IM Coure d’Alene - Race Report

Submitted by: Jeff Caplan
Race Date: July 24, 2007

First off, Coeur d’Alene is absolutely beautiful. It is about 30 minutes east of Spokane and around 4 or 5 hours out of Seattle in the panhandle region of Idaho. The terrain is very similar to the Adirondacks in NY. There are beautiful lakes and hills all around, wonderful restaurants, and super people. The crowd support was top notch, and when you walked down the street people would stop you to talk about the Ironman. They are huge fans! They also have the Coeur d’Alene Marathon in May which follows the same run course as the Ironman. While it has a few more hills on it, there was a lot about the course that reminded me of Grandma’s Marathon.

For me, the day started with a pretty rough time in the water and it was all I could do to not DNF. In addition to water temps in the upper 50’s or low 60’s, we had air temps in the 40’s with 20 mph winds. It made for a 1-2 foot chop and white caps on the lake that were brutal to swim through. At one point I took on a ton of cold water and could not get my breath. I really had lay on my back for a while till things calmed down. Even after the swim was over I must have looked bad because I had to give a couple of paramedics in the changing area the list of reasons why Jeff should be allowed to get on the bike. Not the best beginning!

I figure I lost about 25 minutes on the swim and transition relative to where I wanted to be, and also burned way more energy than I should have. At the same time, one of the things that you learn with the long training is that everything changes, and that a bad start to the day doesn’t have to mean a bad day. I got on my bike and stuck to my plan for this race, which was to conserve energy on the bike in order to have a better run. Supposedly the bike course was changed significantly from previous years, and there was a lot that reminded me of the IM Wisconsin course. For the ATL locals, there are large parts of the course that are like riding on Cove Road or Steve Tait Road up near Big Canoe. Although we drove the course ahead of time, being out there on the bike exposed a lot of false flats, significant headwinds, and semi-challenging climbs that had not been obvious. While I feel I could have easily increased my pace by 5-7%, I didn’t want to trash my run so I stayed relaxed. When I got off the bike, I felt like the day was just starting.

Once on the run, I wanted to run 10 minutes miles (with walk breaks at the aid stations) as long as I could. Due to the broken ankle, I didn’t run until around May 1st, and my longest run was only 15 miles. I kept the pace up through 14 miles or so, but the swim really took quite a bit out of me. Some of the middle miles were a bit rocky, but when I hit 22 miles I looked at my watch and realized that if I picked the pace back up I could both break 5 hours in the marathon and also get under 13 hours for the race. I pushed the last 4 miles as hard as I could (man, did that ever hurt — and I mean HURT), but I crossed the line in 12:55 with a 4:52 marathon. The run was an Ironman marathon PR by 5 min, and the old PR was 5 years old. As someone once said about Ironman, everyone is happy when they cross that finish line regardless of their time.

There were a number of stellar performances turned in by folks from the Atlanta area. Steve Thomas, Andy Stephenson, and Sarah Hackler from the all3sports team did super, and it was great to see them out on the course. All told, there were over 70 finishers from Georgia — pretty good turnout for a race that’s 2000 miles away!

It truly takes a village to support and Ironman effort (or at least it takes a village to feed an Ironman), and there were a number of folks whose support was invaluable. My wife Lucye and sons Will and Danny are supportive beyond all reasonable measure. Their encouragement and flexibility is the main reason why I am able to hold a job and train, and this race was no exception. The all3sports team including Patrick, Alex, Kim, Matt, Bill and Jill were great as always. For the better part of of 13 hours, everything I swam in, rode on, or wore on the run came from all3sports. If all3sports carries something, you know that it is going to be some of the best gear in the business and you’ll have no worries on race day. Finally, a bit thanks to Paul Kindzia for all the guidance and help in preparing for the race — Paul’s insights and recommendations were simply invaluable.

See you in Florida in November!

Tri Team Baghdad Checks In

Secrets to Speed

Submitted by: Matt Cole

Little Smokies 2007 - Race Report

Submitted by: Laura Sophiea
Race Date: May 30, 2007

This was my second time competing in the Little Smokies Half Ironman located in southern Ohio and put on by HFP Racing. It is called Little Smokies because it is located in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. Being from the Detroit area, I am hill challenged. We do not have many hills, let alone any mountains! The race is also the 3rd day of racing for competitors doing the De Soto Triple T Triathlon.

Race morning was cool and clear. I packed up my tent and headed over to the race site. We were the last wave to go off. The Triple T competitors went first, then all the men in Little Smokies, and finally all of the women. My swim went well, although it felt long.

The bike was next. It was the most challenging bike ride I have done in a race. It was even more difficult than the Wildflower bike course I did three weeks prior to this race. We began with a nice downhill section and then over to the Boy Scout camp. This was where the fun began. The hills start and you climb and climb, about 2 miles. However, that is not the end of the hills, they continued the next 25 miles and then we began the loop again! About 52 miles into the bike ride, I experienced my first mechanical issue and this is the first time in over 200 races that I have had trouble. My wheel was making a loud noise and it stopped moving during the middle of my last tough climb. I had to stop and luckily a nice man stopped with me. He loosened my brakes and I got going only to find out my wheel still would not move! I had to get off the bike again. This time we let air out of the tire in hopes that it would allow my wheel to move. It did, and after 6 minutes, I was on my way again. I later learned that my set screw rattled loose. I had no idea what a set screw was, I still don’t! I love to ride my bike. I am not so big on fixing issues, and my bike store is great at that!

Next was the run. It happened to be on a fire road and it also was hilly! It was a very challenging 2 loop run. They had us climb a long hill, over a mile, come down it and then go back up the hill again. I thought I was having a good run, using my Hammer Gels and drinking water, but my time was a bit slower than I had hoped.

I ended up finishing 1st women overall, which was a total surprise to me. I learned from this race to stick with it, don’t get down when you have mechanical issues or feel slow on the run, no matter what, it is a long race and it does get better, really!

It always surprises me that I am able to win overall in a triathlon at the age of 51. I am learning that age is only a number. Through hard work, sticking with your plan, and never give up, I always find good things will happen.

I have been in the sport over 20 years and I have learned this is a sport in which you can and will become better over time. Triathlon is a great sport that grows with you and helps you to grow as a person.