Women of Iron, Part 2

This past weekend Julie and drove to Madison to surprise Kimmi and Rachel and to cheer them on as they completed Ironman Wisconsin. The weekend was incredible and I’m proud to say that Kimmi and Rachel are now IRONMEN!!! Congratulations again, ladies!!

We got into town late Saturday afternoon and met up with them at dinner. I was amazed at how calm they were considering the next day they’d be swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles and finishing with a 26.2 mile full marathon! I think I would be a nervous wreck and not be able to eat, but they were very much in control.

Saturday morning we got up a little after 4AM to allow us enough time to drive into downtown Madison and find a place to park. We ran into Kimmi and Rachel as they were making last minute preparations for the race. The anticipation and excitement was more evident and I tried to put myself in their shoes. I remember how nervous Julie and I were before our first Olympic distance triathlon and yet they had nerves of steel.

We met up with the rest of the folks who traveled down to cheer them on. We went down to the waters edge and watched as the athletes slowly made their way into the lake. The starting line for the swim is actually out in the water – they don’t run into the lake to start the swim – so they have to swim out about 50 yards and tread water while they waited for the canon to go off signaling the start of the race. Some people were standing near the shoreline and didn’t go in until the start, which is just what I would do. Swimming 2.4 miles will be hard enough without treading water for 5 minutes first.

The swim course is a 1.2 mile lap that they do twice. Watching from the shore it looked like a washing machine as all you could see were arms flailing and water flying. According to K & R it’s pretty brutal for the first ½ mile or so as people try to get position. Kim said she was kicked in the face and her goggles were pushed to the side so she had to swim with one eye open until she could get to a place where she could fix it. You’re definitely kicked and punched (not intentionally) as most of the swimmers try to get into position. That’s exactly the reason I would swim to the outside and get away from all the competitive swimmers, but that’s just me.

Once they started the swim the rest of us went to breakfast and grabbed some sandwiches to go. We headed back to the transition area and cheered on K & R as they ran to their bikes. It’s pretty cool how it all works. When they get out of the water there are volunteers there who help them get out of their wetsuits. They yank it off you and hand it to you as you enter the back of the hotel (I think it’s a hotel, or a conference center, heck, I don’t know.) to pick up your first transition bag, move to a ballroom, and they help you change into your bike gear. They have volunteers that slap sunscreen on you and when you get out to your bike they have another volunteer who is holding your bike for you. Pretty slick.

After K & R had started the ride we jumped on a shuttle that took us to the bike course. The bike also has a loop that the athletes have to ride twice around. We were at a spot in that loop – at mile 56 on the first loop and around mile 96 on the second loop. There were concession stands, race officials who where announcing riders as they passed by, and food/water “stops” for the cyclists. In essence the volunteers hold out bottles of water or Gatorade for the cyclists to grab as they ride by; and other volunteers will hold out pieces of bananas, Powerbars or gels for riders to take. They also had a designated spot for riders to throw their empty bottles – a hockey net for them to aim for and a kid standing there with a hockey stick to direct the errant tosses. It was definitely fun to watch.

We got to see them both twice at that section and after they passed us the second time we jumped back on the shuttle to head over to the run course. When the athletes head back in and transition from the bike to the run they head back into the same changing area they were in for the first transition. They have a separate transition bag that K & R each provide that will have everything they may want for the marathon – complete change of clothes, Body Glide, etc. Volunteers are there as well to help them change and re-apply sunscreen before they head out to the run.

The fan support on the marathon course was great and from what we could see fans were lining the course to cheer everyone on. The course is two loops, with the turnaround point at mile 13.1 and within sight of the finish line, which I would think would be mentally tough to handle. We saw K & R right at the start of the run and at miles 6.5, 12.5, 14, and 19. At mile 19 the separation between Rachel and Kimmi was about 50 minutes so we decided the support group should split up – one group heading forward to cheer Rachel on as she crossed the finish line and one group to stay and support Kimmi.

Rachel crossed the finish line at just under 14 hours and Kimmi came in at just over 15 hours. They both did awesome!! Every time we saw them they were smiling and taking in the moment. It was the culmination of months of hard work and training, and they also fundraised to support Janus and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We are all so proud of what they have accomplished!!

Julie and I decided to stay around to the end of the race. Midnight is the cut-off time which is 17 hours. There was still a great, energetic crowd there until the very end. Many were Ironmen who had already crossed the finish line and they were staying to see the last ones finish. There was an announcer there who walked up and down the finish chute and would call out the names of the finishers as they crossed the finish line. Music was playing loudly and everyone was dancing and cheering the finishers on.

At 11:45 PM they announced that there were a half dozen people still out there and they had folks out there with them helping and encouraging them to cross the finish line before midnight. As each minute passed the excitement and anticipation would grow, and you couldn’t help but feel the electricity in the air. Three people crossed the finish line between 11:59 and midnight, with the last person crossing at 11:59:56, with 4 seconds to spare. The crowd was going crazy and you could feel the emotions that were being expressed by these amazing individuals as they came down the chute, knowing that they had accomplished their goal, and were going to be part of an elite group of people known as Ironmen.

I can’t explain how amazing it was to be there in person to witness it. Julie and I watched the finish line on our computer last year but nothing compares to being there in person. Absolutely incredible.

We are so proud of you both, Kimmi and Rachel, for having accomplished this amazing feat of endurance, for pushing yourself to your limits, for believing in yourself and trusting your abilities, and for crossing that finish line. Congratulations!!!

On the day after the race they open up registration for the next year’s event. Typically it will sell out within hours, and next year we have 4 more friends who will be doing Ironman Wisconsin – Dana, Kris, Becca and Sean. We’ll be there to cheer them on and support them, and who knows? You might see a familiar face in line for Ironman 2010…