IMAZ Race Report

So I am officially an Ironman!   It has taken me awhile to post my race report, as I wanted to get some pictures first.   As you can imagine, I didn't have my camera with me, so I had to wait until I recieved some from CT and my family.  Well, here it goes, the full race report:

Woke up early in the morning to a cool crisp outdoor temp of about 48 degrees, after a quick bite, CT and I headed down to the race so I could check my bike one last time, get body marked, etc. before the race start.   Most everything is "athlete's only"  so CT took a quick picture then went to find a good spot for the swim start!

I am not sure what the water temp was but I would have to guess somewhere in the 62 degree range. Having a full wetsuit helped.  The start is an in-water start and there is no beach to wade in to Tempe Town Lake. It has cement sides and I had to jump in, swim a few hundred yards to the starting line and then tread water - while waiting for the race to start!

The swim start is one of the best parts of the race to watch as a spectator, it is an awesome site to see 2600 people all treading water, then a mass start as the cannon goes off!   As a participant though, it is horrific! There are arms and legs everywhere, people are just trying to get through, I was getting bumped, hit, scratched across the face, and felt like people were trying to swim over me, all while I was trying to avoid doing the same to other people.

Fortunately, I was able to get clear after the first 15 minutes or so, the course was one loop and the first half felt like it took forever! Once I made the turn though, the second half went much better! And amazingly after 1:24:36 hours, I had completed 2.4 miles of swimming!!


Once out of the water, the amazing volunteers are there to help, First was a stop with the "strippers" to help take off the wetsuit, it took 2 people to help with mine!  Next, I had to run what seemed like forever to go get my gear bag and then into a tent to get changed. My volunteer was awesome! She had a big towel already spread out and she dumped out my bag and organized everthing. All I could do was just sit there and stupidly look around, she pretty much dressed me and told me what to do next, i.e. "I think we need to put on your sports bra first!" After a 16 minute T1 I made it out of the transition and onto the bike course. I think if the volunteer wasn't there it would have taken me much longer!

The bike course was 3 loops and the first loop we had a headwind going out, also there is a slight incline up for at least 15 miles of the loop before you turn around to head back. So, at times I was only going about 12 MPH but I didn't want to push it as it was only my first loop. I also witnessed a guy crash right in front of me. I was kind enough to ask if he was okay, as I went around him, but I opted not to stop and kept going. Once I got to the turn around there was a nice tailwind and we were going downhill, so it was smooth sailing from there. At one point I looked down and saw 25 mph and I wasn't even pedalling! Nice! As I headed back into town for the turn around I got to see all of my fans (my mom, my sister Lora, my cousin Taylor, my boyfriend CT, Dan, and Meredith)! It was a great to see them all and helped to lift my spirits.

The second loop was much of the same except the wind changed and we had a headwind going each direction, so it slowed me down a bit. I did take some time to look around, many of the fluid/bathroom stops had themes and the volunteers were dressed up. I almost hit an orange cone checking out the 20 something year old men in speedos at one of the stops! Before I knew it, I was heading into town again to make the final turn before going out on the final loop, and my fans were still there!

By the 3rd loop I was ready to get off the bike (mainly because my butt hurt) yet my legs never felt tired and I think this helped me. I was definately able to speed up and it seemed like I passed alot of people on the last 15 miles or so. It was also great to see my family as I headed down the final couple hundred yards into transition. My hydration/nutrition plan worked great - almost too great, I had to stop 3 times to go to the bathroom, I am pretty sure this added at least 20 minutes to my overall bike time! So, after 7:01:27 hours, I had finished biking 112 miles!

T2 was easier, the volunteers took my bike, got my bag and I went back into the tent again. This time I only had to change my shoes, socks, and at the last minute I also decided to change my shorts. As I stood up to change, I happened to glance behind me and realized I was in plain view of the exit and there were 5 male volunteers standing just outside the door. Good thing I looked before changing, they almost got a full moon! So, after 6 minutes I was out on the run course.

As I headed out my faithful fans were there to cheer me on again! It was good to see my mom ,Lora, Taylor, CT, and Dan again! I was also thrilled as I knew I would finish the IM, even if I had to walk most of the marathon portion. It was 3:45pm and I was heading out to the run!! At this point, I actually had no idea what my overall race time was. At 48 minutes into the swim, somehow, my stopwatch got stopped and I never restarted it. My brain was also a little befuddled and I couldn't do the math to figure out how long it had been since 7am. Just as well, I think it took the pressue off of my run.

The run course was also a 3 loop (figure 8) design. My plan for the first 1/2 was to try and run to each water stop and then walk through the water stops. I had a nutrition plan as well, but after my 2nd gu this pretty much went out the window. I felt bloated, nausea was setting in, I had a side cramp, and I couldn't imagine trying to put anything else into my stomach! So I started trying just fluids; gatorade was too sugary, the chicken broth tasted good it was so salty that I felt like my lips were sticking to my teeth, I tried coke once but all it did was make me burp. So for a few miles all I could handle was water. About this time I saw my entire family (mom, Lora, Taylor, and my Aunt Elaine and Uncle Jim) cheering me on - which was awesome!

A little ways down I spotted Dan and CT. It was the boost I needed to help start the 2nd lap!! I decided to try some pretzels because I knew I needed some calories and salt - this actually tasted good, so for about the next 4-5 miles this (and water) is what I ate at the stops and it really helped to settle my stomach down. Just past mile 12 I looked up and thought I was hallucinating. CT was standing by the side grinning at me and asking how I was doing! But it wasn't a dream, he was actually there! CT then settled into a little jog and kept me company for a bit. He also gave me some advice (he completed his 4th IM earlier this year) "make sure you are getting sugar!" and told me I looked good so far. It was great to see him and then a little ways up, there were my fans again!!

The 13 mile sign was just beyond this - 1/2 way through the marathon!!! Woo Hoo!! Then I hit mile 14. Yikes! I was dizzy, having trouble breathing, and just plain tired. So, I slowed down to a walk, gathered my thoughts and changed my plan a bit. At this point I decided to try and run for 5 minutes, then walk a minute (the rest of the race). I also decided that I would walk up any hill that I encountered and I would still walk through all the water stops. I also thought about CT's advice and realized I needed to get some sugar in me. I decided to try and orange - too acidic, I only did one slice, then I tried grapes - not too bad!! So every stop after that I would take 2 grapes, 2 pretzel sticks, and water. It worked and the rest of the run went pretty well. Heading into the 3rd loop I saw everyone again including Julie, Chris, and Liz - who I hadn't seen before! I don't really remember too much about the last loop until I had about 3 miles left. At this point I had just passed the 23 mile sign and was walking - the biggest hill on the course was at this point. The moon and stars were out, and because I was nearing the top of a hill - I looked out over the city and could see all the twinkling lights. I could also see the finish line across the lake and could hear the announcer saying ". . .You are an Ironman" This is was my favorite memory of the race, I felt so peaceful and was very calm. I was grateful for all of my family and friends that helped to make this happen, and I could just feel the positive energy that everyone gave me! I am pretty sure I smiled the rest of the race from then on. As I passed the 25 mile sign, I blew the volunteer a kiss - I know he thought I was a lunatic. Coming down that finishing stretch was incredible. I was  by myself so the announcer, Mike, pretty much gave an autobiography. "# 2442, Ann Kurtenbach, from Dublin, Ohio. This is Ann's first Ironman - how does it feel?" I remember pumping my fists up in the air and the crowd cheering even louder. After 14:11:26 hours, I started slapping people's hands and as I neared the pearly gates of the IM finish line I heard those sweet words "Ann Kurtenbach - YOU are an Ironman!"

Before I knew it, I was being swept along by my very own volunteer, given a bottle of water, a medal, a finishers t-shirt and hat, had my picture taken, and was pretty much shoved out of the post-race area, once they knew I wasn't going to pass out or anything worse. 

It all happened so fast that I realized I didn't get to do "The Blazeman" Roll across the finish line, that I originally planned to do . . .

Fortunately my family was there to meet me, give me plenty of cheers, and call CT, Dan, and Liz (they were still waiting for me around mile 25.5 and didn't realize I had finished).  Once CT found us, he gathered  my stuff, took a few pictures,  and he and my family took everything so I wouldn't have to carry any of it back to the hotel!  After a shower, I even had enough energy to go out for a bite and a celebratory beer! 
  

Stats for the Day:

Swim: 1:24:34

T1: 16:04

Bike: 7:01:28

T2: 6:20

Run:  5:23:03

Total Time:  14:11:26