Be Catchin': IMKY Part 2

The night before IMKY this year it poured. Hard. All those bikes were racked and ready to go on the great lawn by the Ohio river for the next morning and they were getting soaked. Made me hope that the transition bags were tied up tight for everyone the next morning. By race morning the rain had stopped and it actually felt a bit cooler than the previous day’s humidity (although it’s Kentucky and the humidity always returns). I woke up early at Julie’s house to make it down to the race start and see my friends off as the race started.

As I arrived down at the swim start it was about 6:30am and the race was set to begin at 7am. My mind got flooded with memories of my own start in that same line 2 years ago. The IMKY swim is usually never wetsuit legal and this morning the temp in the water was 79 degrees, so again no wetsuit. As I stood in that same line and the gun went off, we were let into the water two people at a time and my heart was pounding, my hands were literally shaking. This was the start of what would be a very long day, something I had spent months preparing myself to begin.

IMKY Swim Start

I found my teammates and some others I knew were racing, along with my coach who would be vying for a spot in Kona. There were a lot of us down there to cheer the Columbus triathlon peeps on and it was fun to be around all that excitement. I snapped a few pictures of the scene and once everyone was in the water I made my way around to the start of the bike course to see folks off. EVERYONE had amazing swim times this year! Not only are folks good swimmers but the current in the water this year was stronger which helped tremendously! PR’s all around!

Just Tri selfie :)

The start of the IMKY bike course takes athletes out of downtown Louisville and out east of town around the city of LaGrange, KY. It’s a hilly and challenging course, with over 5000 feet of elevation change over the entire 112 miles. It’s the longest part of the day and spectating on a bike course is challenging if you don’t know who you’re looking for or if you’re doing something else while your athlete goes by! My poor parents missed me twice on the bike course just because I flew by them on both loops! I got to see some of my friends out on the bike course and then decided to make my way back to Julie’s for my own 12 mile run before my volunteer shift that afternoon at the finish line!

12 miles in the Kentucky heat=rough! Julie managed to find the flattest 12 miles she could for me which meant there were still some serious hills to climb. Again, I was amazed by her athleticism. Like I mentioned in a previous post, she’s a runner and she seriously kicked my butt. Loved to have that time with her. We finished that run (miraculously for me) and grabbed lunch before I had to leave her again to get downtown to volunteer at the IMKY finish line. As you cross the finish line in any Ironman race, you are greeted by a “catcher” who makes sure you’re OK before you leave the finish line chute. It’s a really nice touch, especially after such a long day. I was scheduled to be a “finish line catcher” from about 2:30pm-7:30pm and I was excited! This meant I would be able to “catch” my friends who would finish in under 12 hours and that included my coach!

The finish line at IMKY is amazing and (thankfully) shaded. The temps were reaching in the upper 90’s by this time and the humidity was unreal. It was getting rough. The male and female lead winners were due in around 8-9 hours which was getting close. The lead male who won the race last year finished first and immediately collapsed. He was rushed away to the medical tent ASAP. Second place went to a guy who had been chasing first place for the last few miles of the marathon and almost caught him. I got to catch this guy, a pro athlete from Chicago named Thomas Gerlach. Really nice guy. First  place female went to an amazing 46 year old pro athlete named Nina Sharp. Just goes to show you that age is just a number!

Me and 2nd Place Male Thomas Gerlach, photo from Louisville Courier Journal

Catching the first couple of people who I knew, my buddies Bryan and Andy, was amazing! Super fun to receive them in the line and help them navigate the finish. They both had amazing races despite the heat! Next scheduled to finish was my coach Carrie and she was holding on tight to a second place finish in her age group which would mean a spot to Kona! As she neared the finish line I was right up there to grab her….she slowed down and did the infamous Blazeman roll across the finish line and I ran up to grab her off the ground. “You’re going to KONA!” I screamed at her….her reaction was priceless! “WHAT?!?” she screamed. And the rest was pure celebration. She hadn’t known where she was at in the finish line ranking for her age group and being able to share that moment with her was best part of my day. She worked hard for that slot and in some challenging conditions….it was H-O-T.

Carrie immediately told me she needed to get an IV in the med tent and so we made our way there from the finish line. As a volunteer I was able to get into the tent with her and get her set up for some much needed care and hydration. We got her IV in and some good chicken broth and protein into her and after about 10-15 minutes Carrie started to feel better. It’s crazy to say, but in those moments with her it was kind of nice to have her need ME. Does that make sense? I so often NEED Carrie, for a multitude of reasons. To have her need me with her in those moments, to talk to her while the IV was running, to get her into dry clothes, to text her family and advocate for her needs with the medical staff…...it was an honor and I was grateful for the chance to give back.

In the med tent :)

Feelin' better!!!

After getting Carrie all set and meeting up for some celebrations with the team, I made my way back to meet up with my friend Andy to bring his bike back to Columbus for him. I went down to transition and got his things, made it back to my car and began the long trip home. It was a crazy long day, but I was glad I went….glad I got to see such amazing victories at the finish line and grateful for a renewed sense of energy for my own upcoming IMAZ journey.  I think I’ll always feel a fondness for IMKY, being my first Ironman…..and who knows…..maybe one day I”ll be back. After all, it is in October in 2015. Should be MUCH cooler!

Be Catchin’. Be Brave.