Passer Rating

Race Recap

Tough to describe my feelings about the race. It was a tremendous experience and bigger than the race itself.

Race Start:

It was awesome seeing 2600 people in the best shape of their lives before the race started. Impressive also were the display of triathlon bikes in the transition area. When you first arrive the sun is still below the mountains, but everyone is awake and has a smile on their face. They were all sharing in the same anxiousness.

The Swim:

The start was busy on Lake Okanogan. With exception to the elite, it was a shotgun start with 2600 participants taking off. Spectators, who got up at dawn to witness the start, lined the beach 10 deep.

The start is shallow so I walked a ways out. I then began to swam for a while, but it was still shallow so I started walking again with people swimming beside me. I then jumped in the water again for the long haul. The water was very crowded. I got elbowed in the ribs pretty hard and got punched in the eye, but my goggles didn’t fall off. Nothing was intentional.

My focus was on getting through the swim with a constant pace without worrying about people around me. The day is long so I tried to avoid overdoing it early on. It seemed very long and it was for me (it is the longest I have swam). I did cramp in my calf towards the end, but my wetsuit kept me afloat using the rest of my body to keep going until the cramp subsided. I came out of the water a little disoriented but felt pretty good.

The bike:

I am weak in the swim so I was able have fun the first 30 miles and pass a lot of people. About 40 miles in I was flanking two cyclists. One turned into the other one and they both went down with a few intangibles falling on the pavement and some cussing from one of the riders. I swerved to the right to easily avoid the crash.

Race officials on motorcycles were passing out yellow cards (time to be served in penalty tent) for drafting and crossing the center line. I was able to avoid it, but I did cross the center line once or twice.

I was trying to stay focused and peddle hard without getting my heart rate up too high. The first mountain pass was easy. The second pass was lined with people cheering on the riders. There was a narrow pathway created by fans at two places that made it feel like the Tour De France. Cruising down the backside back into Penticton both quads started to cramp up so decided to take it a little easy with a marathon still to worry about.

The run:

The same quad muscles cramping on the bike aren’t utilized much in the run, so I was feeling good as I started out. I was doing an 8 min 40 second pace per mile for the first 10-12 miles. I started thinking I could do that the rest of the way.

Mile 12 the hills section began and things got tougher. I stopped the dream of continuing 8.5 minute miles for the rest of the race. The goal later became: keep running. My cramping became problematic and I had to stop to stretch my hamstrings and calves on various occasions.

Many people were walking at this point and many people were running faster than me. At mile 21 I began feeling ok again. At this point I knew I could finish. It was like my mind was telling my body I only had 5 miles left. I kept my body compact to avoid cramping. While running I would barely turn my head or give someone a high five. I was just focused on finishing and wasn’t paying attention to anything else. The last mile I saw my wife and the family. It was a good moment and I got a little teary eyed.

When I crossed the finished line the announcer says ‘Brady Gustafson YOU are an Ironman!’. Two people are there waiting for you walk you to the massage tent, outside, or to the medical tent. I went to the massage tent and got a fabulous massage that aided in my recovery. While there a lady came up to me worried that I was not ‘with it’. I talked to her for a couple minutes and she decided I was fine and didn’t need medical attention.

My final time was 11 hours 38 minutes. A success for me. Out of 2600 races 8% didn’t make it in the 17 hour time limit. Unfortunately there was one person that didn’t survive the swim. It was the first fatality in the race’s 27 years. He was 66 years old and wandered off and struggled a bit towards the end of the swim leg. A kayaker found him. CPR didn’t revive him. My condolences.

My recovery was similar to a marathon. One difference was I felt like vomiting for 2 nights following the race. I would stay up in the middle of the night with a very upset stomach. After four days I was back to normal. The massage therapist thought I was going to lose my big toenail. It is still on now, but black and blue. Two weeks later I feel a bit of pain in my right knee, but other than that my body feels back to normal.

It is surprising, but I may be hooked. The race was stunning. The fans were great. I felt like I was a part of something special.

We have raised over $700 for Ahmsa up to this point not including any donations sent in by mail.

Final tally

Sorry for the delay:
I finished!
What a ridiculous race. So fun for a while and the such misery later.

Stats:
Time: 11 hrs 38 min.
Status: 7-22 min ahead of my estimate
Caffeine intake: equivalent to 14.5 cups of coffee
cramps: calf during swim, both quads during bike, both calves and both hamstrings during run
# of Pukes: None. Stomach is a steel trap i tell you.
Consumption: 5 pieces of pizza, bag of potatoes (in my back pocket akin to Napolean Dynamite), 15 gu gels, 4 gu chomps, 3 power gels, chicken broth, pepsi, gatorade, cytomax...
State of mind: Euphoria
How is my body feeling: tough to walk, stomach feels queezy, will lose a toe nail for big toe.
Highlight of the day: Tour de france like narrow path formed by rabid chanting fans with cowbells on the last big climb of the bike (felt like Lance Armstrong)
Low of the day: mile 15-16 on the run with big hills and cramping and the end felt so far away.

Lots of thoughts on this amazing day that I will get to later.
Thank you for the comments. Thanks to the 'brady bunch' for their support.

Done with bike, fully on the run.

Sorry for the delay...lack of internet for a bit.
Came in from bike at 2:05 pm, with a whoop, whoop and a big smile.

Stats: 88 degrees
Caffeine= 11 cups
Atttitude: Awsome though worried about cramping.
Getting emotional too now.
Body: Mild cramping in quads and calves,
Me: starting to get teary eyed.

Thinking he'll be done the running at about 6:15-6:30pm.

90 miles...almost done with the bike...

Such a CHAMP...


90 miles in, 22 miles left of the bike.


Stats:
Caffeine: 10 cups down
Attitude: Positive (no more climbing on the bike)
Body: Feeling good, no cramping
Time: 12:55pm
Current temp: 75 degrees

60 miles in...

So this last phone call, I didn't really understand him too well, as it seemed pretty windy, but this is what I got.

Current Temp: 74 degrees

Stats:
Caffeine: 6 1/4 cups
Attitude: Determined
Body: no cramping
Times at ~60 miles: 11:25am

Next update at 90 miles in...He is incredible :)

30 miles in on the Bike...

Brady is now ~15 minutes ahead of schedule!

Pace: 23 mph
Caffeine: 5 cups
Attitude: Excited
Body is Feeling: Good, cramping is over
Time at 31 miles in the bike ride: 9:47am

Go Brady Go!