St. George Ironman - Race Day Report

The St. George Ironman finally arrived! This race was the culmination of hours and hours and hours of swim/bike/run workouts as well as numerous personal sacrifices by my family members. Ultimately, I feel it was all worth it (hopefully my wife and kids do too). This accomplishment was as much their's as it was mine!

Pre-Race Preparations

I flew in to Salt Lake from Dallas on Wednesday night and then drove down to St. George on Thursday morning with my parents. We went directly to the Dixie Convention Center for athlete registration, packet pick-up, and body marking. That took up much of the afternoon. There was also an informational meeting for all athletes that evening which my friend, Rich Goode, and I attended. On Friday morning, Rich and I took our bikes and gear out to the designated drop off points. We also wanted to get into Sand Hollow Reservoir to gain a better sense for how cold the water was. (Verdict - Very cold! 59 degrees cold!) After an early dinner of pasta, we headed back home for some last minute preparations and got to bed early. It was difficult to sleep with nerves running high.

Race Day Morning

I woke up at 4 AM, got ready and had a quick breakfast consisting of a toasted bagel with peanut butter and a banana. Rich and I headed downtown to catch the 5 AM shuttle. While still dark, we could tell it was going to be a beautiful day. It had been windy and cold the past week and we didn't know what to expect on race day. Fortunately, we had upper 60 degree weather, a light breeze that picked up a bit in the afternoon/evening and some periodic cloud covering. We couldn't ask for a better day weather wise. We had about 1 hour to kill before entering the water during which we checked over our bikes, filled our tires, put on our wetsuits, etc.

Swim (2.4 miles)

The professional athletes started at 6:45 AM. The rest of the 2,000 or so athletes headed down to the water at that point. We sang our national anthem before heading into the frigid water about 10 minutes before seven. I was feeling very nervous about the swim since I hate mass starts and the cold water didn't help. When the cannon went off at 7 AM, it was pure chaos. It usually takes me a few minutes to calm down and stop hyperventilating before I can really start swimming. This was much worse. The combination of 2000+ swimmers swimming into and over each other and the freezing water that took my breath away each time I submerged my head was scary. I saw a number of athletes grab onto the kayaks for help and even some who were pulled out of the water due to hypothermia, which would have ended their Ironman attempt. Eventually, after about 10 minutes of breast and back stroke, I was able to calm down and get into a good rhythm. Unfortunately, I ended up with a very slow swim (1:31:36) which is 11 minutes slower than I had anticipated based on my training. Nevertheless, I was happy to have the swim portion over and felt strong going into the bike.

T1 (Swim to Bike)

As I exited the lake, there were a number of volunteers ready to assist with stripping off wetsuits and getting your bike gear bags. I took my time drying off and preparing for the 112 mile bike ride. As I was leaving the transition area, I ran into Rich Goode. He had come in just before me on the swim. My total T1 time was 11:45.

Bike (112 miles)

The bike leg is broken up into three parts. The first section included a 22 mile ride from Sand Hallow Reservoir down through Washington, across the north side of St. George and over to Ivins/Snow Canyon. This first section was pretty uneventful and easy going outside of two pretty good hills right by Quail Creek and Coral Canyon. I was surprised to see a number of athletes get out of their seats and hammering up these hills (so much for saving your legs for the remaining 100 miles let alone the marathon afterward). I was happy to see Camille's parents outside Coral Canyon around mile 10 and my friends, Stan Hansen, Matt & Ruth Perkins, and the Goode family, on the bike path around mile 20, and my parents in Ivins around mile 22.

The second section of the bike, or first half of the 45 mile loop, went from Ivins to Santa Clara to Shivwits Indian Reservation to Gunlock Reservoir, and over to Veyo, which meets up with the popular St. George Marathon course around mile 9. This first section is pretty brutal. There are a number of significant climbs including one mile known as "the wall." While I enjoyed climbing these hills, they did sap out a lot of strength from my legs.

The third section of the bike, or second half of the 45 mile loop, goes from Veyo back down to St. George, past Snow Canyon. This section is an absolute blast. When we pre-rode the course a few weeks ago, we were facing strong headwinds (~30 mph) that slowed our pace considerably. This was not the case on Saturday. The pace was very fast on this section, reaching speeds of 40 - 45 mph. Very fun!

Once I reached St. George, I knew I had to repeat the 45 mile loop again. I was feeling pretty good until around mile 80. At this point I began to bonk and worry about running a marathon. Fortunately, I fueled up and got a rush of adrenaline after I climbed the wall and started my final descent. I ended up completing the bike in 7:23:32 (15.15 mph pace) which is right around where I thought I'd be given my training and familiarity with this difficult course.

T2 (Bike to Run)

I was feeling relatively good as I went into the tent to change into my running shoes. It was about 4 PM and I knew I had 8 hours to complete the marathon before the 17 hour deadline (worst case scenario). I ran into Camille's dad just outside the tent. He had Camille, back in Boston, on his cell phone and gave me the opportunity to say a quick "hello." I ended up spending 9:42 in transition.

Run (26.2 miles)

There was a ton of energy coming out of the gates on the run so I had no problem running the first few miles. I found myself going at a 9 - 10 min/mile pace for those first few miles. Around mile 3 I started hitting a few hills, some worse than others, including an ascent up onto the ridge that overlooks the St. George valley, where the DIXIE is painted. While the view is spectacular on top, getting there is quite challenging. I quickly found myself walking up the hills, along with 90% of the other athletes, and then running on the flats and downhill. I challenged myself to run a mile, then walk through the aid stations. This worked for the first 10 miles or so. I then had to shorten my goals to run to certain landmarks, signs or cones before I would walk again.

The course is a double loop course. This is somewhat depressing as you come down mile 13. Instead of entering the "Finish" chute, you go down the "2nd" lap chute which kicks you back up the street and out for another 2.5 to 3 hours or so. The sun began to set at about 8 PM while I was around miles 18 - 20. It also got quite cool. Volunteers began to pass out glow in the dark loops and some folks began wrapping themselves with silver blankets to conserve heat. With only 6 miles to go, I realized I had a chance to run a sub-5 hour marathon if I kept up a good pace. I found renewed energy and began pushing myself on the final backstretch. Ultimately, I was able to finish the run in 4:53:49 (11:12/mile pace). The final 100 yards was an absolute thrill, just as I imagined it would be. There are thousands of people lining the street and cheering as I crossed the finish line and heard the words, "Steve Ebert - you are an Ironman!"

Post-Race Activities

Upon completing the run, I was immediately caught by a personal "catcher" who wrapped me in a blanket, presented me with a finisher medal, t-shirt and hat, and escorted me over to a place to sit down and get some food (pizza, grapes and soda). While I was feeling great at the finish, I began to get more and more nauseous as time wore on. I ended up sitting in the rest area for over an hour, unable to stomach any food. My parents, in-laws, and friends all joined me. Rich Goode came in shortly after me and we were able to recount the day's events, the difficulty of the course, our individual experiences, and relish in the satisfaction that we had completed one of the toughest endurance events out there.

We parted ways around 11 PM, knowing there were still hundreds of athletes still out on the cold, dark course suffering through the run and hoping to make it in before the 17 hour cutoff at midnight. I went home with my parents, took a hot-tub, and then finally felt well enough to eat an egg & bacon bagel that my mom prepared for me. I ended up getting to bed at 1 AM - exhausted! While my muscles were a bit sore the next day, I quickly found myself looking to the future and anticipating the next Ironman event. I drove up to Salt Lake on Sunday and flew home to Boston Monday evening. It was great seeing Camille and the kids (my biggest fans) and sharing with them the weekend's experiences. I ended up bringing back a "future Ironman" sweatshirt for each of the kids, which can be added to the long bill that comes with pursuing an Ironman - entry fee, gym/pool memberships, new swimming/cycling/running outfits, plane tickets, Gu/Shot Bloks/Salt Caps/etc, new suits and other outfits because I'd lost 40 lbs, and so on and so on.

Final Results

Out of 2,368 athletes that registered for the event and approximately 2,000 that actually showed up to participate, 1,634 ended up completing this year's race. At 14:10:24, my rank was 921. My friends' results were as follows:

Rich Goode (Dallas, TX) - 15:00:31 (Rank: 1,164)
David Ellison (Boston, MA) - 13:59:29 (Rank: 837)
Jim Moss (Salt Lake City, UT) - 12:23:16 (Rank: 350)

Post-Race Perspective

Back on March 31st, I posted a blog that asked the question, "What does it take?" At that point in time, I had no idea what was in store for me. I highlighted a couple of my "fanatical" Ironman buddies (Jim Moss and Jason Jones), but I really didn't know what it took to be an Ironman. I think I have a better perspective on this now that I can share.

First of all, it takes consistency. Hours and hours of consistent training. Following are some interesting facts from my 400 day training plan (March 24, 2009 - May 1, 2010):

Total Workouts: 316 (5.5 avg per week)
Total Hours: 407 (7:09 avg per week)
Total Swim Miles: 149 (2.6 avg per week)
Total Bike Miles: 3,268 (57.3 avg per week)
Total Run Miles: 913 (16.0 avg per week)
Total Bricks: 48 (.84 avg per week)
Total lbs. Lost: 38 (210 to 172 lbs)

Compared to many Ironman athletes, the numbers above are pretty weak. However, with a full-time job and six young kids at home, I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to do as much as I did.

Second, it takes discipline. Discipline to wake up early on cold February mornings in Boston to fit in a early swim before work. Discipline to stick with a boring 3 hour indoor cycle trainer workout. Discipline to go the whole 15 miles when you'd rather stop at 10. Basically, discipline to stick with your Ironman training plan regardless of how busy you are or how you are feeling.

Third, it takes mental and physical toughness. There will be times when you will want to quit, but you have to just "keep on keeping on."

Fourth, it takes a strong desire to prove something to yourself or to others. There will be times when you ask yourself, "Why am I doing this?," and you will need an answer. I found it helpful to continuously prove to myself that I can do it - fat, forty and folicly challenged that I may be.

Fifth, it takes a strong support group (family and friends). I absolutely could not have done this without my wife and kids' support and encouragement. There were many Saturdays where I was gone on a long bike ride or run. There were mornings where Camille sacrificed her running time so that I could do mine. She watched the kids while I was working out and while I went on weekend training sessions. As mentioned, my wife and kids were my biggest fans and they never stopped believing in me. Friends are also important. I am extremely grateful to Stan Hansen for prompting me to sign up for the Ironman, to Rich Goode for his encouragement and co-suffering along the way, to Jim Moss and his Ironman coaching advice, and to Jess Hatch and Marko Zatylny for pushing me up all those hills and racing to all those town lines.

I'm sure I've missed some other significant points, but I think these are definitely important - consistency, discipline, mental and physical toughness, a strong desire to prove something, and supportive family and friends.

My final point on this lengthy blog is that I have truly enjoyed the ride over that past year. While the destination or completion of the Ironman was certainly satisfying, I think the greater joy came from the actual pursuit - "The Ultimate Pursuit!"

Stay tuned for more adventures . . .