Race Report

Race Morning

First off, I want to thank all of you who have been checking in and of course my support crew here in Hawaii. The race itself was spectacular and I enjoyed every minute of it....for the most part.

Navy Seals dropping in
The day started at 4:00 a.m. as I had a good sleep throughout the night and felt rested. I went over to body marking and checked out my bike and put my bottles/food in place. I went back to the house and sat for about an hour and had my typical bagel/peanut butter along with a bowl of oatmeal. I didn't really feel nervous for this race because I didn't have too high of expectations and wanted to let the race come to me.

As we were walking out to get into the water, two Navy Seals jumped out of a plane as they were doing the race that mornining..very cool. As we approached the pier, we saw 4 more jumpers from the plane and it gave me goose bumps just seeing it.

I got into the water at about 6:40 and the pros went off at about 6:45. They had Hawaiian drummers out on the wall and it was very loud and energizing. The helicopters were all over the place with NBC covering the event from all angles. The national anthem was sung and the cannon went off for the pros. You would have thought the cannon went off for the age groupers as they swam out to the swim start. It is a deep water start, so you end up treading water for about 15 minutes....not fun with all of the pushing and jockeying of postion that went on.

All of a sudden, the cannon went off and it was a sea of arms and legs all over the place. I tried to get into some clear water, but there was none to be found. I felt like the entire field passed me on the swim as I didn't feel like I was moving very fast. I only got punched in the face once, but got slapped a few times. Once we hit the turn, I felt some chaffing going on with my inner arm and it was burning as the salt water hit the open wound. I drank a few cups of salt water and before you know it, the swim was over.

1:10 - I was hoping for 1:00...but again, 10 minutes isn't that big of a deal.

The bike

Enjoying the start of the bike

This was a very interesting bike course. At the beginning, I was looking down at my odometer and was averaging over 22 mph. and I thought that it was a nice pace and I was comfortable. At about mile 30 the winds starting picking up and I thought, if this is what we were going to get for wind today, it wouldn't be that bad. Well, I didn't realize that it would just get stronger and stronger as you get closer to the Hawi turnaround. Two people were blown off of their bikes and it wasn't a pretty sight. I was feeling pretty good at mile 80, but all of a sudden I popped at about mile 95. I am not sure if it was because I grinded against the wind too much or what. I saw my average go from 21 mph to 20.8, 20.7, etc. down to 20.1. I felt frustrated, but I got over it and tried to salvage a good marathon out of it.

A few "hot laps" before going out of town

End of the bike (below)

5:34 bike split - not pleased, but still enjoying the race

Time to Run!

I started the marathon with a new plan that I had practiced on hot days during the summer months. I packed 12 oz. of chicken broth in a gatorade bottle to start the run and drank it until it was gone. I believe this paid off later in the race and was glad that I did it. The run started out great as I saw all the people that came out to Kona for support and it gave me a lift in energy. Bottom line...I enjoyed this race vs. racing to kill myself. However, I still wanted to make something out of the marathon as I trained for this all summer. The sun was hot and my pace was pretty steady for the first 8 miles. My heart rate was around 155 and holding at this point, so I tried to keep it in that range. I know that I can run 13-15 miles with a HR of about 167, but I didn't know the course well enough, plus it was hot, to start hammering.

I turned right on some street, I can't remember the name of it and then I saw the eventual winner, Craig Alexander ripping down this hill towards the finish. Wow, I think he ended up with a 6:18 pace...insane. I got out to the Queen K highway where there is nothing but an aid station every mile. No spectators, a hot sun, and nothing but bodies moving slowly. I came across Desiree Ficker (2006 runner-up) walking and hunched over. Then I came across Blake Becker...walking (No disrespect to him because he puts down some wicked times). The Hawaiian heat hurts people. I was so amazed to see what 108 degrees can do to someone's mindset. Not only do they throw you into the energy lab at mile 17, they also show you a thermometer before you make the 4 mile journey. I looked at a lot of people's splits and most, if not all, dropped off a lot at mile 17. I came out of the lava field feeling ok, but had a cramp in my left hamstring. I stopped and stretched for about 20 seconds, but knew that I couldn't continue stopping as my Garmin watch was reading a 35 minute pace..not good. I started feeling fresh again as I was heading back to Kona. Hit an aid station, walk through it to maximize fluids, and continue on.

At mile 24, I saw my buddy Brad Dettman with a video camera in hand and I asked him what time it was. He said, it was 5:15 p.m. At that moment in time, I set a new goal....finish under 10:30. I looked at my Garmin and I was doing 8:15/min/mile pace. Not fast enough (I trust my Garmin over Brad...just kidding, buddy!), eventhough he told me I shouldn't have a problem getting in under 10:30. I picked up my pace the last two miles and clocked off 7 min/pace and felt ok because of the cheering and sighting of the finish. Brad was at the most perfect spot for support because, at this point, you are very close to town, but you are mentally spent......I don't know if he had an instinct about that spot, but Brad got me under the 10:30 mark. I whipped through the last aid station, grabbed some water, and headed home. I came around the bend on Ali'i Dr., and I saw 10:29, but I couldn't make out what the seconds looked like. I was 100 yards away and the time should 10:29:09. I knew that I would get in under the 10:30 mark....the time, 10:29:26!

Run time: 3:38 - felt comfortable and didn't kill myself

What a great experience! It is one of those things one can treasure forever! After I had a chance to digest the race, I am satisfied with how it went. Sure, I would do some things differently, but that is how you learn! I don't remember who stated the quote, "It is the journey, not the destination." That is what makes me look back at this experience with the fondest of memories.

With mom and dad

With Natalie

We had some issues getting over to Maui, so I haven't been able to get pictures uploaded, but I should have some time tomorrow. Thanks for checking in and thanks to those that flew 4000 miles for support. I can't begin to express my gratitude. Most importantly, thanks to my wife, Natalie, who sacraficed many early mornings and racing weekends to make this dream come true. I couldn't have done any of this without you and of course, our soon to be addition to the family on March 17th!!!

Sunburn!

Thanks for taking

the journey...pics to follow!

Craig Alexander - the champion