of you to read.
Another added bonus to getting to join the elite in the field of triathlon was that in the weeks leading up to the race, I was contacted by a reporter for IRONMAN.COM. They wanted to write a profile on me to have up on the site during race week. This was so cool! The link to that story is here:

http://ironman.com/events/ironman/worldchampionship/kona2010/matthew-dale-profiles-ironman-lottery-participant-courtney-spratt#axzz11nVqEhCE


I decided to take the easy route on this report and just focus on the race itself.

I should preface by saying that the amount of support and encouragement that I received from friends, family, imaginary friends (you know who you are!) and even total strangers has been overwhelming. Thank you to everyone.

Getting to Hawaii from Florida is actually a small race in itself. We live in Jacksonville and our airport is called Jacksonville International Airport but you cannot fly hardly anywhere outside of Jacksonville without flying to Atlanta first. After a 3 day pit stop in Honolulu with the family, we flew into Kona on my 40th birthday. I have never been so excited to turn into a new decade as I was to be turning 40.

The Ironman feel in Kona is so apparent the minute you exit the plane. I was in love! In love with Ironman, in love with Kona. My family was probably sick of me and my love affair.

Even though I had some anxiety about the race, I was ready to rock and roll. In the days leading up to the race I did everything Ironman related. Athletes parade, expo, underpants run, pre race dinner luau, dig me beach swims, coffee from Lava Java, Slowtwitch party, bike count and on and on. It was a whirlwind of fun leading up to Saturday's race.

Race morning I woke up at 3:40 am and went downstairs for some breakfast. Mike came with me so I would not have to eat alone. No worries there though as the place was full of athletes easily identified by their lack of body hair, lack of body fat, and a gold wristband with KONA stamped on it. (I am still wearing my wristband).
Being slightly Type A I had meticulously laid out all my gear in the days before the race. After breakfast I gathered up my pre swim bag, donned my lucky flip flops and took off for the start. The walk from my hotel to the start was about a mile. I used this time to give myself a pep talk. I told myself that my fear was ok, but to just get over it. I was one of the lucky bitches that was getting to do the Hawaii Ironman!!

Pre swim I double checked my bike, pumped up tires, slathered on the Vaseline on my tender bits, and tried to remain calm. I spotted the world famous Mark Allen and asked him if he had any advice for me. He is such a calm soul. He told me to just enjoy and take it all in. The guy next to him added that I should love this race as it is a catered event! So true! I am highly motivated by food so this advice really hit home with me.

All the athletes made their way to the steps at Dig Me Beach. I found that talking to other people around me helped me relax. Everyone was really nice. At one point I made the comment that the last person to wear my goggles was my 8 year old son. The girl next to me thought that was so hilarious. "Oh my God!!" she laughed. "Please tell me you checked them before today!" I hadn't checked them. SHIT!!! I just let it go. There was no turning back. If the goggles failed, then I guess I was about to swim 2.4 miles on my back.

Treading water with 1800 others in Kona, Hawaii was the most awesome feeling ever. I was not even scared anymore. I was ok with possibly getting kicked, punched, or grabbed. It didn't matter because I was living my dream. I was racing Hawaii Ironman! I truly enjoyed every minute of that swim. I was totally relaxed as I watched other peoples' feet in front of my face. I spent the time focused on my stroke. I never once looked at my watch during the swim. I knew the swim was likely going to be the easiest part of my day. I exited the water in 1:29. I really did think I was swimming a lot faster than that.. Oh well.

One of the things that sticks out in my head as I grabbed my bike bag and headed to the change tent was how many bikes were already gone. No surprise I guess considering the field I was racing with that day. These people were the cream of the crop.

It seems that each athlete had their own personal escort in the change tents. The girl who helped me get ready for the bike was efficient and so nice. I was in and out of that change tent in no time. I decided to just take it easy until I could find my groove on the bike. The course has you riding about an 8 mile loop until you hit a big climb out to the Queen K highway. I had been noticing that my bike was not shifting smooth. As a bike geek, I feel very close to my bike. Weird perhaps, but I can tell when something with my bike is off. As I made the big climb up Palani Drive, I heard a guy call out "spin easy Courtney!" Right! I know that, but my gears would not shift! I made it to the top of the hill and finally the bike seemed to start shifting a bit better. At least now I could shift the two big rings in the front. My tri bike has Sram Red and it does live up to the hype as being a bit louder and finicky compared to Dura Ace. Once my shifting improved I began to settle into my groove. I was getting comfy as much as possible on this long stretch. I checked my heart rate monitor every now and then to make sure I was keeping it respectable. The views around me were so beautiful. I wanted to make a point to take it all in and remember what I was seeing. The ocean was on the left and the lava fields were all around.

All along the highway people take small white rocks and spell words out against the black lava rock. I tried to read as many as I could. Up to this point the bike was smooth but challenging and then it became downright terrifying for me as we got closer to Hawii. This is when I met the infamous Hawii trade winds. I would be riding along trying to focus and then a gust of wind would blow from the side. It was a white knuckle ride for sure. It felt as if I was riding with my bike at a 75 degree angle to the road. I swear at times it even felt as if the winds would pick my bike up and move it across the road. Forget eating or drinking during this time! I was lucky to just be riding with the rubber side down! I kept thinking how similar riding in these winds was to labor contractions. I would be holding on for dear life, gritting my teeth waiting for relief and just when I thought it was over, the winds would start up again..It was a total roller coaster ride!

I finally made it to Hawii and the bike special needs stop. I pulled over and stopped in front of two little Hawaiian girls. I switched my nutrition bottles, ate half of a Payday, gave the girls the old bottles and started on my way back. As I was riding along, for once it seemed like I had some wind at my back. And some down hills! Of course it did not last. On the return section on the Queen K, I felt as if I was flying along and then I would hit some headwinds and hills and I would be crawling along so slowly. I was just happy to be moving no matter how slow. I had spotted a group of about 4 or 5 bikes piled up on the side of the road. No riders in sight. I figured someone must have bit the dust so to speak. I had heard that the bike course in Hawaii was not flat, but I was actually surprised at how long the climbs actually were. I used some of these climbs to perfect my skill of peeing on the bike. I think this is actually an art! First, I make sure no one is close behind. Don't want to have the wind spray pee on your fellow racers! Second, stand up. Third, shift your hip to the side of the bike and finally, let it flow! Stopping to pee is such a hassle.. Peeing on the bike is like peeing in your wetsuit. There are those people who admit doing it and those people who lie about it!. No worries about any after effects, as I always take a water bottle from the aid stations to wash off any pee from my leg or the bike.

After spending 6 1\2 hours on the bike with only the thoughts in my head and the views around me, I was dying to get off and on to the run so I could have someone to talk to! As I pulled into transition, I noticed that all the bikes except mine seemed to be back in the racks, Or at least it felt like that! I told myself to suck it up buttercup! You are living a dream and sometimes dreams hurt!

I grabbed my run bag and was escorted into the change tents by another super awesome helper. I made sure to use a ton of Glide on my feet and toes as I get the worst blisters during marathons. I had decided to wear my visor from the Underpants Run.

If you do not know what this is, check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymhua4t4zzc

This run is a must do while in Kona, IMO.

So I donned the visor and my shades and I was off to the run. The run started sketchy for me. I made sure to run out of transition in order to not look like a total loser to all the hundreds of people lining the streets cheering. It is amazing what kind of things can motivate you! The running did not last long though. I was taken down to a run-walk. I was not alone. It seemed like quite a few people were walking. Yes, my fellow comrades! I really enjoyed the first part of the run which is through a residential area with views of the ocean. It was so gorgeous! There were aid stations every mile and the people really wanted to get you anything you might need. Sponges were my favorite. It was so hot and I could feel my skin toasting in the sun. The course is not flat. Dang these hills! The hills killed me slowly on this run. I tried to pass the time chatting with people, but deep inside my gut trouble was brewing. Why is there never a porta potty around when you need one? I managed a cross legged shuffle walk until I spied one of the green monsters along the side of the road. Ah! the glory of the porta potty!

Back on the road I was feeling much better. I just tried to avoid looking at the mile markers signs. I was even happier when I came upon a sign that was in kilometers. My brain was closed for any mile to kilometer conversions at this point so the KM signs were great since I really could not figure out exactly how far I had left. Coming out of the Energy Lab I knew I had about 6 miles left to go. I was just so happy that the sun had finally set at this point. I was cooked, broiled, and done being burnt! I needed some relief and the darkness was my answer.

As I approached the last mile down Palani Drive I knew the finish was so close. I could hear it. I told myself no more walking. I was going to run this last mile. It seems at this point I even found my second or third wind. I picked up the pace and began high fiving the people along the sides of the road. Everyone seemed so happy! I know I was! I had read about the run down Alii Drive. For 5 months prior to this point all I could do was imagine what it would be like. Now I was actually running down Alii Drive myself and it was the best feeling in the world. People were cheering so loudly. I am not sure how, but I heard someone scream "Mom!!". I glanced back over my shoulder and spotted Avery. My family had made it to the finish! I was so happy. I even choked back a sob. It was just so overwhelming. I ran up the finish ramp but I was so caught up with everything that I do not even remember Mike Reily saying "Courtney Spratt, from Ponte Vedra Beach, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!" He could have called me a fat pig for all I cared! It was a beautiful moment forever etched in my mind crossing that finish line in the Hawaii Ironman. After I passed the chute, I got lei'ed. I felt like a super star!

Do not think the race is over once you cross that finish line. Now it is time to gather up all your crap! Bike, bags, stinky clothes, helmet and so on. Thankfully my family was waiting for me at the athlete exit. And now that my kids are big, they can carry bags. I promptly handed over all my gear to the kids and Mike. I just wanted to concentrate on wearing my Ironman medal.

To anyone out there thinking of entering the Ironman lottery, DO IT! There is always a chance. In fact, the lottery for 201 is now open. Go ahead and sign up!

http://ironman.com/faq/lotteryfaq#axzz12oXSUtYk

Well, now that Ironman Hawaii is over, what next?!
Even though it might seem a little crazy, or maybe even a lot crazy, I am going to race Ironman Florida on Nov 6th. Hell Yes! Why waste a perfectly good Ironman entry?! Stay tuned.....