2300 started
2178 finished
At 6:30am on Sunday, August 27th, I joined approximately 2300 people at the edge of Lake Okanagan for the start of Subaru Ironman Canada 2006. With me were 6 of the girls I'd been training with over the past 8 months - new BFFs I'd ridden hundreds and hundreds of miles with in anticipation of this day. A bagpiper played, the Canadian national anthem was sung and the professionals went off with a 15 minute head start. I scanned the crowd in search of my support group. My girlfriends Andrea, Miriam and Katherine, my mom and my sister Brooke, had all made the journey to the middle of British Columbia to cheer me on. I found them at the front of the barrier separating athletes from spectators wearing matching black Team Samantha shirts and waving giant-sized posterboard images of my face with the words "Sam I Am" on them. They were impossible to miss! 2.4 mile swim
112 mile bike
26.2 mile run
At 7am the cannon went off and the race was on. We fanned out across 150 yards, 8-10 deep in some places. There was no "alone' time in the water - swim or be swum over. Incredibly, after some initial jostling of arms and legs, I found a little space for myself for almost a mile before 2300 bodies made a beeline for the first turn and things got congested. But it spread out again shortly afterwards. Everything felt great. The water was 68 degrees. I made minor adjustments when I found myself swimming over someone's legs or someone swimming into me - moved a bit to the right or to the left until I had a small opening to get my rhythm going. Being around so many bodies provided excellent drafting opportunities and before I knew it we were closing in on the beach and the crowds cheering and my only thought was pee now while i'm still in the water or risk having to wait on line at the porta-potties in transition. I decided to risk it. I tried and couldn't pee while swimming anyway.
Swim time 1:15:54
Team Samantha was there to cheer me on as I raced thru transition dropping to the
ground so 2 volunteers could whip my wetsuit off and hand me my bike clothing bag. The volunteers at Ironman Canada (IMC) are amazing! While 2 helped pull my wetsuit off, another handed me my bag and put sunscreen on me while I put on my shoes. She packed my transition bag up with everything I'd dumped out and sent me on my way to the bike course.
Transition 1 time 4:24
The first mile of the bike ride went straight up Main and the crowds lined the street as if it were the Tour de France. A path 5 feet wide extended down the middle of the crowds with people 4-5 deep on either side cheering and waving flags and ringing cowbells. It was an amazing feeling to ride through a crowd like that! You had to smile. I felt fantastic. Soon enough the crowds died down and we were out on our own riding along the lake - 1 long 112 mile loop. The first 40 miles were beautiful and flat to mildly rolling. We turned away from the lake and rolled through vineyards and fruit orchards before encountering our first major climb of 5 miles or so. That lead us up and over the mountains to the backside where the course turned into undulating rollers that were fast and fun before settling back into flats with a mild incline. At mile 65 I started to feel fairly tired. I can't pinpoint what it was. I'd tried to hold back the first 40 miles to avoid burning out and I'd done well enough. I wasn't eating as much as I should've been but it was too early to bonk. For whatever reason, miles 65-95 were the hardest. These were my dark hours when I wondered how I'd run afterwards. I wasn't in any physical pain, it was just a heavy fatigue from biking. But I picked it up when possible and descended fast and fearlessly on the downhills to combat the slow uphills. Somehow the miles passed. Team Samantha was out at the 
top of one hill and with their bright orange signs of my mug shot I could see them 400 yards away. They were so enthusiastic and excited - it really fueled me each time I saw them. Even the traffic that backed up on the mountain passes - people were out of their cars shouting and cheering and waving cowbells. You had to wear your race number on the back of your shirt while cycling and since our names were printed on them it was easy enough for fans to shout out as we slowly climbed. The energy from the locals couldn't have been better. Hundreds of spectators lined the long, final ascent near Yellow Lake encouraging us on to the top with promises of a fast downhill back to the finish. Music blared from car stereos. The top ever so slowly came into focus and then I was racing downhill, flattening myself against my bike to reduce wind drag, feeling the stretch in my legs, my stomach on the bike seat, heading back towards Penticton, down Main Street again and into transition. I couldn't have been more happy to get off my bike.
Bike Time 6:16:37
A volunteer took my bike while another grabbed my running gear bag. I dumped it out on t
he grass, changed my shoes, grabbed my visor and some sunscreen and ran back out onto the course. There were hundreds of people cheering around the transition area and it made you forget how tired your legs were just 5 minutes ago. Leaving transition I saw Dave and Erin - 2 friends from SF and part of the Team Samantha crew - and nearly tripped on a cone in my excitement at seeing them and saying hello.
Transition 2 time 4:08
Running back along Main Street I heard the shouts from two other triathletes I know - both injured and unable to race but cheering their friends on. They'd made the journey regardless. My stomach felt sloshy - full of liquids from trying to get calories in on the bike from my sports drinks. The bike is where you put in all your calories because it's harder to process on the run. I knew I hadn't eaten enough but I just couldn't put another PB&J sandwich down. The first mile was the longest mile ever - that mile marker just never seemed to materialize. Finally I came upon it and the runner next to me said the same thing I was thinking - that was the longest mile he'd ever run. Looking ahead at 25 more miles seemed daunting but I was already breaking it down into 5 mile increments. I could run 5 miles any day in any condition. It helps mentally to focus on smaller chunks like that to avoid being overwhelmed by the thought of running a full marathon after 112 miles of biking. Around Mile 2 I saw Team Samantha again with their black shirts and posters. They were as energetic as they'd been at 7am that morning and I was so happy to high-five them as I passed. I ran straight for almost 3 miles before I had to walk. It wasn't because of pain, just general fatigue and dry mouth. There was a dry headwind kicking up - nothing too bad but enough to make your mouth gummy. I started drinking coke immediately and the results were noticeable. I walked a bit each mile but when I ran I was running strong, maybe around 9 minute miles, so that the miles started to tick by. I carried a baggie of ice in the front of my sports bra and sucked on ice cubes every so often to keep my mouth hydrated. The aid stations were fantastic - one at each mile stocked with water, gatorade, coke, food, wet sponges and later, chicken broth. I got into a groove and eventually started noticing the same runners around me. We'd talk every so often - a word of encouragement or empathy. I had Sam I Am in vinyl letters on the back of my shirt and 3 or 4 people asked if i was the infamous Sam I Am with the Sam I Am fanclub. My support group was legendary in Canada!
As I came to the turnaround at Mile 13 - this was an out and back course - I could see hundreds of spectators lining the street and there again was Team Samantha in full force cheering me on. It was a slight downhill and I picked up the pace, feeling strong and mentally exhilarated to be making the turn homeward. I don't know how 13 miles had come and gone but it had. Relaxed and steady. We high-fived once more and then I was off. I continued to walk thru the aid stations and now, more frequently, the slight uphills. But still, I had a good pace when I did run and my body was holding out. I continued with coke and ice and the occasional Gu to get some calories. I started to see my friends from my training group running in the opposite direction - one by one they'd all made it through the swim and the bike and I was glad to know that we would all be finishing that day, no matter how long it took. At some point I heard someone shout "you've got sub-13 down!" It was possible I could finish under 13 hours. I hadn't wanted to set expectations for myself going in but of course, my only hope was to finish in a faster time than my last Ironman-distance race in 2004 (13:40). So when I heard that I started doing the math and realized I could go well under 13 hours if I just kept my pace up. The sun was fading and though still light out it was dusky - perfect running weather. It seemed tranquil. Past the retirement homes where residents were out in their lawn chairs still cheering people on, past the parks and the lake. I had nothing but smiles for everyone out there cheering - it can never be underestimated how motivating it is! At Mile 23 a wave of emotion hit me when a voice inside piped up and said "You've trained hard. You've sacrificed. You deserve this!" I wan't prone to emotions on race courses and I generally enjoyed the training leading up to the race so it didn't seem so much a sacrifice as a way of living but out on the course, tired and hungry and fading at that point, I was fully aware of how much I'd done to get to that very moment and I was momentarily overwhelmed.
The last 3 miles started a gradual descent into the center of Penticton and the f
inish line. The crowds grew larger again as I came down Main Street. There would be no more walking - I had to find the energy to keep the pace up. I saw a few familiar faces yelling in the crowds and as I approached the final mile marker I think I picked up the pace a bit. I could hear people all around shouting "Go Samantha" and "Sam I Am you're an Ironman!" and it propelled me. 1/2 a mile to go, closer and closer, nearing the grandstand and the bleachers where Team Samantha was in full force waving and cheering and then finally, at last, through the finish chute and across the line. I was, officially now, an Ironman (person).
Run time: 4:55 (1st 1/2 - 2:26, 2nd 1/2 - 2:29)
And so it was a long day, but an incredible day. The darkest hours were my bike miles between 65-95 and then it never seemed any worse after that. Ann Trason, an ultramarathoner, once said, "It hurts up to a point and then it doesn't get any worse." So true. The city of Penticton and its residents were incredible in their support and enthusiasm for a race that has taken over the city for the past 24 years. The volunteers were incredible - I had 2 stay with me from the minute I finished until they were sure I was fine and wasn't going to pass out/vomit. The other racers were supportive and encouraging. I had some nice things said to me that da
y that made me smile - just about looking strong, great pace, great smile. I think i smiled most of the day! Really, it was that fun (mostly). And of course, my amazing support crew who made the whole experience 10x better by being there to share it with me was my rock. At the end of the day, I think they were as keyed up and exhausted as me. I know they were. :)
Total time: 12:37
I shaved an hour + from my last race! I would never have imagined being able to go so much faster and stronger. Much of the credit goes to my coach, M2, who turned me on to the notion that quality trumps quantity in workouts.
Thanks to everyone who left me messages of encouragement or congratulations or who just supported my efforts throughout my training time. It was an incredible, amazing experience!!
Final stats:
Finished 192 out of 683 women
Finished 46 out of 138 in age group 35-39 women
Finished 885 overall out of 2178
Comments