Ironman Coeur D'Alene Race Summary
Someone left the oven on.......
It's not often you view a 10 day forecast 10 days out and discover 10 days later that it was actually correct. Very rare. That was my attitude leading up to the most recent iron distance race that myself and the fellas completed this passed Sunday in Idaho. What a race. What an experience. What an oven!
If you're sitting there and have never been to Coeur D'Alene Idaho, stop reading, open a new browser window and started booking your tickets. It is a stunning place to visit. The lake is pristine. The scenery magnificent. The people are kind. It certainly helped that the entire town came out to support us, but I'm sure they would have been that nice normally.
We arrived 5 days out and settled in to our cabin in the woods, along with Frank the Rooster and his chickens. Frank's clock was a little off and he tended to crow long before sun up. However, that proved quite useful as Ironman decided to move the race start time up an hour due to the forecast heat. That forecast was displaying a high of 107F! On the face of it, this appeared to be a good idea. However, upon closer inspection, we realized we would be running longer in the heat of the day. Not much to be done about it now, but that didn't stop my worry.
I had never even considered racing in such temperatures, let alone training for them. I was even worried about my supporters who would spend the day hunting for shade and surviving their own battle with the heat. How my body would react to such temperatures concerned me greatly, but as my wise friend and trusted support mechanic Mitch would remind me the night before, there was nothing to be done about the weather. I could only control how I behaved in that temperature and to trust in my training. He's a wise old friend. Sometimes you need that kind of dressing down to bring you back to reality and get your mind focused on the task at hand. That task being to complete the job ahead of me in the memory of my father.
We awoke to the announcement that the day would not be shortened due to the temps and we would race through the Idaho hills, where the sun would bake the riders and the road up to 109F. Such a temperature, that at one point we descended and my hands were heating up, instead of cooling down.
As far as getting up and starting the swim, we could not have asked for anything better. It was 70 degrees. Clear skies. Calm winds. The water temp was actually above the air temp at 73F. Almost non-wetsuit legal. This is unheard of for the race typically cold and windy race. We chose wetsuits, but in hindsight, I would have preferred to swim without, as the body was a little toasty strapped in to all the neoprene. However, the lake provided such clarity and under water scenery that an excess body heat drifted to the back of my mind. As we glided out in our rolling start waves, you could see the bottom from 20-30feet up. Such delights can not be found in the lakes of Minnesota. What a view it was! With two laps, combined with an "Australian Exit", the swim was a delight. The strokes were moderated as the heat was ever present in my mind. Even though I record swim was well within my grasp, I wanted to have as much energy as possible going in to the ride. With 107 on the cards and 5,700ft of climbing on completely exposed roads, I would need as much energy as I could reserve. With little more than one or two strong strokes, I coasted out of the swim in 1hr 11min. A time I was ecstatic with, considering the low efforts.
We set out on the bike and the first mini out and back of 16 miles was stunning. Along the lakeshore with a slight climb and a quick return to town made for a lovely warm up. Then we set out for 40 miles of undulating terrain, snaking through the hill farming country of northwest Idaho. It did have some great scenery as well, but I was busy conserving energy on the climb and ensuring I still had matches left in the book for the second lap. Boy, was I glad I did. The second lap proved to be a scorcher. As the stronger bikers headed in and us weaker lot were left to bake, the heat began to take it's toll. We rose like a cake in the oven on that second lap. Slowly, but assuredly, not too well done and soft enough for the true flavour allowed to burst out on the run. It didn't help our moisture content when one of the aid stations ran out of water. That led to myself and the newly arrived Napoleon to have to work together to stay hydrated with what we had onboard. Constitution must have had something in his nutrition because that boy, despite the heat and being taken down by another cyclist, smashed the ride and rode in a 6hr and 45min split. A full hour ahead of myself. I was disappointed to be so far back, but it was quickly turned to confidence when I came out of T2 with plenty of juice in my legs.
As the first tentative steps were taken departing T2, I was waiting for the knee to show it's true colours. However, as the run went on, I found the miles drifting by without too much pain. Although, again energy was being conserved and the pace modest, the first half marathon felt fantastic. The locals all had the hose pipes on full and doused us at every opportunity, which made the heat seem a non factor for much of the time out on the trail. This is the part of the race that I truly enjoy. I'm no longer on a saddle giving me the wedgy of a lifetime and I'm running with the noise of all the supporters ringing in my ears. It is such a great feeling. Constitution was pounding out the miles, seemingly unaffected by the heat and smashed through the finishing tape in 13hrs and 31mins. What an effort! I managed to track down Napoleon at the finish and we plodded the last 4 miles together. We talked about how he was going to ask his girlfriend to marry him at the finish line, which made the miles fly by and set up the greatest and most fun finish I have ever completed. The crowd were booming and when he hit one knee 100 yards from the finish the noise exploded in our ears and we finished the last 20 or 30 yards with grins as big as cheshire cats. My friends and family were brilliant! I managed to see them at least 6 times out on the course and the two loop format was a perfect way to race this distance.
Naturally, you alway wish you could have gone faster and I do have the feeling that I left something out on the course. I definitely feel I could have turned in a stronger bike split which would have brought me a lot closer to 14hrs. The marathon was very satisfying considering the conditions. The knee didn't chirp up once. With the thrill of that Ironman finish, unparalleled in my opinion, what could the future hold........?
Good luck to us all!
