Little Debbie is getting serious about this Ironman business. I think it’s pretty shrewd, actually. They hired a film crew and shot all day at Ironman Chattanooga. Below is the excellent product.
I met one of their photographers on the bridge and he was a cool guy (who will also be in my video). It’s pretty wild to shoot a 12-15 hour race and edit it down into just over a minute, but I think they did a great job with this.
Scroll down to find a ton of raw video I shot while at Ironman Chattanooga.
This was the first Ironman Chattanooga and nobody really knew what to expect on this run course, but I think it proved to be tough but fair. Per Bittner ran the best of this crew with a 3:00:50 marathon at Ironman Chattanooga. Matt Hanson had the fastest run split of the day at 2:47:40.
Follow CrushingIron.com by email for more videos, training tips, and general triathlon philosophy. And be sure to follow me on Twitter @miketarrolly
This isn’t quite as riveting as watching the last person finish an IRONMAN, but it’s still pretty cool. Lots of encouragement from the fans and Voice of Ironman, Mike Reilly.
“You got it! You got it!,” he yells . . . he even tells her to doggy paddle!
You can see her at one point look up, mere feet from the finish and seemingly say, “I can’t make it.” I’ve been there early in my triathlon career and that is not a good feeling.
I believe her swim time was 1:47:45. Pretty amazing what the body and mind can get you through.
Here’s the THIRD video (many more videos are below) showing Age Groupers at Ironman Chattanooga Swim Exit. This is the one we’ve all been waiting for because it includes the tenacious Corey Coggins.
I’ve decided these videos can actually fuel a good drinking game. Every time you hear someone say, “Good job,” take a drink of Infinit. And when you finally see Corey (see photo at the bottom) pound an entire Picky Bar or at the very least go to their website and look at the hot athletic-modeling picture of co-founder Lauren Fleshman.
I highly recommend you follow Crushing Iron by email because it’s a long off season and the last thing you want to do is lose motivation. Register now at the top right corner of this page and I’ll make sure you keep your mind in the right place this winter.
If I were to be completely honest, I’d admit I wasn’t 100% sure how to change a tire when I raced my first Ironman. I’m sure I could have figured it out, but it was a huge source of paranoia before and during the race.
I’m always nervous about flats, but not having a tube with you when you get one during an Ironman? Last Sunday, that was apparently someone’s fate.
A bunch of people were sabotaged by tacks, and one victim either couldn’t change his tire or didn’t have a tube. What happened next is a pretty wild story.
He punctures his tire and for some reason can’t fix it, so he decides he’s just gonna ride with a flat . . . for 22 miles! Talk about resolve. Certainly can’t accuse him of drafting.
Then, this guy, who happens to be taking a break from a Sunday joy ride and watching the race, ends up lending his back tire to the guy with the flat. He finishes the race, they connect through the bib number and the tire is returned in the morning over breakfast. Now they’re best friends, or at least soul buddies.
I know it’s illegal to get outside assistance during a race, but I feel like there should be an exception for lending out personal gear to complete strangers. Especially if an athlete has the nerve to ask a random guy for his back tire.
Because we all know what they say about race troubles, it’s not what happens, but how you overcome it.
Here’s the 2nd of three videos showing age groupers leaving the swim exit toward T2. Probably 2-300 people run by this camera.
Feel free to link this post in your groups, Facebook, etc. if you think they will be interested and be sure to follow Crushing Iron by email at the top right of this page. I will be posting a bunch more stuff from IM Chattanooga.
This video shows hundreds of people (hopefully you or someone you know) running out from the Swim at Ironman Chattanooga. I have two more like this to post and will be doing it soon.
The best way to be in the loop on new posts is to follow the Crushing Iron by email in the upper right hand corner. I do this because I love triathlon and promise not to spam, or sell emails or whatever (although I did just quit my job).
I am also happy to have guest bloggers, so if you have an idea for a story or something inspiring to share, contact me on Twitter @miketarrolly.
I’ve been known to skip a few workouts in my day, but the off season is a time to dream. When your Ironman is 363 days away, premature optimization is the glue that holds this mess together.
With that in mind, I have been reading a few race reports for inspiration and happened to land on Daniel Bretscher’s. He’s a pro triathlete who just happened to win Ironman Wisconsin, then get 2nd at Ironman Chattanooga 3 weeks later. I witnessed both efforts.
His report began innocently enough. He had some early season injuries, then a marginal performance, but that’s when he got serious. He pulled out of his scheduled races and focused solely on training for Ironman Wisconsin.
The five weeks leading into his taper were mammoth. He posted those numbers and I’m reposting them for you to stew on. He wanted me to be clear that this was not his normal schedule, but something he did as a max build for IMWI.
Daniel Bretscher’s Wisconsin training block
*I’m including this because the 5 week stretch spanning July 20-August 23 is the reason I won Ironman Wisconsin. What I did on September 7 only happened as a result of what I did these 5 weeks.
In 35 days I logged the following training totals
Swim: 26 sessions, 118,000 yards (23.6k avg/wk)
Bike: 32 sessions, 1934 miles (387 mile avg/wk)
Run: 32 sessions 323 miles (64.5 mile avg/wk)
Hours: 187:34 (37:30 avg/wk)
*19 days with 6+ hours training
Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m not positive I put in that many hours the whole year leading up to my race in Louisville. Maybe that’s why he set a course record and I crumbled like Little Debbie.
I realize he’s a pro and that’s his job, but it’s still inspiring. I figure if I put in even half that effort I will be knocking on Kona’s door. Hmm.
He’s a great guy, and it’s an honest and insightful read that includes gems like this from his run:
I started to feel slightly dizzy and had a few minutes of pure helpless desperation. I’ve never experienced such a feeling in my life and for a few minutes I didn’t know if I’d even finish.
Follow him on Twitter @DanielBretscher and of course I’m always followable @miketarrolly
I shot this from the bridge at Ironman Chattanooga. It looks like a bunch of fish, but there are some close ups, too. Maybe you will recognize yourself or someone you know.
I’m working on a longer edited video (that includes the run) for Ironman Chattanooga, so make sure to follow me @miketarrolly on Twitter or sign up to follow Crushing Iron by email in the upper right hand corner. Thanks!
