The Road to the Ironman #2 – Being a Spectator…

The air was cool and crisp, the harvest moon was out and there I was looking down the finishing chute with the clock ticking closer and closer to 15 hours and 35 minutes… there was one difference this year I was a spectator, not a competitor but that remained the only difference of the day, a really long day that started at 4 am and went until my head hit the pillow around 1 am the next day.

It was one year later + one day, September 11, 2011.

September 11 in this country thoughts turn to an obvious date ten years ago. This September 11 in Madison, WI proves there is more good out there than evil.

I have said this many times, but I say it once more… Go to an Ironman! You will see things that will shake you down to your core and make you say “Why Not”, instead of “Why Me.” Yes it is a long day and I do suggest finding a hotel close to the race to you can take breaks from the day, but if you are there for the swim start and the 8pm to midnight finishers you will thank me.

Do you ever get to experience or witness the following?

• People reaching for what most think is impossible.
• Race, sex, religion, politics don’t matter.
• People of different ages and sizes putting it all out there for everyone to see.

If you answer no… Go experience an Ironman in your lifetime.

Spectator versus competitor

This season I have been looking for inspiration, answers and direction as I race towards #2. I found my direction once again, not being a competitor but being a spectator. The whole day I found myself actually having flashbacks to remind me why I do this, but it was the swim start and the 8 pm to midnight finish brought it all back into focus.

Swim Start

It starts early, athletes start to arrive around 4 30 am to put the finishing touches on what has been a long journey just getting to the starting line. The spectating for the swim start in Madison, WI is different to all others in the Ironman world because of the vantage point. If you get there early enough you can park yourself 4 stories up getting a fantastic view of the entire course.

As the clock ticks towards 7 am the tension builds not only on the competitors side, but the mood changes on the spectator side, strangers become friends, Ironman finishers swap wars stories and relive all their glory. As 6:45 approaches there is a small relief to the tension as the pro’s get a 15 minute head start, but soon the anticipation returns as the remaining 2,700+ slowly make their way out to the swim start, the mass start.

My mind started to drift to that morning a year earlier as I waited for the cannon to go off, I remember everything slowing down, looking at the faces of my fellow competitors and wondered what waited for me on that day. The anxiety was so think you could have cut it with a knife and I suspect it was no different this year to those bobbing up and down in Lake Monona this time around.

I am brought back to the present with the cannon going off and the largest school of fish you have ever seen was off. Last year I was in that washing machine of elbows and legs, this year a spectator. Last year and this year’s weather paralleled each other, cool, calm and a gorgeous sunrise as the mayhem unfolded in front of my eyes. I will admit there were a few tears as I watched what I was part of last year. My biggest spectator discovery this time around it is amazing the sound of 2,700 + swimmers make as they pass, it sounded like a waterfall.

As the main pack past my attention turned to those already struggling at the rear of the pack, I was taken a back on how many people were hanging on kayaks and boats.

• Were they just catching there breath?
• Did they get kicked or elbowed?
• Were they about to quit just a few strokes into the 140.6 mile race.

My heart sank. I thought about all the time and expense it took to get to the starting line and I saw them being pulled from the water. It was unclear why these people quit but it was the second saddest part of the day for me. The hopes, the dreams, the inspiration gone in that moment… I reflected how fortunate I had been last year.

The middle part of the day

Spectator = boring, competitor = boring but at least you are doing something.

This part of the Ironman is not a spectator sport. I found this to be the hardest part of the day. They are out in the fields and hills of Wisconsin, spectators need to keep busy. I found myself wondering this is boring. This is what I did to pass the time.

• Lunch
• Ice Cream
• Walk
• Hotel
• Pool
• Nap
• Dinner

The highlight to that part of the day was walking around the marathon course reliving that day a year ago. I watched as supporters took chalk in hand writing supporting and inspirational messages to their loved ones on the street. I took many pictures of these messages and realized they could be directed to anyone looking down searching for inspiration.

The last goal was to make sure I was there from 8 pm to midnight, the magical hours of the Ironman!

4 hours that change lives

Spectator to stand in one place for four hours is almost as bad on the feet as running 26.2 miles.

As the sun fades there are a few things that happen

• Music gets louder
• Cheering starts to grows
• Just like in movies the whole time seem to be in slow motion

During this time I drifted back and forth from the present to a year ago, fighting back the emotions and the emotions won when I totally fell into the moment.

Discovered my finishing time for IMFL.

• 9 pm or 14 hours
• The tradition is to play U2’s Where the Street Have No Name. Why? I am not sure but this is when the the music is taken to a new level. How the song builds and yes how it sounds rev’s everyone into a frenzy. I was transported to Florida and I could feel myself running down that finishers chute during that moment.

15 hours and 35 minutes

As the noise continues to grow moment by moment to watch each person take their final few steps in a 140.6 mile race is simply an honor. Hundreds if not thousands of stories pass right by you at that moment. My attention turned to watch for my finishing time and thinking back on how I had the whole finishers chute to myself. Having that moment in front of all those people cheering for me made the journey all worth it.

The final moments

11 pm the noise continues to grow and these shadowy figures come into the bright lights one by one, some look as fresh and some look like death but they all have one thing on their mind. 2.4 mile swim – check, 112 miles on the bike – check, 26.2 mile run – JUST A FEW MORE STEPS!

Mike Reilly, the voice of Ironman comes down from his perch, comes to street level and pours out every last bit of his energy in that last hour. Soon you see what he calls the leaner’s. The leaner’s are people leaning to one side or the other as they are trying so hard to finish the race. These are the people that might be falling, crawling and doing anything possible just to cross a line on a street. One lady sticks out. She was leaning pretty bad, bent over and walking more side to side than in a straight line. This was about 2 minutes before the 17 hour mark! The crowd noise increases 10 fold doing everything we could to help her to the promise land. Mike was there preventing her from falling, but knowing he really could do anything to help because if he did she would be disqualified. As she approached the finish she collapsed across the line and the crowd went nuts! She put everything into the day to finish with about a minute to spare! What a way to closed out the day.

Mike Reilly said there was one more person out they hoped could finish under 17, but was going to miss the time cut off. We all stayed and cheered her in :50 seconds over the 17 hour mark! No she did not get the medal, no she did not hear those magical words and to me that was the saddest moment of the day.

Just imagine this person for one moment…

• Countless hours of training
• The expense of the Ironman
• Her dreams on why doing the Ironman was so important
• 17+ hours battling the swim, bike and run

All for what? Well that is an Ironman’s worst nightmare…

Will she do it again? I hope so. I told Kim that day I got it again, why I do this thing called Ironman. I can’t really describe it in words to you, but I get it again.

I am an Ironman! Unless you experience it you may not really get it. Does that mean you have to compete in one? No, not really. Just be a spectator through out the day and you may get it after that long day.

So being a Ironman spectator is not easy, I found that out, but again I wouldn’t miss it for a moment.

Until next time… Your Fitness Buddy