RFC Tinman 2019

RFC Tinman Race Report

May 11, 2019

Pre Race: My alarm went off at about at 04:00.  I was out the door by 5am.
 I arrived at the U of MN Morris at 07:00 to quickly grab a transition spot.  I got things set up, got checked in & body marked.  This race has gone from "ownership" by the UMM Intramural Sports to the RFC (Regional Fitness Center). Talking with the Race Director, the student population has had minimal participation in the past few years. The date change was made to hopefully increase participation.

1100 Swim Time Estimated: 16:00  actual 16:09 (Second fastest)
The entire Olympic field started in the same heat. It was a little more crowded than last year, but still a relatively small field in the Olympic distance. I maintained a very comfortable pace.  The pool deck makes for a large leap out of the lane with the assistance of the starting block & run to transition while putting on my jacket. 

T1 Time Estimated: 0:40  Actual: 0:48 (Fastest T1!)

I had a great (fast & organized) T1. I decided to put my gloves on before heading out due to the wind and cooler temps.

19 Mile Bike Estimated Time: 1:00:00  Actual: 1:04:21

The Morris winds did not fail to  ake their appearance this year.  I just put my head down and tried to grind it out. Instead of the typical head/tailwind situation, it was a strong crosswind. It was a battle the whole bike. I was passed by one at about the turn around of the bike.

T2 Time Estimated:  1:00   Actual: 0:50 (Second fastest of the day)

Again, I had a smooth, organized transition.

6.2 Mile Run Estimated: 55:00   Actual: 57:56

The first mile was taken at an easy pace. As I turned right into the Pomme de Terre trail, it felt like a semi hit me. A number of trees had been cut down along the trail. As I turned to the south, the wind I had fought on the bike was now a headwind for the next 2 miles of the run.  As I entered the track, I was all alone. It was an easy run into the finish. At about 4.5 miles, I heard footsteps. I was passed shortly after after a few words of encouragement exchanged. I was able to hold off the charge for the remainder of the run. As I entered the track, I  was alone. As with the rest of the fun, heading south was a push into the wind. As I rounded the curve and hit the home stretch fo the finish, there was no reason to sprint across the line.

Finish Time Estimated: 2:12:40  Actual: 2:20:03

My efforts were good enough for 4th OA and 1st AG. After finishing, the guy who passed me on the run caught up with me. He had been following a couple posts I was involved with in the IMWI Facebook Group. He saw the name on the registration list and figured I had to be one in the same. This was his first ever triathlon and is also headed toward IMWI this season. It is always good to catch up with other athletes at these events!

2019 Season Kickoff

CSB/SJU Fruit at the Finish Triathlon
April 27, 2019

Early in the year and season planning process, I had taken the last weekend of April off from work so that I could return to the UMM Tinman Tri. As the race date came closer, UMM/RFC announced that they were changing the date of the race. My request at work to switch days off was denied. As I did a little digging,  I found the CSB/SJU event. After reaching out to a few tri friends, I found out that this was a very low key and fun event. The $20 registration fee had me sold!

The weather on race week did not look promising! Forecasts of 2-4" of snow put a damper on the mood.  The day before the race saw the shortening of the bike course due to the forecast. Man, what was I thinking?

Race morning arrived. Forecasts for precip had vanished. The temps were warmer (slightly) as well. I arrived on campus and started getting ready for the day. When I had been informed that this was a very laid back triathlon, there was not nearly enough emphasis on the "very" part. I got checked in and headed to rack my bike. T1 had yet to be set up. The transition racks were your standard institutional bike racks made for a wide variety of tire sizes. My 23's had plenty of room, so I had to be strategic to keep my bike upright. T2 was just up the hill (thankfully someone pointed that out to me before the race).

When in came to race time, I lined up for the brief and met my lane mate.  They had 2 people per lane and each had an individual counter. I was paired with a SJU Swimmer who stated he was "out of shape" since he hadn't swam in a couple months. The countdown came and it was go time! Wait, we were still on the pool edge! Jump or dive? I quickly followed suit and dove headfirst in and started swimming. In the dive, my hrm slid rapidly to my waist. The remainder of the swim I kept making sure that the hrm was not lost on each turn or push off. I was lapped twice by the guy sharing his lane. I am glad I could hold him to that! As I hopped out of the pool, the guy next to me was jumping out at the same time. We exited the pool and I headed to where I had set up my jersey and jacket.

As quickly as you can slide clothing over a wet body, I hurried outside to my bike. As I threw on my helmet, the helmet retainer system became dislodged. I pulled it off and snapped it back in place. I started running toward bike out when it popped again. I think it was revolting from the cold. I again stopped, pulled the helmet off, rescecured it, put it on, and took off. In this second hiccup, I was passed by the guy jumping out of the pool with me.

Rapidly on the bike, I regained second place. I had been warned about the bridge going over 94. I took it easy as advised. As we crossed the bridge, Kyle and Andy caught up to me. The forewarning was well taken! As I hit the end of the bridge, there was a very sharp right/left combo not well suited for any speed. Walking would be fine, but on a bike, I almost did a header! I tried to maintain contact with these two as we continued. Shortly after the bridge, I passed the guy I swam with. The shortened bike did not leave much room for error! As I was cruising down a hill I noticed the other two disappear to the right. So much for speed, we had a hard right ahead.  We turned onto the railroad grade trail. It was flat and fast. I put my head down and pushed. Almost out of nowhere, I saw a volunteer. HARD right! We were back on the roads and headed back toward campus. The bridge was not quite as bad headed this direction. First, I knew it was coming. Secondly, you are going uphill so the speed is a little slower. Back into campus we headed.

T2 was uneventful. Again we were in a different spot just up the hill from T1. I strapped on my shoes and race belt and headed out on the trail.

The run is through the beautiful trails on campus. This meant uneven ground and mud. The cool weather had my hamstring very tight. I just tried to keep moving forward and try to loosen things up as we went. I was able to hold anyone else off until just over a mile in. The guy who got out of the pool with me caught up and passed. I was able to hold off any further attacks. We came out of the woods and back to T2. The finish line was at the woods edge.

In the end, an athlete from the second swim heat bested my time (good enough for 3rd place) sliding me back to 5th place. It was fun talking to the other athletes afterward... especially when they learned I was twice their age! After puffing my gear away and getting warm clothes on, I returned to the finish to cheer on others. As I said before, the event is very low key. As we were standing around talking, we were approached, "Do you guys know Andrew Zabel?" Andy spoke up. "Congratulations, you are the winner!" He was given a large bottle of maple syrup for his efforts.  The same occurred for the other two podium spots. No big fanfare. Just a casual set of awards.

This was a great event to start my season. I was glad that I found it! This was the event I have been saying for a while that we are missing in triathlon. We have become too focused on swag (we did get a long sleeved t shirt), medals, etc. Times were based on your start and finish. No splits (except via my garmin).  All of these things increase the costs. Even if I registered the day of and brought my son to compete, our combined fees would have been less than my least expensive race the rest of the year. If we want to continue to grow our sport, this type of event is important to have!

Thank you CSB/SJU. I will be back!

Ironman Wisconsin 2018

September 9, 2018

Madison Wisconsin

As I pulled into Madison on Thursday afternoon, I felt like I was home.  All of the necessary check-ins at the hotel and race were completed. Let me tell you how much nicer it is to check in to the race on Thursday!

Friday was spent volunteering at Athlete Check In. The afternoon was packing gear bags and getting ready. Later that evening, my family rolled in.

Saturday is a lay low and rest type of day. After our traditional trip to Marigold's for breakfast, it was off to the IronKids race with my son.  It was so much fun to watch him run and see him get a high five from Mike Reilly as he crossed the finish line for the 3rd year in a row! Gear bags and bike were checked in later that morning and it was time to rest and focus on the day ahead.

Race day was an early morning as it always is, but I was ready.  I found my zone and stayed focused! Bag drop offs, check my bike, inflate tires, and put all my nutrition, etc on board, walk through my transitions, then found a quiet area to “relax” and get ready.

View from the swim exit back to the Terrace

The swim start changed again this year.  There were rumors of a swim cancellation due to the flooding the area had recieved. Fortunately, the swim was on!  The start and exit had been moved down the shoreline.  It was a rolling start, so you got in the corral with your expected swim finish.  I placed myself in the front of the first group 1:00 - 1:10. My goal was sub hour, so I had to go big or go home. It was very anticlimactic compared to the mass start format. When the cannon went off, the gates opened and you walked through the arch, walked into the water, dove in, & started swimming. I was at the pointy end of the spear...right where I needed to be to go sub-hour.

Within the first few hundred yards, I wanted to quit.  From the time I hit the water, I knew it wasn't going to be my day.  I was being beat or kicked on every side. There was no rhyme or rhythm to the waves we faced. I seriously wanted to quit before we even made it to the Terrace! I had never faced this type of abuse in the swim. My theory is you just placed all of the similar speed swimmers into a narrow pen taking away the space for people to spread out off of the start. I am told that this is a "safer" swim format. With the abuse I took, I would beg to differ. Three times I needed to sit up and reset goggles that were kicked or pulled (yes, pulled) from my face. It took me until partway through the back stretch to finally settle down, get in my groove, get my mind back in the game, and just swim.

Transition 1 was extended as we exited the water further down the shore.  I went to see the strippers to pull off my wetsuit. The run up the helix was just the energy I remembered!  I quickly grabbed my T1 bag, changed, and ran out toward the bikes.  It was a little cooler, so I debated arm warmers, but opted against. As I ran down the long rows of bikes  my bike was racked against the wall. I pulled it off the rack and headed to the other side of the Terrace. Just before the mount line, a volunteer grabbed my bike so I could put my bike shoes on.  Away I went.

The first part of the course was crowded, but not quite as bad as the waved start. My bike plan was to hold my power setting and see what the day brought. The winds were the "wrong" direction on race day. I had to fight to go down some of the hill I usually fly down. The freshly paved section of Stagecoach was a wind tunnel. It was great to be back on th "old" course though. My hamstring was starting to cramp, but higher than my previous injury.

As I came up Midtown, I heard and saw our LAMS Crew out cheering.  Next was into Verona. After the aid station heading into town, I saw my Dad and sister enjoying the party.  I made a quick stop at special needs to grab my second half nutrition and headed out on my second loop.  I stopped at the Mt Horeb aid station to use the restroom. This was the first place (in hindsight) that things were off.  I felt a little woozy,  but nothing bad. My nutrition was right on my plan. Back on my bike, I felt fine. I wrote it off to the climb into Mt Horeb. Some LAMS teammates were still cheering (or partying) at the top of the Mi hill. As I made my way back to the helix, I was ready to be off the bike.   As I approached the line, the volunteers grabbed my bike and I walked inside.

T2 was aweful. I was woozy. My glute/upper hamstring was cramped. I took my time changing and I was on my way. I hit the restroom on the way out of transition and was on my way.

My run started slow just trying to loosen up the leg.  I hated walking, but I couldn't run.  I was power walking and knocking off the miles. Sara passed me at Camp Randall. Shortly after she went by, I had tunnel vision. I had to back off. I looked down and my fingers were sausages. I could barely bend them. I started hammering the salt and electrolytes. Even though I was following my nutrition plan perfectly, it was not working for me this day.  As I hit State Street, I saw my family and let them know what was going on.  This is the only time I  have asked them to get my bike and bags for me.  It was going to be a really long marathon, but I was going to keep pushing until they pulled me off of the course.

It took until the aid station about mile 10 when I felt the need to go to the bathroom again. Let me tell you that I needed to go! Looking at my times, that mile took me about 5 extra minutes of offloading fluid.

My second loop I spent loop offloading more fluid every couple miles. I was starting to feel a little better, finally. My nutrition plan was off, now I needed to keep it headed in the right direction.

As the sun set and the air temps cooled, I threw on the long sleeved shirt that I grabbed at special needs. The second loop was spent with multiple other athletes having their own struggles. One had DNF'd in Boulder. Another had DNF'd here the past 2 years. The later the night goes, the more amazing the stories to get there and the comraderie.

The trip back toward the Capitol was a push.  As I came up State Street toward the Capitol, I ran into some OutKast teammates. Time wasn't a factor! I stopped and thanked them and took a few pictures before continuing the last few blocks.  As I rounded the Capitol and made that last turn, nothing else mattered!  I spaced myself out form the other athletes around in the final couple blocks so we could each have our moment running down the carpet.

“Josh Duda, You are an IRONMAN!”

What an amazing sound!  After the traditional finish line catch, hat, shirt, medal, & photo, I headed to the food tent.  There I met up with quite a few finishers that I knew. Some from the course, some from checking them in on Friday, and others I have known for years. 

When I was done there, I met up with my family and headed back to the hotel room. The plan was shower, food, & back to the finish line for the last finishers. After the shower, I couldn't eat.  My body was DONE! Off to bed I went.  A few hours later, I woke up starving and had to raid my food stash in the fridge.

This was my slowest, most challenging, but yet my most rewarding Ironman finish yet! I wanted to quit so many times during this race, but chose to keep pushing forward.

Thank you to all of my family and friends and sponsors that made this day possible!  I am truly blessed to have such an amazing group of support.

High Cliff 70.3

High Cliff 70.3
Sherwood, WI
June 23, 2018

This is a race I have not  done in a few years, and then it was the sprint distance for me. With the encouragement of my OutKast Triathlon teammates, I decided to add this 70.3 to my calendar.  What better reason to travel to an event than to have fun with friends.

Still dealing with injury, my training was not up to "par" but this was about having some fun.  We traveled over to the Appleton area on  Thursday. My wife has friends and family in the area, so we tried to catch multiple things in this trip.

Friday I ran into everyone during check in for the race.  That evening we met up with teammates for a pre race meal.  It was great to catch up with everyone! We may live a long way apart, but whenever we get together, a beat is never missed.

We stayed at a hotel about 20 minutes from the race venue. Race morning was a short commute in to get things set up.  The lake was calm. The weather was shaping up to be a nice day.

As I was preparing for the start, the announcer's voice caught my attention.  Jerry MacNeil had made the trip over and was announcing the race! It is always great to have Jerry announcing.

The start of the swim has you going through knee deep water fro the first few hundred yards. The challenge is to swim or run. Beyond that, the swim was uneventful. As I exited the water, the transition had been shifted from previous attempts at this event. The run to transition was a little steeper than I had previously remembered. My hamstring was tight, so I opted to walk up the hill rather than run. I finished the swim with the 3rd fastest time in my AG (22nd OA).

T1 was uneventful.  I had the 4th fastest T1 on the day, so I really can not complain.

The bike starts out by rapidly transitioning into a significant climb.  The key is fo be in the correct gearing before you even leave transition. I remembered the hill being a monster! This year, as I exited the park, I didn't think it was too bad. Must be all of the hill training for IM Wisonsin that changed my perspective!  As the miles clicked by, I ran into a number of teammates along the way. After the first hill, the rest of the course is gently rolling hills. 

T2 was much slower than I would have liked.  As I was getting to the end of the bike, my gi system was getting grouchy.  After dropping my bike and getting my run stuff on, I hit the porta potty.  Here is where my race ran downhill! After finishing my business, I reached for the TP.....and there was none! I was fortunate enough to find a couple squares discarded on a roll. Phew! Crisis avoided.

The run starts out taking you back up the hill. I knew my hamstring was still not 100% (realistically it was not quite 75%). My take e plan was to walk up the hill, run the flats, and see how it felt going back down the hill. Great plan! The run is on a lot of trails. Somewhere between mile 3 & 4, I missed a large root.  I caught it with the bottom of my shoe and tripped.  The forward lunge with my leg caused the hamstring to SCREAM at me. Shut it down! I walked the remainder of the course. I tried to enjoy the scenic views of the park. It turned into a trudge to the finish line. I thought that this was my worst 70.3. That is until I looked at my times later.

After the race, I was able to catch up with Jerry on the way back to my car. We said our congratulations and goodbyes to our teammates and headed to leave. As I was loading my bike, another athlete approached me. She had to tell me about one of my teammates (we were wearing the same kits). She had flatted toward the end of the bike. She was walking back toward transition when he stopped, helped her change the flat, and continued on the way. By the end of the story, she was in tears. She went from (assuming) a DNF to finishing her race. This act of kindness is why I love the triathlon community!

This was not my fastest 70.3, but I still had fun. I hit the shower, then we began our long trek back home.

2018 UMM Tinman

UMM Tinman Race Report

April 28, 2018

Race week: The Sunday before, I felt a sharp leg pain mid long bike ride. I tried to push through, but pulled the plug 2/3rds of the way through the ride. This allowed me to take the bike off the trainer and give it a little TLC.  Well, that TLC found a few issues that needed addressing! Thankfully, my friends at Muddy Bikes were able to get parts in for me in short order! Friday afternoon, I was still touching up some of the mechanical issues discovered.  This race always forces me to round up all of my race stuff from its winter hiding places.  With Ironman as my last event, some of my gear had been in storage for a while! I packed gear bags, then had an early bed time.

Pre Race: My alarm went off at about at 04:00.  I was out the door by 5am.
 I arrived at the U of MN Morris at 07:00 to quickly grab a transition spot.  I got things set up, got checked in & body marked.  A quick warm up & bike check only to find a dead sensor battery. Fortunately, Morris is a small town and the hardware store was only a few blocks away!  The field was very small this year. 12+ inches of snow 10 days before race day doesn't exactly get people in the triathlon mindset! There were only 8 of us going after the Olympic distance race.

1100 Swim Time Estimated: 16:00  Actual: 15:58

With the small field, it was open lane assignment.  The entire Olympic field started in the same heat, each with our own lane. I maintained a very comfortable pace. When I hit the turn with 75yds to go, my lap counter flashed double orange.  I didn't think my count was off. My Garmin showed my count was right, so I did my last 75yds and headed out (rather than just 25). The pool deck makes for a large leap out of the lane with the assistance of the starting block & run to transition while putting on my jacket.

T1 Time Estimated: 0:40  Actual: 0:55 (Fastest T1!)

I had a great (fast & organized) T1. I decided to put my gloves on before heading out due to the cool temps. It was fun to banter with Matt D. as he was about 30 seconds behind me into transition.

19 Mile Bike Estimated Time: 1:00:00  Actual: 0:59:18

Heading onto course, I knew Matt would be hot on my heels.  It was cold with a "light breeze"….at least by Morris standards.  I just tried to focus and stick to my plan.  As I approached the turn, Matt finally caught up and passed.  Shortly after, we saw someone heading back the other direction. How did they get ahead of us?  Shortly after the turn, I caught back up to Matt for a little bit before he passed me back and put about a quarter mile lead on me heading into T2.

T2 Time Estimated:  1:00   Actual: 0:38 (Second fastest of the day)

Again, I had a smooth, organized transition.

6.2 Mile Run Estimated: 55:00   Actual: 59:36

The first mile was taken at an easy pace.  My hamstring was not bad (yet), but was letting me know it was there. Around Mile 2, Matt had pulled off the trail and was pushing me on. An injury had got the better of him. Right on schedule at mile 3, I was passed by Sheena (as she does almost every year). I was able to let a volunteer know about Matt and send help back his way. The rest of the way home it was a battle. My hamstring was letting me know it wasn't happy. I had my loss by 4 seconds a couple years ago pushing me on. It was mind over matter and pushing myself to continue to the finish line. As I entered the track, I was all alone. It was an easy run into the finish.

Finish Time Estimated: 2:12:40  Actual: 2:16:23

This was my slowest pace of the last 3 years on this course. Most (all) time lost off my PR was "lost" on the run. 2017 was my fastest race and I took 3rd. 2016 was my next fastest and I took second by 4 seconds in a sprint to the finish. This year, I won the men's overall.  It is not as much about a time as who shows up.  This goes both for the field, but also each competitor. I did not show up with my "A" game, but showed up to give it all I could.  The guy we saw on the bike had swam short (did not complete the swim yardage) and was disqualified. It is never over until you cross that finish line!

IRONMAN Wisconsin 2017

September 10, 2017

Madison Wisconsin

I have written, erased, and rewritten this report many times over.  It was a day full of highs and lows that are not the easiest to put onto paper.

Last September, I crossed the finish line on the 15th anniversary of September 11th 2001.  The following day, I had multiple conversations about the race.  I would be back, but when?  I returned to work on Thursday and all was normal. I handed off to the next shift on Friday, scheduled to be back on Saturday morning.  Early Saturday morning I awoke to my phone ringing.  My team had been involved in a helicopter crash! What was "normal" instantly became a whirlwind of events.

The next couple of months were a blur.  About a month after race day, I had an emergent appendectomy.  My last "normal" was training for Ironman.  It took a little convincing/negotiating, but I signed up to race IMWI again in mid December.

As I pulled into Madison on Thursday afternoon, I was home.  All of the necessary check-ins at the hotel and race were completed. Let me tell you how much nicer it is to check in to the race on Thursday!

8 years from the time of injury, I was being banded for my 3rd IRONMAN.

After dinner, it was back to the room to start getting things organized. To cap the evening, I met a couple teammates for an evening listening to Mike Reilly and "Fireman Rob" talking all things IRONMAN. 

Friday was spent volunteering at Athlete Check In. The afternoon was packing gear bags and getting ready. We had an OutKast Team dinner and had a great time. Late that evening, my family rolled in.

Saturday is a lay low and rest type of day.  After breakfast with my LAMS team, it was off to the IronKids race with my son.  It was so much fun to watch him run and see him get a high five from Mike Reilly as he crossed the finish line! The rest of the day was very low key! The biggest effort of the day was catching up with a teammate to get him TriTats for race day!

LAMS Crew

IronKids Finish

The guy behind me in this picture during bike check in crashed early in the bike in 2016. He was back to finish this year. Unfortunately, his race was cut short about 4 miles into the run with a heart attack. 5 weeks later, he crossed the finish line at IM Louisville. As I have said before, half of IRONMAN is the people you meet and their inspirational stories!

Race day was an early morning, but I was ready.  I was in my zone! Bag drop offs, check my bike and put all my nutrition, etc on board, walk through my transitions, then found a quiet area to “relax” and get ready.

The swim start changed this year.  It was a wave start by age groups.  I was in the fourth corral.  It was very anticlimactic compared to the mass start format.  The cannon went off for the preceding wave. You then had about 5 minutes to enter the water "warm up," get to a starting position, and wait for your cannon. I'll bet I didn't get 90 seconds to tread water.

As the cannon went off, the line seemed thin. No contact off the start, clean lines, and a pretty good flow. At first, I kind of liked this format.  Well, that lasted for the first few hundred yards and disappeared rapidly!  Once we started hitting previous waves, it became a slugfest.  The slower swimmers were struggling as the strong swimmers were trying to navigate the crowd.  My contact for the remainder of the swim was worse than any of my previous.  I spent the back stretch navigating around previous waves of swimmers. Sometimes having to be creative with finding space to squeeze through.  I would take the Mass Start back any day.  I felt much safer when the crowd self seeded that having to navigate through that volume of waves.

Transition 1 was as advertised! I went to see the strippers to pull off my wetsuit. The run up the helix was just as I remembered!  The energy is phenomenal!  I quickly grabbed my T1 bag, changed, and ran out toward the bikes.  As I ran down the long rows of bikes, my friend Shawn was the volunteer at my bike rack and was already pulling mine off the rack and had it ready for me.  A quick grab and keep running.  Just before the mount line, a volunteer grabbed my bike so I could put my bike shoes on.  Away I went.

The first part of the course was much more crowded than I have previously experienced., I relate that to the bell curve of the swim.  Rather than being out front and passed by stronger bikers, I was now in the middle of the crowd.  I felt great for the first part of the loop!  I held my own window and focused on staying on my goals.  My race changed drastically (unknown at the time) as I came down the "S-Curve" on Garfoot. As I entered the left turn, I felt a sharp pain just above my glasses.  I watched a bee in slow motion come right at me and strike.  I am not allergic to bees, but it was painful and a nuisance.  A short distance later, we turned onto Barlow.  Again, last year I was in a thin group of riders at this point. This year, I was in a crowd.  Lots of people were walking up the hill.  I had to dodge a few slower riders and a couple that were falling or decided to bail and walk.  At one point, I was shoulder to shoulder with cyclists climbing up that hill the entire width of the road.  There was nowhere to go! I tried to pay attention to as many of the costumes and signs as I could during the ride. 

As I came into Verona, I heard and saw our LAMS Crew out cheering. After the aid station heading into town, I saw my Dad and sister enjoying the party.  I made a quick stop at special needs to grab my second half nutrition and headed out on my way.  Loop 2, we didn’t get to do the big climb up Barlow, but Emery’s Midtown Party did not disappoint!  By that time though, I was feeling some of the effects of the bee sting.  Some LAMS teammates were cheering (or partying) at the top of the hill.  I was able to ask them to forward a message to my wife to pick up benadryl for the night. As I made my way back to the helix, I was ready to be off the bike. My handlebars became loose n a bump going around the Alliant Energy Center.  I didn't need any more hills!  The ride up the helix was not bad at all.  As I approached the line, the volunteers grabbed my bike and I ran inside.

I later found out that David knew his wife was (very) pregnant 

T2 was uneventful for me.  A quick change and I was on my way. I transitioned a little slower than normal because my forehead was starting to throb.

My run started slow just trying to get things in line.  Around mile 3, I started wheezing (not normal).  After some experimenting, I found that as long as I kept my heart rate  under 135, I was fine.  Above that point, I would start wheezing and difficulty getting air.  I was relegated to a (fast) walk.  As I hit State Street, I saw my family  and got a slight boost, but also let them know what was going on.  It was going to be a long marathon, but I was going to keep pushing.  I did calculations constantly in my head.  I would try to pick up the pace, but would immediately have to back off.  This was the toughest mental battle I have faced in a race! My body wanted to go, but I got in trouble when I tried.  I knew I could go faster, but If I pushed too hard, I would not finish.  It always helps the mind when you pass a Pro that is walking slower than you (mind you, he was 13 miles ahead of me at the time)!

My second loop I spent leapfrogging other athletes that were running then walking.  I know I frustrated a few every time I would pass them. The calculations continued. I had no doubt I would finish, but how long would it take?  It was fun to encourage the other athletes out on the course.  Today was not going to be MY day, but it could be theirs!  On the back stretch, I passed a couple Team Triumph teams on their first loops.  I gave them as much encouragement as I could during our time together.  It was amazing to see these teams working toward that finish line!

As the sun set and the air temps cooled, I was able to pick up the pace slightly.  The trip back toward the Capitol was a push, but as I rounded the Capitol and made that last turn, nothing else mattered!  I spaced myself out form the other athletes around in the final couple blocks so we could each have our moment running down the carpet.

“Josh Duda, You are an IRONMAN!”

What an amazing sound!  I was able to celebrate with my family as I exited the chute.  We grabbed my gear and headed back to the hotel.  After a quick shower and change of clothes, some food, and it was back to the finish line.  I still had work to do!

After hanging around the finish with Greg for a while, he headed back to his hotel. I found a few OutKast teammates in the stands and finished out the night cheering from there. The emotions of the last hour are incredible.  We saw the Team Triumph crews cross.  We saw a proposal. We saw Sandy give Mike Rielly a hug and plant a huge kiss on his cheek.  The last hour is something I am glad I stuck around for!

This was my slowest, most challenging, but yet my most rewarding Ironman finish yet!

Thank you to all of my family and friends and sponsors that made this day possible!  I am truly blessed to have such an amazing group of support.

Lakes Country Triathlon

August 2, 2017

Baxter, MN

The first triathlon I had ever done was the Lakes Country Tri. When I started increasing my distances, this race fell off my schedule. After the 2013 event, the organizers shortened the distances. At that same time, I was looking at longer events. It was also too close to my "A" race of Ironman Wisconsin.

A couple of my LAMS Teammates were looking for a swimmer to complete their team. I could do a 400 yard swim! I was in! This would be my first triathlon relay. I was excited!

It was a strange race morning. No bike to load. No run gear to pack. I just needed my goggles, my wetsuit, and a swimming mindset.  As I pulled up to the park, Matt was all ready set in transition. Jarrett arrived a little later with his running shoes ready to roll. 

After the meeting and a brief warm up, it was GO time! relays were in the second wave.  I eyed up the competition, picked my line, and we were off.  I was only swimming 400 yards. No bike. No run. Just an all out swim.  It was hard and fast to the first turn. We were already into the first wave.  At the second turn, I ran full steam into someone treading water. The home stretch I stayed wide trying to avoid running into more people. As I started grabbing handfulls of sand, I stood up and started running. I sprinted up the hill past the timing mat. I didn't have to save anything for the bike or run, so it was an all out sprint. I was dodging people left and right as I was running. We were one of the closest spots to bike out. When I got there, Jarrett took off the timing chip and placed it on Matt, and away he went! We were 1 second out of first! 

Matt hammered the bike. The other team hammered even harder...it all came down to the run. At the start of the run, we were 2 minutes back. Jarrett ran hard, but their runner crossed first by a large margin. One heck of a race. Then an issue was discovered. Their runner had run off course and came up short on distance (the same thing also happened fo the overall winner). This ended up resulting in a DQ for not completing the course . We moved into the top spot.

What a fun race! Thank you to my teammates Matt and Jarrett for letting me join them for this event.