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Race Result
| Racer: |
David Glover |
| Race: |
Duke Blue Devil |
| Date: |
Saturday, October 16, 2004 |
| Location: |
Durham, NC |
| Race Type: |
Triathlon - Ironman |
| Age Group: |
Male 30 - 34 |
| Time: |
9:34:59 |
| Overall Place: |
1 |
| Age Group Place: |
1 |
| Comment: |
Three times the charm... |
Race Report:
Three Times the Charm
The Blue Devil Triathlon 2004
www.bluedeviltriathlon.org
Wow…it’s hard to describe what I’m feeling now…besides the obvious physical discomfort of having just completed an Ironman® distance race. I am excited, exhausted, relieved and happy to name just a few of the emotions that are running through me now. I actually began to write this race report a little after 6 AM the day after the Blue Devil Triathlon and I had already been awake for two hours at the time….I could not sleep (adrenaline) plus I was still ravenous from burning through 10,000+ calories on race day.
The Blue Devil Triathlon is an Iron-distance triathlon (2.4-swim, 112-mile bike 26.2-mile run) in North Carolina, the proceeds of which benefit the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center in Durham. I am a cancer survivor, and I just won the event for the 3rd year in a row.
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The race started a little after 7 AM on Saturday just as the sun was coming up. The 2.4-mile swim takes place at Beaver Dam Recreation Area at Falls Lake, about 10 miles east of Durham, NC. The water was cool with air temp in the mid 40’s. I opted for a full sleeve wetsuit which was the right choice.
The nice thing about a small field is that crowding is not an issue. The swim quickly thinned out and I latched myself onto a long single-file train of swimmers. As I made the first turn, I distinctly remember the sunrise as being a beautiful, subtle blend of purples, reds and oranges. It’s funny what you think about and notice during races.
On the second loop of the swim, I repeatedly popped my head up to see the athletes in front of me: too far away to surge and catch but too close to let them try to pull away. “Settle into a pace and stay with them as long as possible,” I thought to myself. The gap between us stayed constant.
I came out of the water in a little over 57 minutes, received help removing my wetsuit and headed into the changing tent.
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What amazes me about these long races are the folks like Chris Coby, a fellow cancer survivor, who competed in the Blue Devil this year as only his 2nd triathlon ever…his first triathlon was the Blue Devil last year. He was smiling the whole time I saw him during the run and finished one hour faster this year.
There were also two finishers at the Blue Devil (I apologize as I do not remember their names) who had done multiple back to back Iron-distance races: one athlete who had finished 4 races in 5 weeks and the other who had finished 7 races in the last 7 weeks…both are also racing Great Floridian Triathlon (another Iron-distance race) this coming weekend. I cannot comprehend.
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I left the transition area to start the bike in 3rd place overall having passed several athletes in the changing tent including my Clydesdale friend, Mike Guzek aka “the Big Horse,” who was racing as a regular age grouper and Northern Virginia triathlete Steve Giorgis who was racing this distance for the first time. Mike consistently beats me out of the water but I always seem to pass him in the transition area. Both Mike and Steve went on to capture their age group titles in this race.
The first two hours on the bike leg of the race were very cold. I felt like I could not generate a lot of power with my legs and my heart rate was about 10 beats per minute lower than what it typically is at this distance. I had taken the extra time in the changing tent to dry off and put on arm warmers, leg warmers and gloves, but I was still cold. In hindsight, my body was likely taking blood from my muscles to keep my core warm.
My strategy on the bike was to push a steady pace in order to take the lead by the second half of the two-looped course. I had hoped start the run with a few minutes of margin before the next runner so that I could control the run pace. I caught the second place rider around mile 30 and the first place rider around mile 60. I later found out that the first place rider had crashed around mile 40 when a child at the station ran in front of him. She was taken to the emergency room for stitches but I believe she ended up being OK.
With the lead on the bike, I now controlled the pace of the race. I backed off just a little in order to save myself for the run. Either way, the chasers would have to work to catch me. The wind felt exceptionally strong and seemed to always be either in my face or at a cross wind. I kept my head down to narrow my profile and grunted through the rest of miles. I figured the chasers would be slowing as well.
With about 5 miles ago, I felt my rear tire wobble. I had a flat.
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In the truest sense, I believe Ironman triathlon is a race against oneself and the clock. It is as much a mental and emotional challenge. Every second is a decision point: Do I eat or drink? Do I pick up my cadence or bigger gear on my bike? Should I walk up the hill or run? It is very hard to stay focused on the race. From an emotional perspective, I sometimes choked up and found myself practically crying out on the bike or run. This race was very emotional for me as a cancer survivor in an event trying to raise money for finding a cure for cancer.
I spent much of the bike and the first loop of the run by myself so I had a great deal of time to just think. It’s hard to say what all that I think about when I’m racing. Mostly I thought about my race (my stroke on the swim, cadence on the bike, pace on the run, etc.) but I also had random thoughts about the scenery, snippets of songs that run through my head and self-talk as I tried to force myself to turn negative thoughts (“My back hurts,” “I want to stop,” etc.) into positive thoughts.
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The marathon-distance run is a challenging 5-loop course. Logistically, the course is a race organizer’s and spectator’s dream as there are only five aid stations and athletes run by the finish line all five loops. Because of the course layout, athletes hit the aid stations a total of ten times each loop which is roughly every half mile. Each aid station had a theme…the best was the Wizard of Oz station which was staffed by a Team in Training group. Seeing Dorothy and Toto, the witch, the Tin Man and other Oz characters made for an entertaining run.
I had entered the transition area from the bike leg in 2nd place, having given up the lead while changing my flat. I left the transition area in 1st place and headed out for my first loop on the run.
I had about a 3 minute gap on 2nd place at the first turnaround which was not enough. My goal was to run a sub 3 hour marathon so I started running 6:30-6:45 miles with the additional hope that I could open up a larger gap on the chasing runners. The first two laps remained close as I did not seem to be gaining any time over the 2nd place runner. At the start of the 3rd lap, I saw him lying on the side of the road surrounded by volunteers. I later met John Robertson after the race, and he said that he had simply run out of fuel. I wish him the best of luck at Ironman Florida in a couple of weeks.
At this point with a sizeable gap over the next runner, it would be nice to say that I just kicked back and cruised to an easy finish. At any level, I do not think 26.2 miles is easy. I also wanted to finish strong so I did not try to slow down (slowing down is inevitable, but I gave the good fight).
The best part of this run was all the friendly faces. I had several friends who came down from Northern Virginia to race and spectate who I had a chance to see each loop. I even managed a hug with Hope Hall, the eventual women’s winner, and “high fives” or "thumb's up" to other friends including Mike Guzek and 2nd place finisher, Brady Dehoust.
Thankfully, the last stretch of the run was downhill. I crossed the finish line in a time of 9:34:59, flashing the “V” sign for victory and peace.
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Key Takeaways:
• My nutrition plan worked this time. I had been experiencing an upset stomach in recent races. This time, I stayed with my own drink mix, took in fewer simple carbohydrates and watched my caloric intake. No problems except for a little too much fizz in the Coke.
• One of the most rewarding experiences for me was staying to watch the later finishers. It’s impossible to describe the feelings that the finishers expressed as they made the final turn by the bleachers to cross the finish line.
• As one of the organizer’s of a local triathlon (Reston Triathlon), I have gained an appreciation for race planning, logistics, volunteering and last minute problem solving that inevitably must take place. The Blue Devil was one of the best executed races I have seen. Special thanks to Bill Scott from Set-up, Inc., Dorrys McArdle from the Duke Cancer Center, the race staff and all of the volunteers for pulling this race off so smoothly! Thanks also to Bradford Rex who, as always, managed to talk non-stop all day as he brought each person across the finish line.
• Finally, if I can be remembered for anything, I will hopefully be remembered as the triathlete who always smiled.
What’s next? No racing plans except to watch some local runs. Brady, Mike, Rob and I will probably grab some beers this weekend and toast the end of a long season.
Cheers,
David
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