Ironman – Page 3

September 30, 2014

Pro Pics from Ironman Chattanooga

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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.

Doug MacLean steeped in the run out.

September 30, 2014

The "Voice of Ironman"

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.

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Here is Mike Reilly from this morning after handing my new buddy, Dave Richter his award and Kona slot.

September 29, 2014

Incredible Day at Ironman Chattanooga

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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.

September 26, 2014

VIDEO: Ironman Chattanooga Swim Current

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.

September 26, 2014

The Scene At Ironman Chattanooga

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.

September 25, 2014

Love Like You Race

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.

September 24, 2014

Ironman Chattanooga is Looming

Yeah, I wrote “loom” into another blog title. I like to say Ironman looms, like it’s a beast you can’t escape or a tax deadline, or something. But, it really does fit.

It’s the date on the calendar that even old guys like me can remember.

It’s etched in stone and basically the benchmark for which all plans are made. “Oh, shit, you’re getting married and I’m the best man and ‘Boyz II Men’ are playing the reception after a helicopter ride to a secluded Caribbean Island with the guy that landed the plane in the Hudson River?”

Damn, I’m sorry, my Ironman’s that day.

It feels a little odd that I’m not doing a race so close to home and so celebrated by local triathlon clubs. The problem was, it sold out in a day, and I still hadn’t done my first Ironman yet. I’m a risk taker, but that one seemed inappropriate.

I’ve been following all the chatter on the Chattanooga Facebook page and while there’s been everything but a social media riot about the extra four miles of biking and a shorter amount of time to finish, I’m pretty sure everyone (well, most everyone) is sick of talking and ready to toe the line.

I can’t wait to see the course, which can’t help but be beautiful. It will be all I can do to stop from cutting that swim line and jumping in that gorgeous river. And the mountain scenery along with the trendy, but approachable feel of downtown? This race is sure to be a keeper.

What’s very intriguing to me is how well the town will support this race.

Many like to call Chattanooga the “Boulder of the South,” but I also hear that once you get outside of Chattanooga, you’re in Tennessee. They wouldn’t dare heckle the bike riders, or worse yet, throw out tacks like every other city, would they?

Ironman Maryland was made up over over half first-timers and I’m guessing Chattanooga will have a similarly high rate. There will be a ton of anxiety that morning and, as usual, I will be available for last minute temple rubs.

And after that, I’ll be everywhere, camera in hand, shooting video another free publicity video for Ironman starring tons of people from Nashville and anyone else who wants to join the Crushing Iron archives.

Good luck, everyone, and be sure to stop by tomorrow for a piece that could literally change your racing strategy for Ironman Chattanooga.

September 24, 2014

How Important Is The Swim?

For a lot of triathletes, the swim is just the swim. It’s an hour or so to warm up the race. But, no matter how you slice it, it’s like the beginning of a long baseball game, and a pitcher never wants to struggle in the first inning.

For me, the swim comes down to four goals:

1. Getting over any and all anxiety

2. Keeping good form by staying under control

3. Being refreshed more than exhausted at the end

4. Relax and enjoy

Calming Anxiety

The swim is like the first inning. Nerves are high and you’re thinking about a no-hitter before the game even starts. But you can’t afford to look ahead because a couple early mistakes can put you in a big hole.

Water is intimidating and there is no way to fight it. You have to swim every inch of 2.4 miles, so you might as well do it right.

Finding Form

A lot of times pitchers are so jacked up they over-throw in in the game, but bad form and over-exertion can lead to an avalanche at the start of an Ironman. You go way out of your comfort zone and the next thing you know you’re still breathing hard 10 miles into the bike.

Two things have helped me tremendously: Warming up right and forcing myself to go slow.

I do a lot of arm circles and hip rotation stuff every time I swim (and did a ton of it before Louisville). Expending energy before a race used to sound strange, but now I realize it’s important to get the heart pumping a little before you actually “do” anything.

And I don’t do it “as much” but if my breath is whack at the beginning of a swim, I will purposely breath toward the sky. I assure you this isn’t the proper way to swim fast, but it can help slow you down.

Speaking of Warm Up

I truly think the swim is the only event where you can actually feel better at the end. I feel like I proved it at Louisville and think a lot of great pitchers who go the distance would say the same thing.

You want to be ready to go before the game, but each inning sets up the next just like swim sets up the bike . . .

I stayed in the pocket and just let the swim come to me. I also think it helped that I wasn’t in a wetsuit which seems to make me feel like I’m going to the local dungeon without a payoff.

Relax and Enjoy

My ankle problems took away much of my running, but in the month leading to Louisville I bet I swam 20 times. For a two week stretch I swam every day and loved it.

I became way more relaxed in the water and that translated to less effort. I cut nearly 15 minutes off my last Ironman swim and felt far better getting on my bike.

The last thing you want to do in Ironman is climb out of a hole because of careless mistakes. You lose focus, give up a couple walks, a hit, make a big error and the next thing you know you’re down three runs.

September 23, 2014

Doubt, Divorce, and Ironman

Ironman Wisconsin was inspiring enough, but to be walking around with a camera and have random people grab me to say they read Crushing Iron blew my mind. One of those guys was Brad Garrison, who was with a big support group, and ready to tackle his first Ironman. He yelled out, “Crushing Iron!” and that moment landed him in this Ironman Wisconsin Swim Start teaser video. Below is the story of how watching Ironman, then going on simple run became the catalysts for making Brad believe, anything is possible.

Sportscry and Inspire for the Rest of Your Life — Brad Garrison

Having been a fan of “Crushing Iron” for quite some time, it was an honor to meet Mike Tarrolly at the top of the Monona Terrace helix prior to the start of Ironman Wisconsin on September 7, 2014. Being a recent resident of Nashville and East Nasty runner, I knew of him through, Daniel Hudgins, another one of the “Fab Five.”

I jumped at the opportunity to guest-blog and offer a brief glimpse into my journey to become an Ironman, hoping to offer some inspiration and insight related to my pursuit of such a challenge. I vividly remember watching in amazement as my brother, Brian, became an Ironman at Lake Placid in 2011 amid the unraveling of my marriage. Witnessing his journey caused me to turn to running which helped alleviate the stress of my divorce, the hatred I had for the person I was divorcing and the City of Madison where we had moved together. This was the beginning of a positive change in my life.

Brian and Crystal, his wife who became an Ironman at Louisville in 2010 while they were dating, became a source of inspiration for me, not only to begin running, but throughout my journey. Had they not displayed a potential for challenging their limits, I might not have known that I could find happiness in movement, and in challenging my own limits thus making positive life change. It’s the journey and transformation that’s really awesome. Although much of the training for Ironman is directed towards a once unfathomable goal of 140.6 miles within a single 17 hour period on a particular calendar date, it’s the incredible emotional change that occurs over that period of training that is truly remarkable, awesome, and inspiring.

I will tell you that I thought Ironman was impossible for somebody like me. Compared to my brother, I’m four years older and have always been a little shorter and quite a bit thicker. If you look at pictures from 2011, I wasn’t what could be described as athletic. Brian has always looked fit, so the fact that he became a runner and transformed into a triathlete and an Ironman wasn’t terribly surprising, but I remember thinking he was crazy and that only “fit, athletic people” were capable of taking on such challenges.

The impossible started becoming possible with a simple jog on August 20, 2011. That simple jog led to running. Running led to friends. Friends led to biking. Biking led to interest in triathlon. Interest in triathlon led to swim lessons. And after spending 2013 trying to put it all together, 2014 became the year that I would become an Ironman!

That’s what’s great about running and triathlon. You don’t have to look athletic or be any certain size to begin making forward progress. You only have to be inspired to start moving forward, and through that movement, you can find further inspiration.

Training provided days when the thought of 140.6 miles seemed somewhat attainable, usually followed by humbling days where the idea of biking the 112 miles alone seemed completely insurmountable. That’s what’s awesome about the relationship between the human body and the mind. The body is willing and able to respond to crazy ideas that the mind has, once the mind has been afforded the opportunity to strengthen its capacity for challenging fear, limitations, and negative thoughts.

While working to train my body and mind, I also learned the power of “#sportscry.” Have you ever felt #sportscry? Maybe you’ve experienced it when you watched Rudy or Miracle, when you crossed a finish line for a PR that you worked hard for, or witnessed a “physically challenged” athlete cross a finish line. Perhaps you felt #sportscry for a friend or family member like I did watching Brian become an Ironman in Lake Placid, as it typically anoints itself related to the accomplishment of a goal or hearing an inspiring story. #sportscry truly embodies everything that running and triathlon has meant for me and is a connection I feel towards my fellow athletes, becoming a personal mantra that I even wore on my tri kit for Ironman Wisconsin.

Ironman’s slogan is that “Anything is Possible” and it truly is. It’s also said that once you swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run 26.2 miles, you can “brag for the rest of your life.”

What I hope is that I will never forget my motivation and inspiration to begin moving along on this emotional journey to become an Ironman and that instead of bragging to others, I can channel the power of #sportscry to inspire for the rest of my life. I hope you’ll do the same!

Tweet me about your own #sportscry experience at @BradleyGarrison

Brad Garrison
Kansas City, MO
Ironman Wisconsin 2014 Finisher – Bib #1684

September 20, 2014

Ironman Maryland Is Underway

I’m up early thinking about my friends Jim and Katherine swimming their asses off right now at Ironman Maryland. They should both be well on their way to swimming 2.4 miles for a little warm up this morning.

I know exactly what they’re going through and hopefully they are relaxed as I think that is always the key to the swim. I have the “Swim Finish” pulled up for Maryland and it’s really cool to listen in and watch what’s going on.

I can’t wait until they add more cameras to the scene. It’s amazing how many people told me they watched me at the finish and I’m sure there would have been interest in watching before the swim and seeing who’s in the crowd, etc…

Here are a couple things I’ve heard while watching this morning:

– They just said some guy is competing in his 100th IRONMAN today! He’s finished every IRONMAN from around the world at least once.

One hundred Ironman’s? That’s just insane. I mean, that’s 3 a year for 30 years. Is that even possible? Maybe they are including 70.3s?

– 800 of the 1,500 competitors are in their first Ironman.

– The 12th ranked competitive eater is racing today

– First swimmer out of the water in 50:10. Bill Bishop from Chicago and he has a pretty big lead. The announcers seemed kind of blown away by his time.