Issue #19 Winter 2003

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This year the XTERRA World Championships on the island of Maui had the most diverse international field in its history. Interestingly, several of the top male competitors were ITU draftlegal style racers like former Olympian Olivier Marceau of France. Of course, a mountain bike triathlon is a whole different game. Conrad Stoltz of South Africa, who has lived and trained in Colorado Springs for a few years, won by a mile last year. Coming in to this year’s race he had six wins in the XTERRA series behind him. This time it was more work, though, and his mountain biking downhill skills were what made the difference.

After a good swim Conrad was with the leaders right away but struggled with chain and rear cog issues the entire bike leg. Eneko Llanos of Spain and Dominic Gillen of Colorado Springs were riding with him, but then he started really letting go on the downhills, bravely risking a serious crash on a course that had been dredged up by a severe storm the weekend before the race. The strategy worked and he pulled ahead for the remaining third of the bike leg.

He held the lead through the run for the win, but barely. Llanos was closing quickly and finished only a minute behind him. Pat Brown of Boulder had a strong and steady race and placed ninth overall. Cam Widoff, who had just raced the IRONMAN over in Kona, was looking to win the “Double,” the prize for the lowest combined time in the two races. Although he ended in a sprint finish with Peter Reid, Reid’s time in the IRONMAN was too far ahead of his to overcome. Tim Hola of Denver unexpectantly won the Double for the age-groupers (see story on page 17).

In the women’s race mountain bike powerhouse Melissa Thomas of Boulder made her mark with a fifth place finish. Her 1:47:28 bike split was the best of the pros. Former champion Kerstin Weule of Evergreen placed seventh and Katherine Zambrana of Steamboat eleventh.

X XT TE ER RR RA A W WO OR RL LD D C CH HA AM MP PI IO ON NS SH HI IP PS S C CO ON NR RA AD D P PR RO OV VE ES S T TO O B BE E U UN NB BE EA AT TA AB BL LE E A AG GA AI IN N ❂

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O’All Name Town Division Div. Swim Bike Run Total Place Place Time

Photos facing page: (top down) Conrad Stoltz, Katherine Zambrana, Pat Brown, Dominic Gillen. This page: Jimmy Archer, Melissa Thomas, and Kerstin Weule.

All photos by Kristen McFarland.

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6 THE COLORADO TRIATHLETE WINTER 2003

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8 THE COLORADO TRIATHLETE WINTER 2003 Tim and I tried something new this year. We agreed to do a race after our season had already ended. Normally we would have trained enough so that we felt confident going in. This year, however, we just had too many post-Hawaii, non-racing activities to keep ourselves in race shape.

So as we boarded the plane, we made a pact to enjoy the trip, regardless of the race result. We decided to call it a vacation with a race thrown in, just to keep us honest. I need to start by telling you about our flights. We never fly business or first class, not because we don't want to, but because we consider it a luxury for special occassions only. So when we agreed to do this race, Tim made sure that we would be flying business class to make the 24 hours of flight time more enjoyable. I felt so spoiled. The food services lasted over an hour each time...hot towels, appetizers, main course, dessert, fruit and cheese tray, lots of wine, great coffee, finally the refreshing, cool eucalyptus towels. I felt like I was in a four star restaurant. Then, we chose personal movies and they handed us our own mini movie players. The entire time I was thinking, "I could get used to this." We finally arrived in Thailand, grubby, tired and jetlagged, normally a situation in which we would be crabby and looking for a bed to crash on. However, after the short drive to our resort, the Laguna Phuket Banyan Tree, we were shown to our "room". This was no normal hotel room. It was breathtaking. If we had to stay in our room the entire visit, I think we would have been happy. Main features included a private fenced yard in which we could walk out our door and dive straight into our own, private pool! This was by far the nicest place we will ever stay. If we're invited, we'll go back to that race every year just for the hotel.

The week before the race was very different than most races. Normally we do some training, stay out the the sun and get ready to perform. This time we knew we were out of shape, and since you can't increase your fitness in a few days, we decided to do everything we normally wouldn't do before a race. The day we arrived we spent over an hour in the ocean...riding waves. No swimming, just bodysurfing. It was beautiful. White sand, huge waves, gorgeous landscape, and we had it all to ourselves. The next day we swam down the beach to the next resort and found the local massage therapists. Six bucks for an hour!

They rubbed us, stretched us, walked on our hamstrings; and all the while we were gazing out at the ocean. Needless to say we started going everyday. One of those days, we walked up in time to see a baby elephant playing in the ocean with a bunch of kids. We had to participate, so we walked over and the elephant put its little trunk up to Tim's stomach and suctioned on! Another day we rented a motor boat and went islandhopping. We snorkelled and saw dolphins and barracuda among some of the most colorful fish you can imagine. We ate a picnic lunch at the most beautiful white sand beach. The sand felt like silk; we spent a long time just lying in the shallows, thinking about the snow and cold of Colorado! We were basically on the equator (or at least very close), so the weather was extremely hot and humid. I remember looking at the heat index and seeing 115 degrees. The race was going to be a hot one. Add to that the interesting features of this course and this race ranks up there on the difficulty scale. The swim started in the warm, clear ocean waters for about 1200m. We then ran over a sand bank and dove into the freshwater lagoon. I was thinking it would feel refreshing. Instead, I got a taste of hot, reedy lagoon water, at least 10 degrees warmer than the ocean. It was definitely shocking, a sort of sinking, going-backwards sensation which did nothing for my momentum. At least it was a unique swim, I'd never done anything like it.

We then headed out on the bike. We had ridden the course a few days earlier with a police escort since the roads aren't exactly safe for cyclists. I almost wished I hadn't done the course beforehand, since it is one of the more difficult courses I have ever ridden, and I was sore from the training ride! The first part consists of more than a few extremely steep hills with very technical descents. I was wishing I had a few easier gears as I could barely get over the top of each hill. After those 20 minutes or so of hilly hell, the rest of the course was so twisty and curvy that I couldn't get into a rhythm going for more than about 2 minutes at a time. Believe me, this is a course that you should only do when you are in your best shape of the year. So you can imagine the pain involved just to finish when you're not in great shape. Last but not least, we hit the run. It was basically flat, but to me it felt uphill the entire way. Not only was the heat a factor, there was also a long, sandy section through the jungle to contend with. It was so hard to keep running. I remember that last year my friend, Lori Bowden said simply, "It was so hard I just had to walk." Since she's probably the best marathon runner in our sport, it made me feel better to consider walking out there. I could have been hallucinating, but I remember seeing a family cooking something reminiscent of squirrel on a grill by the side of the run course. I also thought I saw some odd "pets" lurking around the houses on the course. It was only after the race, that Tim told me he had been chased by a pig out there right near the interesting grill site.

At least he was a little more lucid than me!

We finished the race in good spirits, and after getting our core temperatures down to normal with a few laps in our cabana pool, we hit the buffet. I remember repeating, "I don't like racing when I'm this out of shape," but I think it would have taken away from the trip if we had been gunning for this one. So even though it hurt like hell, I think we would do it the same way next year. Let's just hope we get invited back again!

Postscript? Tim finished 2nd and Nicole was 4th. Not a bad day considering the circumstances! A Ad dv ve en nt tu ur re es s i in n T Th ha ai il la an nd d b by y N Ni ic co ol le e D De eB Bo oo om m ❂

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10 THE COLORADO TRIATHLETE WINTER 2003 INTERNATIONAL TRIATHLON UNION OLYMPIC DISTANCE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 1.5 K / 40 K / 10 K CANCUN, MEXICO Place Name City State Time Female 20-24 (71) 6 Gilbert Sunny Boulder CO 2:19:09 72 Rydholm Amber Boulder CO 2:36:35 Female 25-29 22 Stock Camilla Co. Springs CO 2:23:02 40 Melliar-Smith Karen Denver CO 2:27:49 Female 30-34 5 Gillam Amanda Boulder CO 2:15:55 Female 35-39 1 Lantz Ann Centennial CO 2:11:36 Female 55-59 12 Wood Jean Louisville CO 2:51:54 Female 60-64 1 Callahan Celeste Denver CO 3:00:25 Male 20-24 11 Iaia William Highlands Ranch CO 2:06:10 40 Rakita Branden Fort Collins CO 2:14:55 Male 25-29 82 Cain Scott Denver CO 2:23:33 Male 35-39 36 Ruhser Rich Denver CO 2:13:57 Male 45-49 10 Noleen Woody Co. Springs CO 2:14:24 21 Quintero Cisco Erie CO 2:20:46 Male 60-64 11 Chessnoe Michael Denver CO 2:35:26 Physically Challenged: Blind female 1 Dickerson Amelia Greenwood VillageCO 3:12:26 Below knee amputee male 2 Martin Paul Boulder CO 2:45:37 Elite men

Elite women

Elite Under 23 52 Valenti Chris Boulder CO 2:11:21 Elite Junior men 41 Caskey Justin Boulder CO 59:45:00 Elite Junior women 7 Oeinck Jasmine Littleton CO 1:02:18 **USAT National Resident Team Member, Colorado Springs Lindley Announces Retirement After ITU Worlds, Ann Lantz and Celleste Callahan Win Age-group ITU Olympic Distance World Titles The International Triathlon Union Olympic Distance World Championships were held in Cancun, Mexico this year. The turquoise waters were as beautiful as ever for the shore-line swim, but gave way to the hot, flat course that is this race’s trademark. It was the site of the Championships in 1995 as well. Defending champion Siri Lindley of Boulder went into the race ranked number one in the world, with World Cup wins this year in Switzerland, Hungary, and Canada (2). After a good swim she came out of the water in the chase pack just a half a minute behind the leaders. She and Michellie Jones of Australia worked to catch the lead group but were slowed by a crash in their pack. On the run, she suffered from the heat and had not drank enough water during the bike. She finished 13th.

USAT National Team member Hunter Kemper was the top placing American, not an unusual position for him. After a great swim but a slow first transition he missed the lead pack on the bike. He managed to pull his group back up to the leaders, but had another rough transition and left T2 about 40th. He ran strong through the field and came in 12th. Colorado age-groupers helped a powerful U.S. team to over half of the total medals , winning three golds. Ann Lantz of Centennial topped the 35-39 division and Celleste Callahan of Denver took the 60-64 title. In the Physically Challenged divisions Amelia Dickerson of Greenwood Village was the only blind woman participant, but that made her gold medal no less deserved. Before the race, Siri Lindley had announced her intention to retire from professional racing at the end of the season. She had fulfilled her goal of winning the World Cup series for a second year in a row and had last year’s World Championship win. Although many had assumed she would go for the 2004 Athens Olympic Team, in the end she missed having time for friends and family after so arduous and successful a racing career. Two more years of that kind of effort was more than she was willing to sacrifice. Siri has no intention of leaving the sport, however. She is excited about staying involved through broadcasting, coaching, and speaking engagements. ❂

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Winter Training: The Base Phase During the winter months, if I was your coach and I oversaw your training, I would rather see you swim 500 meters of near perfect freestyle than 3,000 meters of inefficient freestyle. I would rather see you bike for an hour at a cadence that is efficient for you, than see you ride four hours with inefficient pedal and power output. I would rather see your running form efficient and proud, than seeing i t breaking down in several areas.

We are triathletes. We are self-motivated and self-disciplined. No one forces us out of b e d every morning to drive to swim practice in the dark or to go for the morning run when there is a chill in the air. This is a great attribute you have, but it can also contribute later in the year for not improving your performance. The winter months is a time to improve your form in all three disciplines so that later, when it is time to train your body at a higher intensity, you will be more efficient with your energy usage and perform better. I often see athletes training too hard early in the year, only to burn out both physically and mentally weeks before their big race. It is important to set your goals and to have constructive workouts during the base phase.

Goal Setting – The Mental Foundation: To begin your training season, you first need to use your brain synapses. Determine what your goals are going to be for the season. Goals are to be measurable. You need to know you are getting closer to your goal. For instance , your goal may be to finish your "A" priority Olympic d i s tance triathlon in a time of 2:17.

Dissect your goal further and determine that you plan on doing a 24 minute swim, a 1:14 bike and a 39 minute run. In addition, you can have shortterm goals to maintain your motivation such as running a 10K race in March under 37:45. A goal should be under your control. Saying you are going to place top eight in your age group is not a goal because you don't know who will be showing up at the race. A goal should be in the positive, such as I am going to finish in under twelve hours and eight minutes. Don't say my goal is to not finish in over fourteen hours. Finally, a goal must be a challenge, yet realistic. You can't have a goal that you are going to do an IRONMAN race under nine hours if the last one you did took fourteen hours. A challenging, yet realistic goal will help maintain your motivation.

Now that you have determined your goals and you have them on your computer, bedroom post, in your car, office desk and bathroom mirror, start the process of achieving these goals. As I stated earlier, you must strive for efficiency in all three disciplines. If the swim is more inefficient than your cycling, you will want to spend more time on your swim in the winter months. Work on your weaknesses, while still maintaining your strengths as much as possible. Training, especially the winter months, is about trying to improve your limiters in the sport. Now that you have your goals set, it is time to set your agenda for training during the base phase.

Base – The Physical Foundation: Base building, which is often termed the general preparation phase, creates the foundation for which the rest of the season will be either a failure or a success. It is when the most basic elements of fitness are developed. Think of a triangle and the bottom of the triangle is the base, where all other aspects of training stem. The three main components of base building are endurance, speed and force. We sWords by Wes Hobson

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12 THE COLORADO TRIATHLETE WINTER 2003 Endurance: Triathlon is an endurance sport. Even a sprint triathlon takes a great amount of time to complete when compared to other sports. If you don’t build endurance, your racing season will be poor. Endurance is simply the ability to maintain a sustained effort for a long period of time. Some athletes may consider endurance training, an effort at a low heart rate or a rate of perceived effort (RPE) of 4- 5, to be "junk miles." I believe every workout has a purpose. What some may call "junk miles," I call laying the bricks for a successful season. Endurance is more time intensive for an athlete, but with it being less intensity, the body is able to recover quickly for future workouts. Endurance doesn’t come instantly; you must build your endurance up over a period of time.

Force: Force could also be called strength training. It is the ability to apply force to the water, the pedal and the ground. Force is developed in many ways. During this base phase, lifting weights is a great way to build force. Weights prepare the body for the more intensive workouts in the later phases of training. Although weights builds force, no matter how specific your lifting regiment, weights still aren’t as specific as doing force workouts in the discipline itself. Most triathletes have a difficult enough time trying to fit the three disciplines into their bustling life, let alone weight training. One option I give triathletes who are and aren’t on a time crunch is to perform plyometrics. Routines would include jumping rope, hopping, skipping, twolegged bounding and one-legged bounding. You can do plyometrics almost anywhere and it helps build strength as well as enhance the fast twitch muscles to aid the speed skills aspect of training. Specific workouts for force on the swim are to use paddles, wear drag suits or t-shirts. Force workouts on the bike are hill climbing workouts on both short and long climbs, pedaling in big gears on the flats and increasing resistance on indoor trainers. Force workouts for the run would again be hill climbing, step running such as stadium bleachers or taking advantage of running into a 30-MPH head wind. Speed Skills: Of the three elements of the base phase, speed skills are the workouts often neglected. When I began with my coach Joe Friel, one of the workouts he had me do throughout the entire year was a 40 minute run with 8 X 20 seconds running downhill on a soft surface such as gravel or grass. After doing the interval, I would walk back to where I started. This process took about 15 minutes. I asked Joe if I was to include this in my 40 minute run because I felt like I hardly ran. He said yes. It didn’t make sense to me because I always had the mentality of the more time I trained, the better I would become. That way of thinking got me into a fatigue state for which I searched out a coach after training and racing for thirteen years previously on my own.

Speed skills carry immense potential to improving an athlete’s performance. A speed skill is the ability to make the movements of the sport to work efficiently at race pace or faster. The length of intervals at race pace or faster is not long so as to not stress training systems that deal with higher heart rate over an extended period of time such as the lactate threshold (LT). Speed skills may be 25 all out sprints in the pool, spin-ups on the bike or the 20 second downhill sprints running. Drills are also used to aid the speed skills. These may be drills to minimize drag in the water such as working on rotating the body. A cyclist may do isolated leg training or high cadence repetitions. A runner will also work on cadence and do a variety of drills to improve form. Reaping the Rewards: During the base phase, let’s say you were able to increase your run stride length one inch per foot strike from 5 feet to 5’1" while maintaining the same cadence and running efficiency. This is because you worked on force and speed skills. In addition, you did endurance training so you can maintain this stride performance for a 10K run. With the improved stride length, you would run approximately 218 yards more than the10K. This translates to a great amount of time savings when all things are the same with the exception of that one inch improvement. This can be said in the same terms of getting an extra inch reach in swimming or being able to maintain the same cadence as the previous year on the bike, but being able to pedal in a gear one size bigger. Improving your performance by say 5% through this type of training is a lot easier than trying to raise your lactate threshold (LT) or VO2 Max by 5%. In summary, this winter, hold back on the workouts where you go out and train at your LT or an RPE of 7-9. In the short term, high intensity training will raise your fitness quickly, but you will not be able to sustain it for an extended period of time. After time, your body will become more susceptible to injury and fatigue. When near the end of your base phase, you will be surprised at how fast you can race even though you have yet to train the higher intensity energy systems. Set your goals and enjoy your winter base training. Wes Hobson is a former USOC "Triathlete of the Year." He co-authored the book Swim, Bike, Run and he has created three triathlon related films. Wes coaches triathletes of all levels and is putting on several Wes Hobson Performance camps. For more information or to purchase any WHP products, please visit www.weshobsonperformance.com.

Photo of Wes by Rich Cruse.

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As anyone who has finished an IRONMAN will tell you, the amount of time, money and sweat that go into it is well worth it. For me I think it was especially rewarding to finally finish the full 140.6 mile journey. Twice I had signed up, put in the miles, made the sacrifices only to come away empty handed. At IRONMAN Lake Placid in 2001 a last minute situation kept me from even getting on the start line. So IRONMAN Utah 2002 was going to be my ticket to glory. That dream died after 55 minutes of struggling to survive in vicious water conditions. I felt like I had been cursed somehow and I would never see the finish line of an IRONMAN. Even after two attempts ended in failure I couldn’t stop thinking about finishing an IRONMAN. With that dream still in my head I went to Lubbock, Tx. in late June in an attempt to qualify for a slot at one of the North American IRONMAN events. Despite a sub par race, luck intervened and a slot was available for IRONMAN Wisconsin. I took the spot and the dream was back, stronger than ever.

Throughout the spring I had been building up for IRONMAN Utah. My coach Grant Holicky had created a plan that had me peaking for that race. When I returned from Texas, I went back to Grant and he put together a new plan for Wisconsin on September 15th . With all the training for Utah but none of the drain from racing I felt strong and ready to get back to some serious training. I had two months to prepare for Wisconsin and I didn’t want to waste any of it. I was doing more yards in the pool than ever, riding stronger than ever and my run felt great. I even set a P.R. for the 1.5k swim during one of the Boulder Stroke and Stride events.

Additionally, my fiancée Courtney had a friend who was to be married in Chicago in early August. I went to the wedding, and since Madison is only a two hour drive, I also went and rode the course. For those not from the Midwest, Wisconsin is hilly! There were very few flat sections and lots of turns. The course was shaped like a lollipop, out, two loops, and then back in. It was the type of course that would reward those who were patient. The transition area was also something that I needed to check out. The transition was in a parking structure/convention center designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The bikes would be on the top uncovered level of the parking structure and the change rooms were on the same level inside one of the large rooms of the convention center. From this level you could see Lake Monona and the city of Madison. It would be odd, but unique. I felt great during my reconnaissance ride and I knew I was ready. But having experienced major letdowns in the past, I was cautiously optimistic.

September 15th couldn’t come fast enough. Courtney and I flew to Chicago the 11th,and stayed with her parents for the day. The next day we went into Madison, swam in Lake Monona, went for a quick run and then stood in line for registration. I didn’t want to stay around too long though, all that standing can drain you, so we left early and drove an hour to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, where Courtney’s parents had a condo. My parents drove in from Iowa and met us there. We had a great dinner and then I went to bed early. The next morning I was up early got in a quick ride and run and then packed to go to Madison. We went to the athlete’s meeting, checked the bike and checked into our hotel. I could barely sleep. I kept waking up and looking at the clock. Every time I looked I was relieved that I had a few more hours to sleep. Eventually the alarm went off and the front desk called. It was time to go.

I am a typical triathlete in that I checked my race bags multiple times before handing them to the volunteers. Since Courtney had a press pass she walked into the transition area with me. She snapped some photos of the pros while I pumped up the tires, filled bottles and went over everything in my head. As 7:00 got nearer I was starting to get nervous but played it cool, keeping the game face on. Finally, I put on the suit and walked toward the water. I did my dry land warm up, said goodbye to Courtney and off I went. The water was a bit chilly and the temperature on land was around 55 degrees. I swam out to the start. The swim was two rectangular loops starting parallel to the shore. I decided to position myself on the inside about five feet from the buoys. I knew it would be rough but it would also be fast. 7:00 hit and off we went. I was expecting a barrage of elbows and feet, but I got off relatively cleanly. No one clawed me, dunked me, or hit me. I noticed that the parking structure was filled with people, especially on the top floor. They had a birds eye view of the aquatic chaos below. It also served as a marker because you could tell how far you had gone by your relationship to the structure. The first corner was a 90 degree left and I could see people starting to angle in towards the buoy. I thought I was going to be crushed by the hordes, but it wasn’t too bad. I got in with a pack and just sat in the draft. Feeling strong I left that pack after half a mile and moved up to the next group. The first loop went by in about 28 minutes. The second loop was more of the same and I tried to just stay on pace for a sub one hour swim. Heading into shore I could see the clock. I couldn’t tell exactly what it read but I could see a 58 or 59. I really wanted to go under an hour so I put my head down and kicked for all I was worth. Hitting the beach I knew I still had to cross the mat. So I just ran up, not bothering with my goggles or wetsuit. I crossed the mat in 59:54, right on pace. I had my suit stripped and began the run to transition. Since the bikes were on the third level of the structure, we had to run to the third level as well. There were spirals on each end that cars used to go up and down. Today, they were covered IRONMAN at Last!

A A. .J J. . J Jo oh hn ns so on n f fi in na al ll ly y g ge et ts s h hi is s r ra ac ce e. .

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14 THE COLORADO TRIATHLETE WINTER 2003 with mats and had thousands of wet people scrambling to the top. Initially I thought that the transition run would be difficult. But on race day people lined the out side of the spiral and cheered us as we ran up to the top floor. Reaching the top floor we ran into the main entrance and into a large ballroom. I grabbed my bag and ran into the men’s change room. Since the ballroom was carpeted the organizers laid tarps down to keep the carpet from getting wet and dirty. It did protect the carpet, but created a hazard for the athletes. As I sat down in one of the chairs and dumped my bag out I saw one guy slip on the slick surface like he was on one of those backyard Slip N’ Slides. He nearly crashed into me and I heard him mutter some obscenities as he got to his feet. I pulled on my jersey, stuffed some PowerBars in the pockets, strapped on my helmet and ran out with shoes in hand.

I was at the end of the row, nearest the bike exit. This was a great spot because I could run to my bike, put on my shoes and go. Then I panicked. I realized that I did not have my race number on. I must not have grabbed my race belt out of my bag. Without stopping I decided to just keep going and hope for the best. A volunteer had my bike out and waiting for me. I slipped into my shoes, said thanks and was off. Just before heading down the other spiral and on to the course I saw my parents. They were right at the bike exit banner. My dad pumped his fist and yelled out "You’re right on time!" That was a great boost and the perfect way to start the 112 mile ride. Winding down the spiral was great. Shooting out on to the road you already had some speed built up and could settle on to the bars quickly. I like to spin early just to get the legs going so I wasn’t so concerned with speed. Looking down though, my computer read 23 M.P.H.! I was in the little ring and still moving. Other riders had different thoughts on the start though. Soon I was being passed by guys hammering the big ring. I stuck to my plan and thought that if they can keep that pace up for another 111 miles, then good for them. I was worried that a motorcycle official would notice that I had no race number on a pull me over. The first few times I saw a motorcycle I was so nervous. After a while I forgot about it and thankfully they never noticed it. I later learned that Courtney had tracked down Graham Fraser, told him that I had been at Utah and that they shouldn’t D.Q. me for not having my race number. What a trooper! Having ridden the course previously was a great advantage. The course was constantly going up or down, the rear derailleur would get no rest today. I found my rhythm at about 84 to 88 R.P.M. and just got ready for the long haul. On the hills I would shift down, stay sitting and just spin up. While there were only two climbs that stood out, the continual effort took its toll on many people. Around mile 35 or so Paul Rapinz, a friend from Boulder rode up we chatted a bit (from a draft legal distance) and stayed together for a while.

When we hit the first real climb and several guys took off, Paul said that we would see them again at mile 80 or so, and he was right.

The best part of the course was the section through Verona. Verona is a small town that had a huge impact on the riders. Organizers had bussed spectators to the town so that they could watch their athlete. Verona in turn had a festival to welcome them. There were pancake breakfasts, barbecues, games and even a nap place for children. Cresting another of the endless hills you ride on a slight downhill through the town. At this point you can reach 30 M.P.H. easily. Spectators lined the road three and four deep for about a mile cheering wildly. Both times through Verona I saw my parents and Courtney. My first time through I had to hold back the desire to start cranking because my adrenaline just skyrocketed. It is as close to the scene in the Tour de France as I have ever witnessed. There were also a few characters along the route. One guy dressed up as the devil and stood a top a hill cheering people up. A girl dressed up as Wonder Woman and encouraged riders along. I was really feeling good on the bike. Having had back troubles in the past I was very worried that I might have a surprise on race day. The climbing and being able to sit up and stand were very helpful for me. My nutrition plan was working to perfection. I had practiced my race nutrition on several rides and everything went according to plan. Water on the 15, half a PowerBar on the 30, GU on the 45, and Accelerade on the 00. Not once did I feel nauseous, nor did I feel dehydrated and lethargic. On the second loop I was starting to see people that had gone by me much earlier. Some were really struggling. The value of having previous experience on the bike course can not be underestimated. At the top of one climb a spectator was calling out numbers. He pointed at me and said "124". At first I had no idea of what he meant. After a few moments I realized that was my overall place. It was another boost for me. On the way back in, the course seemed to drag on. I was counting off mile markers and just wanted to get off the bike and start running. Finally I saw the spirals. It was up to the top one more time. I got in the granny gear and spun right up. Again, spectators were lining the edges of the spiral screaming encouragement. I was hoping to finish the ride in 5:15 to 5:30. I came in at 5:35. I remember what Grant had told me, not to get caught up in making certain times and to just have fun. Later I was told the course was two miles long, so I like to think that I still made it. I was feeling ready for the run. The ups and downs that I had prepared myself for never came. I felt steady and strong for the entire 112 miles.

Into the same ballroom, grab my bag and back in to the men’s section. I threw on my hat, fuelbelt and shoes and left. I was hoping that my race belt was in there, but it wasn’t. Out the doors and on to the run course, only 26.2 miles left. I wasn’t quite sure how I would feel at this point. I had done many brick workouts and the legs were always there, but anything can happen. Thankfully there were so many spectators that I was energized right from the start. The legs were firing and I felt ready to go.

Usually when I am racing I am constantly looking at my watch. I am always checking my pace to see what overall time I am looking at. This time

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though, I looked at my watch probably five times. I wasn’t concerned with my pace. The legs felt strong and I was constantly taking a personal inventory to make sure that I stayed hydrated and fueled up. One thing I distinctly remember though was the smell on State St. This section of the course takes you through the pedestrian mall in Madison. It is mostly restaurants, bars and local shops. The food smelled so good that if someone had offered me some pizza I certainly would have stopped. At that point the thought of another GU was repulsive. Coming to the next aid station I grabbed the most solid food I could find; pretzels. They tasted fantastic and I washed them down with more Accelerade from my fuelbelt. Every chance I had I took a hand full of pretzels. But other than grabbing food I was in my own personal bubble.

People have asked me if I just zoned out during the race to ignore the pain. I think that really I zoned in, especially on the run. I became so focused on my stride, my nutrition and my mental attitude that I didn’t have the energy to look at the scenery or the other athletes. I was concerned only with me. I was running well and my energy level was steady, no great ups, but no real downs either. I had no intention of really pushing it to the limit. This was my first IRONMAN, I was doing well time-wise and I wasn’t going to risk blowing up. I was so zoned in that I have little recollection of where exactly the hills were or who was around me. I do remember running through Camp Randall, the Wisconsin football stadium. We got to run on the Astroturf and it was so soft that I didn’t want to step off of it. I can recall the frat boys sitting out on their lawn chairs watching us go by. I also remember seeing Paul on some of the turnarounds, he was in front of me and looking strong. I was fortunate to see another friend, Cindy , on the run turn around. I was heading back out while she was just starting. Seeing her distracted me from looking at the finish line, which was only 100 feet away, but still 13.1 miles left to get there. I saw Wonder Woman again, she was near an aid station just cheering us along. The run course was packed with people cheering and clapping.

Only 300 yards away from the finish line and I had my first real problem of the race. A blister on my right pinky toe burst. My white shoe was now blood red. It felt like someone had taken a scalpel to my toe. I thought "I have been tough this whole race, I am not going to limp home in front of the crowd". So I just kept running with my normal stride. The first few strikes were painful but when I saw the actual finish line it all went away.

Since I had no race number on I started to yell my number at the announcers. I was holding up fingers in an attempt to relay them my number. I wanted to hear my name when I crossed that line. Fortunately they figured it out and cheered me home. I saw Courtney behind the line with her camera. I looked behind me to make sure that no one would catch me, and that I would have the photo all to myself. Then shock took over. All of the thoughts of what I would do while running down the chute were gone. I could not believe that I was actually about to cross the line. Sometimes I hear everything in the finish chute and can see every face clearly. This time I heard nothing. I forgot to look for my parents in the crowd I was so stunned. I vaguely heard my name over the P.A. system. I crossed the line with my arms raised and fists clenched. After crossing I just stood there, I couldn’t move. I had finished the journey in 10 hours 25 minutes and 49 seconds.

Courtney came and gave me a hug. After getting my finisher’s medal we walked to the food tent. I found my parents and we took some photos. I felt good, not that I wanted to do another IRONMAN right away, but I was walking and I didn’t need an I.V. After getting my toe bandaged and talking with some other friends I wandered over to see where I had finished. My overall splits confirmed what I had thought, I had a consistent and steady pace all day. I came in with the 121st fastest swim, the 127th fastest bike and the 127th fastest run for 82nd overall. That put me in the top 5 %!

Afterwards we all walked to State St. to grab some food and cheer the last finishers home. I drank the biggest Coke of my life and ate the pizza I had craved earlier. I saw Cindy making her way to the line. I hobbled along with her for a bit and then wished her well. I finally got back to the hotel, took a hot bath and passed out on the bed. The next morning my parents left for Iowa. Before they went I gave them my medal. I told them that for all the times they had sacrificed for me and because they have always supported me I wanted them to have it. Currently my dad is working on making a little case for it to be displayed in. After the awards ceremony Courtney and I drove back to Chicago for some much needed rest. I emailed all those who supported me and thanked Grant for all of his help. I ate like a pig for the next few days and didn’t lift a finger until it was time to fly back. So now I can say that I have officially finished an IRONMAN. It may have taken me three attempts, but it certainly was worth it.

Photography by Courtney Stapleton.

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16 THE COLORADO TRIATHLETE WINTER 2003 PLACETOTALTIME NAME CITY DIV DIV PLACE SWIM BIKE RUN

Collegiate Pairs Team Results* 3. US Air Force Academy 85-96 11:16:36 + 11:32:23 = 22:48:59 Keely Prichard M M18-24, Hans Brian E. M M18-24 9. Colorado State 158-166 10:54:11 + 14:38:49 = 25:33:00 Price Timothy B. M M25-29, Storey Daniel M M25-29 10. US Air Force Academy 82-115 12:38:21 + 13:09:41 = 25:48:02 Richart Jamison S. M M18-24, Brehm Paul J. M M18-24 *IRONMAN Wisconsin is being established as the Collegiate National IRONMAN Championship. I Ir ro on nm ma an n W Wi is sc co on ns si in n: : C Co ol lo or ra ad do o R Re es su ul lt ts s S Se ep pt te em mb be er r 1 5, , 2 2 M Ma ad di is so on n, , W Wi is sc co on ns si in n 2 2. .4 4/ / 1 2/ / 2 6. .2

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On October 23, 1999, I raced in my first IRONMAN Triathlon in Hawaii on the Big Island. It was an unforgettable experience. Not only was the race so memorable, but the location became very special to my girlfriend and I. In fact, the entire state of Hawaii became a very special place for me and my then girlfriend Nikki. Most remarkably, we were attracted to a little church on Ali’i Drive named St. Peter’s Catholic Church. It was here where Nikki and I sat before and after the race to say a prayer for the athletes, our health, and to be fortunate enough to experience such a beautiful place. It was at this church where for the next four years, Nikki and I would say these prayers during race week. Luckily, I was fortunate enough to qualify for the Hawaii IRONMAN for four consecutive years, (1999-2002). We had created such great memories in those four trips to Hawaii, so it just seemed right to propose to her here on October 7, 2001, my 27th birthday. After an ecstatic "Yes!" Nikki and I decided on getting married in Hawaii the next year, but only needed to decide when, what island, etc. I was slowly learning how we’d be bombarded with wedding questions once we told people we were engaged, so I wanted to be prepared as much as possible. We tentatively planned a summer family wedding on the island of Maui, and through the next few weeks we were trying to lock in a date.

While the wedding plans were in full swing, I raced at IRONMAN Florida five weeks after the Hawaii IRONMAN unsure of what type of condition my body would be in. Nevertheless, I raced, not knowing what my body could handle. I ended up finishing in 9 hours and 33 minutes and 5th in my age group, qualifying for Hawaii 2002. I accepted the slot, but now we had a dilemma: Do we take two trips to Hawaii or merge it into one trip? We decided after Florida that we’d get married in Maui the week after the IRONMAN in Hawaii. Race date: October 19, 2002. Wedding date: October 24, 2002. The planning begun on what we hoped would be very memorable twoweek trip.

In early October of this year we had just about every thing planned. About 23 of our family members were going to the ceremony and about 4 people in my family were coming to watch me race the IRONMAN the week before. Nikki and I were also planning our honeymoon after we got married while in Hawaii. We decided that we were going to stay on Maui and plan some activities such as snorkeling, hiking, etc. Yet, we really wanted to do some active things that would not be so typical on a honeymoon. So we both inquired about the Nissan XTERRA World Championship triathlon held on Maui on October 27th. After some initial calls and two race fee’s paid, we signed up for the race and planned away.

So here we were. I was racing the IRONMAN on October 19th, getting married on the 24th, and both of us were doing the XTERRA on the 27th. A pretty memorable October was about to happen. Three huge events all within nine days of each other. We were ready to begin a two-week journey that would hopefully go off with out a hitch!

We left from Denver on October 12th, and headed to the Big Island of Hawaii. We stayed for the first four nights by ourselves. Some might say it was a honeymoon in reverse. On Wednesday before the race, my parents, sister & nephew flew in to watch the race. We moved to a condo in Kona and played tour guide for my sister Christine who hadn’t been to the Big Island before. I felt so lucky that she was able to see the race this year, because in previous years she wasn’t able to come.

As race day approached, I felt very Tim crosses the finish line of the IRONMAN World Championship with nephew Anthony. Photo by Kristen McFarland Our Hawaiian story Living Aloha: by Tim Hola

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18 THE COLORADO TRIATHLETE WINTER 2003 relaxed. The IRONMAN was one of three momentous events I would be a part of in the next two weeks, but getting married was the most notable, so I simply looked at the race in relation to getting married. The race seemed pretty insignificant needless to say. So, I battled through the rain to the pier, got body marked, stretched, said the goodbyes to the family, and warmed up in the water.

The last few moments before the cannon went off, I knew this would be another long day, but I tried to keep the mind set that I’ve done this before, and I know the what feelings I experience at each part of the race (most of the time). I thought, "Wow, I’m in Hawaii about to do this race for the fourth year in a row, and this time I’m getting married the next week in Maui." It was a very special moment for me.

During the race, I went through my standard racing emotions: happiness, excitement, pain, power and relief, not necessarily in that order. The swim was full of fairly big swells, as you might have seen on the television coverage, so for me it was a constant battle just to stay close to the buoys. I exited the water in just over 54 minutes, and started the bike in a downpour of rain for about the first 20 miles or so. I always get worried about racing in the rain, especially when you travel so far for a race and have so much time, money, and emotions invested in it. The sun came out just as I passed the airport, and it soon became sunny, hot, and challenging as usual. I soon saw Tim Luchinske come up from behind, and told him congrats for achieving his best swim time. He sped ahead and I told him to stay strong for the rest of the day. After the bike turnaround, I was ready to get in some soft running shoes, and just tried to motor home as quick as possible to T2 finishing the bike in 5 hours and 22 minutes. When I started running, I was very happy. This is when I could see my family along the road with their motivational signs to root me on. "Go Uncle Tim" was the sign the stood out in my mind. It made me feel pretty lucky to have my nephew watch me race in Hawaii. I felt pretty solid the entire run, but toward miles 18-22 it was a struggle. I just kept in mind how lucky I was to be here for the fourth time, and that I needed to savor this day. You just never know if you’ll ever race in Hawaii again. I saw Nikki on the side of the road on the way back from the Energy Lab screaming for me. I then saw my boss, Dan Hulse (also racing) running toward the Energy Lab. We exchanged high fives and continued on our way. I hit Ali'i drive knowing I’d be under 9:50 and was very happy. I ran by my family on Ali’i right in front of the ABC store we always frequented. I picked up Anthony, my 2-year old nephew, and ran with him in my arms to the finish line. The crowd was fantastic as usual, and Anthony took it like a champ. The finish picture was spectacular. Finish time: 9 hours 46 minutes.

Significant event number one was complete. Wow, I finished the IRONMAN…again! The next and most important event was coming up: getting married.

Nikki and I flew to Maui on Monday of the next week, where we met about 23 members of our families. They were all in our wedding, which was going to take place on Thursday night, October 24th at sunset. Our wedding was held in the chapel of the Grand Wailea Resort. We both were so excited for the big event. We all got settled in and prepared for the family events: a welcome breakfast at Nikki’s parent’s condo, a luau at the Outrigger resort, and the rehearsal dinner. All went over so well, and each one of us was happy that we could spend such a memorable event, in such a breathtaking place.

As the wedding day arrived, that morning, Darin (my best friend from high school and my best man) and I went on a run together along the beach. It was a great time for both of us to spend some quality one-on-one time the day of the wedding. It was a special day for all of us, and we knew it was going to be nothing short of extravagant. We arrived at the church at 3:30 PM and got into our assigned places. As the ceremony began, I started to walk down the aisle escorting my parents. I then waited and watched as the rest of the ceremony took place. I then saw Nikki at the rear of the church entering with her parents. I was stunned. Never could I have imagined how beautiful she would be. This is really happening to me, to us. All of the planning, phone calls, and coordination for this day was paying off, and I was so excited to marry Nikki and to be with her forever. The ceremony took about _ hour. Right afterward, we exited the church and took several sunset pictures. During one picture of us walking along the beach, I thought, " This day is truly an amazing day for our whole family." That day was truly a gift.

That night we had a wonderful dinner at the resort, heard many toasts, and truly celebrated life with our family. Our families flew home the next day, and Nikki and I began our honeymoon.

We enjoyed Maui to the fullest the next few days. Prior to leaving for home, we had one more activity planned. Something a little more adventurous than the typical, relaxing with cocktails on the beach thing. When we signed up for the XTERRA World Championship, we were so very excited. Nikki and I both love to compete, try new things, take risks, do athletic events, and have fun while doing them. The XTERRA seemed to fit the bill quite nicely for us. We rented a couple of high-end mountain bikes from a local bike shop in Lahaina. A few days before the race, and were all set to go. We did a few practice loops on the course the day before the race, went to the pre-race meeting & dinner, and were so excited we could barley sleep the night before. As soon as we woke at 5:30 AM, we set up our race gear, did a once over on our bikes, and were out the door. We arrived at the race site in plenty of time to get our bikes set up. As the start of the race grew near, we both simply had a relaxing mindset, because this race was for fun. It was an adventure for us. It was the first adventure for us as husband and wife, and certainly not the last. We said a quick prayer together, exchanged hugs and said in an English style Phil Ligget accent, "Have a good workout!" We put our race faces on We decided after Florida that we’d get married in Maui the week after the IRONMAN in Hawaii.

Race date: October 19, 2002. Wedding date: October 24, 2002.

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and dove in the water as the cannon went off. The two-loop course made it a very exciting swim. "Mountain bike triathlons greatest day" as most refer to the Maui XTERRA was underway, and Nikki and I were actually a part of it! After the first loop of the swim, I exited the water and could see the church where Nikki and I got married only three days earlier. I smiled and continued on my way. After the second loop, I exited the water as the first amateur and headed onto my bike. I was just hoping to keep air in my tires for the entire ride. I just remembered seeing so many people getting flats on TV, and we just wanted to finish the race safely and uninjured. As I headed up the first climb, I saw Michael Lovato. He is a really nice guy & great athlete who I met in Boulder this summer. We exchanged hellos and continued upward. A few minutes later I saw him off his bike examining it. "Need anything Mike?" I asked. He replied, "Yea, another pedal. Got one?" I had to laugh because of the unusual request. I said no and continued on, hoping that I could at least keep my bike in one piece. As I continued on up the slopes of Haleakala, I was getting nervous for the downhill portion. I am not as experienced mountain biking as I am on the road, but my goals were to finish safely, and even if I had to walk it down, that was what I determined to do. As I headed down the mountain, I hit lots of loose lava, and wiped out a few times, nothing major as I was going pretty slowly at the time. Then my first flat. I should emphasize the word first. I quickly changed as best as I could, and was underway once again. About 15 minutes later, another flat. Man, I thought, "Will I make the bike cutoff?" Actually I had plenty of time, but was a little worried!

Well, I think the powerful forces of the volcano gods were looking over me that day, because the as I finished the bike and began the seven mile run, I never felt better considering the week before was the IRONMAN. I finished the race in 3 hours 31 minutes, and was so relieved that it marked the end of my three-event ordeal. I finished the IRONMAN, had a spectacular wedding, and completed the XTERRA without harm to either Nikki or I. At the finish Nikki and I talked about the race and how much fun it was, and how we would love to come back next year. That night, Nikki and I were sitting at the awards dinner when they were giving the overall Pro and Amateur awards for the "Hawaii Double". This is the category of the XTERRA for the competitors who complete the IRONMAN the week before, and the XTERRA, back-to-back. The best combined times of the two races for Pro and Amateur men & women receive awards. Of course, that was something I thought of winning, but never counted on it at all. As we checked out the results at the banquet, I saw that I was the winner of the Age Group Double for all Amateur Men. Wow! That was the perfect topper to this two-week trip. Nikki and I were so excited. At the awards dinner they brought me up on stage, awarded me a trophy, and two round trip tickets to Hawaii. First Anniversary trip perhaps? In fact, they handed me a large check on stage similar to the ones you might see on The Price is Right. That certainly was a great memory.

The next day we flew home, and reflected on our adventure together. We had so much fun in such a short time. They are memories that no one can take away from us. We were so fortunate that each day that passed was a gift for us. A gift that we could share together and begin creating memories that will last for a lifetime. ❂

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20 THE COLORADO TRIATHLETE WINTER 2003 OALL TIME NAME CLASS SWIM BIKE RUN CLASS RANK RANK

2002 IRONMAN TRIATHLON WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS COLORADO RESULTS

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It was pre-dawn race morning and it was raining. Everyone was saying that this had never happened, that nobody could remember it in the history of the event. Kailua Bay was looking rather angry, with a hefty chop on top of big, slow swells. Athletes were herded into the King Kamehameha Hotel for the body numbering that normally happens on Alii Drive outside. The slightly chaotic scene served to set everyone on edge. This in addition to the normal tensions before the World Championship.

Not only was it raining, but rumors were flying. An important announcement was to be made by race officials soon. Make sure you don’t miss it, they said over and over. Someone heard that there was flooding out on the course, that there were going to be changes. Others heard that the swim would be shortened, to prevent a tragedy like what had happened at IRONMAN Utah last June.

Changing the course would change the race.

People were very worried. Finally, it was announced that there would be no course changes or any shortening of the race, only some speed safety precautions (with violation penalties attached) at a particularly dangerous downhill turn. With all of that settled there was a sigh of relief.

Now for the swim in that unusually grey and churning water. The swells were so big that the athletes had trouble spotting the buoys. “We were off course most of the time,” said Tim DeBoom after the race. “In and out, and went around that second boat and everybody, McCormack and whoever else I was with, they headed towards shore basically. I said ‘we’re goin’ the wrong way.’ So I kind of made my own line and got us back on track.” “I think the buoys were getting JAMIE KRIS MCFARLAND Tim and Nicole DeBoom pass on the run I IR RO ON NM MA AN N W WO OR RL LD D C CH HA AM MP PI IO ON NS SH HI IP P T TI IM M D DE EB BO OO OM M T TA AK KE ES S I IT T A AG GA AI IN N

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22 THE COLORADO TRIATHLETE WINTER 2003 pushed around quite a bit. It was kind of tough to see them out there.”

Out of the water, IRONMAN newcomer Chris McCormack bolted into a lead on the bike and was followed by the strong German cyclists. McCormack is one of the best olympic distance athletes in the world and was hyped in the press before the race as a contender. He was going off the front hard.

DeBoom and Cam Widoff were out of the first transition in 4th and eighth and settled into a chase group that had no plans to try to catch the leaders, but they didn’t want to let them get too far away. Tim wasn’t just worried about the rookie McCormack. “I was concerned with everybobdy up there, not just Chris. I mean Thomas (Hellriegel), Norman (Stadler), Jurgen (Zack), are also fantastic runners. To give all of them nine minutes was not in my plan at all. That was very dangerous. I didn’t want to, I just couldn’t ride that fast.”

Peter Reid, Cameron Brown, and Cameron Widoff stayed right with Tim at the front of the chase group for most of the way back from Hawi, but Tim stayed in the lead of them. “I felt more comfortable being up front the whole way back,” making sure the pace didn’t slow down. They had lost a lot of time to the leaders already. “I was tired, but I felt in control the whole way. I was just hoping to get in to transition and have a decent run.”

The run leg had barely started when the bike speed demons started dropping off. The rainy, overcast skies had given way to a blazing sun that started sending all of that water straight into the air. The humidity soared, and the leaders wilted away.

Soon, the more conservative group that included last year’s top three finishers were gaining on them, running side-by-side. At mile nine they were just three minutes back.

By mile 14, Tim had taken the lead, but he would struggle the whole way with Peter Reid very close behind. “I was running from aid station to aid station it was so hot for me,” he admitted. Reid pulled to within a minute and a half behind at one point in the Energy Lab, a true role reversal of the 2000 race when Tim chased him through the same part of the course.

This year the gap between the first and second place prize money was $70,000, and Peter was hot on his heels. “The last couple of miles I was thinking about it ,” he said laughing.

He held on to defend his title, which turned out to be the 7th closest margin of victory in the race’s JAMIE JANOVER KRIS MCFARLAND Cam Widoff Nicole DeBoom Tim Luchinske

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history (his second place finish behind Reid in 200 was the fourth closest).

“I think it’s definitely harder to defend your title. To win it once is amazing, but the second time around there was a lot of eyes on me. Winning it two times in a row, it’s better than the first time around.”

The Mr. Consistancy title goes to Cam Widoff. In one of his strongest races ever, he biked with the leaders, left T2 in eighth and stayed there to the finish. It would be the seventh time he would place in the top fifteen at the World Championship.

Tim Luchinske of Lafayette struggled a bit on the bike but showed off his running power wiith the fifth fastest run split of the day. He pulled past the crowd to finish 13th, moving up from his 25th place last year. Nicole DeBoom was ready for a great race this year after working with coach Roch Frey all season. She exited T1 6th after being the 3rd woman out of the water. She stayed in the top ten group of women for the first half of the bike and then dropped back during a portion of the second half of the ride. By the time she reached the second transition she pulled up to seventh place, but was 21 minutes back of the leader Natasha Badmann. Recording PR’s in both the bike and the swim this year, she also beat her best Hawaii time by a half an hour. Unfortunately, it was probably the most competitive women’s field ever, and it was only good enough for a frustrating 14th place (out of the prize money), actually moving back one postion from last year’s race. Susan Bartholomew Williams was racing her first IRONMAN-distance race ever after many years of successes on the U.S. national team in ITU World Cup races. A strong swimmer, she was unfazed by the rough waters and left T1 in fourth place. She was as high as third position on the bike at one point, but came off the bike 17th. She ran strong and only let a couple women pass her, placing 19th in the end. -Kristen McFarland KRIS MCFARLAND JAMIE JANOVER Susan Williams Kirk Framke Tim DeBoom Michael Lovato