Andrew Drobeck on the run out. 8:34:08 – 9th Place
Dude goes first at Ironman Wisconsin, then brings it back with a 2nd at Chattanooga. Daniel Bretscher, freak of nature.
Angela Naeth, first place woman at Ironman Chattanooga. If you were following me @miketarrolly on Twitter you would have been one of the first to know this.
Third place female at Chattanooga Jennie Hansen. She was making a strong finish for second right here, but came up a few minutes short.
The Shock Jock of Endurance Sports, Jim Lubinski hammering up the run out on his way to 12th place with an 8:41.
Someone once told me, “Everywhere you go, there you are.” Lately it’s been, “Everywhere I go, there HE is.”
Over the last 5 weeks I’ve driven to Louisville, Wisconsin, and Chattanooga for Ironman. Once to compete, twice to spectate, and within minutes of arriving to these wonderful cities, a powerful voice of inspiration floods my ears.
As of Ironman Chattanooga 2014, Mike Reilly has announced 138 IRONMAN races and if you haven’t seen one, you have no idea how impressive that is. His voice rings in the air from 6 am until midnight and the pitch never waivers.
I didn’t make it to the Swim Start in Chattanooga, but Mike was there, pumping everyone up and calming nerves at the same time. When you nervously await the start, as an athlete or a spectator, his voice is omnipresent and the words always seem to be right.
I had a brief meeting with Mike at Louisville pre-race as I was noodling around near the sound board. I was about to walk into a furnace and Mike knew it. He likely knows more about IRONMAN than most. On this day I was trying to impart my strategy when Mike politely stopped me and simply said, “Take it easy out there and try to have fun.”
He was right, of course, but I didn’t listen. I went after the run like a dog in heat and it ate me alive.
Yesterday, he stood high above the crowd in Chattanooga as the last swimmer battled to get out of the water. He did everything in his power to help her get home.
It was one of those moments that stops you in your tracks. She was alone in the water, battling demons while hundreds watched her labor to reach shore.
“Keep going, we’re all here waiting for you!” “Doggy paddle if you have to, you can do it!,” said Reilly with a combination of compassion and the tenacity of a father.
His day started before sunrise and he was still going as I watched the live stream from my hotel room until 12:15 am. His energy and passion for what he loves was just as enjoyable to watch as the finisher. He danced, joked, shouted encouragement, and dished high fives as the last runners crossed the finish line.
At 12:16 the lights went out and Mike Reilly was gone from my sight, but his voice was ringing in my core. “You are an Ironman!”
People always ask me why I write about Ironman and travel around to races and I think the simple answer is, I love it. I love to surround myself with optimistic people who stop at nothing to push their limits, and Mike Reilly has certainly been a great representation of that lifestyle.
[follow_me]
Here is Mike Reilly from this morning after handing my new buddy, Dave Richter his award and Kona slot.
First of all, what a great city for an Ironman. Chattanooga is amazing and it lived up to a year long hype for me and several friends from Nashville who came to watch a blistering race.
It’s 11:58 and I’m back in the hotel after being on the course for about 15 hours and plan to write more in the morning at one of the awesome coffee shops, but for now, here are a few pictures, starting with my main man Corey Coggins who once again raised the Ironman bar for me.
Marc Swain, who worked his ass off all year and loves training so much he inspires everyone around him. So happy for him to have this under his belt. Many more are surely on the way.
Pumped for my good friend Vince Wyatt who kicked some ass today. Seemed like I saw him swimming at the YMCA every time I worked out. He had a great attitude the whole way and says he is a huge Crushing Iron fan. Congrats, buddy, I know the little man is proud!
My old college buddy Pete from Wisconsin called and said his friend Dave Richter was racing this weekend. Well, Pete’s friend not only raced, he qualified for Kona in 45-49. I’ve never met him, but luckily caught this picture of him at the last minute. Can’t wait to catch up with him in the morning and hear his story.
Crushing Iron may have been the first source to report Angela Naeth as the woman’s winner by taking this photo and posting on Twitter .5 miles before she won the race. Congrats Angela!
Great shot of Jennie Hansen, who was just out of second place and digging hard, but wound up with 3rd and her friends all over Twitter were tuned in when I posted this pic. Nice race, Jennie!
Here’s a great shot of 2nd place male, Daniel Bretscher who was one finished behind fellow Iowan Matt Hansen. Iowa is the Australia of the US.
The first thing I noticed at Ironman Chattanooga is this hill the racers must scale after getting out of the water. It is at least 100 yards from the Swim Exit (which would be in the right in this photo) and a pretty steep climb.
Here’s a look from the other angle.
This is the Swim Exit and while I was getting my Ironman-Geek on I learned that tomorrow’s current will be far less than it has been. I’m hearing it was 26,000 today and will be in the 8-10,000 range tomorrow. There is also a serious question about water temperature and most I talked with were thinking it would NOT be wetsuit legal. But I have a feeling they will figure out how to get people into their wetsuits.
Here are bike bags. Unlike Louisville, which I just did, the bike and run bags are separate. The bikes are just off to the left of this photo and the Bike Out is waaay down at the end. I expect relatively slow T1 times in the morning.
Here’s a shot of the run bags. Bikes are in the background. Run Out is to the left of this shot and goes back toward downtown. Run transition times should be pretty quick.
These guys are getting ready, but hopefully we won’t need them.
It’s never too late to dial in your swim before Ironman Chattanooga. Check out the simple and fast C26 Swim Stroke analysis video below for more information.
As promised here is the full video I shot at Ironman Wisconsin. It includes the Mass Swim Start, the bike hills, and run in downtown Madison. It was an awesome and inspiring day at Ironman Wisconsin and I hope you like the video.
Please share with your friends and follow me on Twitter @miketarrolly or sign up for email notification each time I post (about once a day). Thanks!
The current is a HUGE topic for the folks at Ironman Chattanooga. If this video below (shot by Crushing Iron personnel) is any indication, there will be PR Swims all over the course on Sunday . . . but, I have read Friday current (due to energy demands) is typically way stronger than the weekends. We shall see . . . and we will also soon know if a lot of racers will be making the questionable choice of wearing a wetsuit. For race updates on Sunday, follow me on Twitter @miketarrolly.
I’m not in Chattanooga yet, but as you know Crushing Iron has the hook up. And I know there is a lot of anxiety and nerves floating around, but don’t sweat it, I’ll be there around noon ready to capture your pre-race Jitters on camera. Be sure to follow me on Twitter for race updates: @mtarrolly
Here are a few pictures from the river, revealing a beautiful setting for an Ironman . . . along with the absolutely greatest sign by this youngster.
I don’t usually get caught up in viral video, but this one was different. It was raw and resonated at the core.
He pours it on the line. We are greedy and selfish people who don’t stand behind what we preach. We are self-centered and worried more about what people think of us than doing the right things.
We are zombies, moving through life hoping the next corner will unveil something that excites us even more. Something that jolts us into living again. A quick fix that blows off the rust.
The reason I signed up for Ironman was because I wanted to crack open my shell and watch corrosion fall from my bones. I wanted to drain the toxins and learn how it felt to “feel.”
I knew it wouldn’t be easy, and it still isn’t.
Everywhere you look there is trickery and temptation promising to make the hardest things simple. Ploy after ploy convincing us that something worthwhile doesn’t take time and focus.
In our hearts, we all know it’s not true, but we have become a society that accepts the lie. We have given in to the fact that “having character” is a rare and don’t expect it from people.
We are a “headline society” that is content without knowing the full story. We overreact to five or six words and set our judgements in stone because admitting we were wrong is too hard. We don’t believe it’s necessary because so much is wrong, and truth, real truth –at the core kind of truth– doesn’t seem to matter.
So, I continue my journey to live with right intention. I try not to hide from my faults and am getting better at accepting them.
Nobody’s perfect. Let’s make mistakes, learn, forgive, include, and transcend. Oh, and love like you race.
The following are five answers from five people I know when asked “How they felt” as they left T2 after their 112 mile bikes in Ironman. They are each of relatively close skill level.
“Great,” said racer number 1.
“Great,” said racer number 2.
“Great,” said racer number 3.
“Great,” said racer number 4.
“Not bad,” said racer number 5.
Racer number 5 was last off the bike and had the fastest overall time. This is a true story and I’m sure it means something, but I’m not exactly sure what yet.
After you read through this post, come back and listen to our Podcast on swimming with 8 solid ways you can be stronger, faster, and more efficient in open water. Please subscribe on iTunes and leave a review. Thanks.
——————————–
The other day I was thinking about my swim at Ironman Louisville (non-wetsuit) and how great I felt after getting out of the water, as opposed to the delirium I felt at Ironman Wisconsin (wetsuit) and posed this question to my triathlon text group:
“With the water temperature and downstream swim, would it seriously make sense not to swim in a wetsuit?”
Within two minutes my coach told me he’d been putting together a blog post on that very topic, which is below.
I know it may sound crazy, but not only did I feel much better after my Louisville swim, I cut nearly 15 minutes off from Wisconsin. Granted, the latter was in choppy lake, and the wetsuit did give me “security” in the mass start, but with a smooth downstream swim and no congestion? I definitely think ditching the wetsuit is worth contemplating, and Robbie points out some great reasons.
In 4 days thousands of athletes will line up at the inaugural Ironman Chattanooga and plunge into the mighty Tennessee River. The biggest question between now and then will be “What is the water temperature?”
The obsessive panic around water temperature usually starts about 2 weeks out from a race and I would venture that 99% of the athletes are praying for wetsuit legal temperatures. Most triathletes will admit that they are less than stellar swimmers and a good portion would likely claim the swim terrifies them.
Wetsuit legal swims are a race directors dream. Add in an assisted “with the current” swim and the race is all but guaranteed a sell out. Every. Single. Time.
Water temperature looks to be right around the cutoff line of 76.1 come Sunday morning. But regardless of weather, and if the swim is deemed wetsuit legal, I challenge you to take the following into consideration before donning your neoprene.
6 Reasons You should NOT wear a wetsuit
To Use The Current. The swim will be with the current. A wetsuit, by design, is very sleek and slippery piece of equipment. However, with an “aided” swim that can can be a disadvantage. You dont want the water to slip over you, you want to use the current to grab every piece of your body. More friction.
At Ironman Louisville I even opted out of a swim skin. The current was up and I wanted to let it grab my tri suit, including the open pockets, and drag me down the river. It did just that. If you are trying to get pushed downstream do you want to be the slippery pebble or the jagged rock?
To Avoid Mental and Physical Stress. A lot of people wear wetsuits because it makes them feel “safer” in the water. For others, it can cause an claustrophobic ridden panic attack. If that applies, then skip the wetsuit. The lack of mental, emotional and physical stress will far out weigh the minute or two you save by having it on.
The Time Factor. Faster swimmers get less of an advantage that slower swimmers from a strong current. If you fall into the “I might save a minute category” I would skip it as well. In fact, you will likely gain that minute back coming out of the water, stopping for a wetsuit stripper, carrying it to the T1 tent, then packing it in your T1 bag.
Chronic over heaters. Need I say more? Skip it.
Lack of Practice. Skip it if you have not done enough wetsuit swims at RACE PACE or even above. Four or five easy wetsuit swims is not appropriate preparation for racing in your wetsuit. The practice swim the day before won’t cut it either. Havent had any quality bike sessions FOLLOWING those wetsuit swims? Skip it. ** See numbers below.
Arm Fatigue. If you feel your wetsuit causes restriction, then skip it. Many triathletes sight sore shoulders and fatigued arms after a wetsuit swim because of restriction caused by the wetsuit. If you fall into that category, skip it. You might gain 1-2 minutes on the swim but you will lose ALL OF THAT and more on the bike. Heavily fatigued arms/shoulders/lats/neck are the primary reasons people sit up out of aero on the bike. Sit up for even 5-10 minutes on the bike and you just soaked up all of those minutes “saved” on the swim.
By The Numbers
– You will save around 2-4 minutes on a 2.4 mile swim with a wetsuit in normal swim conditions.
– The average IM swim time is around 1:15 (75mins).
– You will have your wetsuit on for around 10-15 minutes prior to entering the water.
– You will have your wetsuit on during the swim for around 75mins.
– The average persons HR increases around 10 beats per minute just STANDING in your wetsuit. Average beats “wasted” standing = 100-150
– The average persons HR increases around 10-20 beats per minute SWIMMING in your wetsuit. Average beats “used” swimming in your wetsuit = 750- 1500.
– Total additional beats attributed to just WEARING your wetsuit is around 850- 1650.
– If you are trying to AVERAGE a certain HR you will have to slow down more at the beginning of the bike in order to get it under control after wearing a wetsuit.
Whats your number? Are all of those beats worth it?
————
EDIT: This post gets a ton of views and I want to add a little nugget since I’ve actually raced Chattanooga now. While I think this is a solid theory if you are a good swimmer, I would probably wear a wetsuit now if I did this race and it was legal. The issue I had last year was they slowed the current considerably and wetsuits were flying by me. It’s the first time I realized the distinct advantage a wetsuit gives you. That said, my swim wasn’t near what it should have been for this race. Thanks for reading! Mike.
