"but I will be an Ironman..."

Last year I started training with a group of several men from my local gym that became know as "Ironman Team SoJo". Difficult to explain where the desire to participate in an endurance event like this comes, but the idea for me sprung out of a motivational young men's devotional a guy in my neighborhood gave when I was 14 or so. Turning 37 this year I felt like the clock was ticking and every year would be that much harder. Picking up my bike and cycling 3 years ago, finally working through my knee surgery and running issues, and having a support group to keep motivated, it seemed like this might be my best chance of actually finishing. Most importantly Sunny gave me a thumbs up knowing that I would be committing to 2 hours of training or more a day and it would be a sacrifice for her and the kids.

Training began with building to a base of 13 mile runs, 50 mile bike rides, and getting swimming training for Christmas courtesy of Sunny. The final 13 weeks our "SoJo" group each logged 142 hours total, made up of 37hrs (67 miles) swimming, 62hrs (1,240miles) biking and 43hrs (301miles) running.

Race day the conditions appeared to be ideal with a high of 82 degrees in the forecast and 8 mph winds. We started our swim at 7 am an

d as we headed south I felt like my swim training had prepared me for a respectable swim leg. As we approached the first buoy about 1/4 mile into the swim it felt like the boats were getting to close as large swells began to push up and down. As we rounded the buoy and turned back into the wind it became clear immediately that weather had taken a turn for the worse.

To quote from the SL Tribune, "That was a day out there, let me tell you," "The swim, I thought I was going to end up on an episode of ‘Lost.’ … I felt like I was in a washing machine."Oh, the 2.4-mile swim, which Ironman chief marketing officer Eric Vervloet said "would have been a no-go" if the giant, 4- and 5-foot swells, waves and whitecaps had kicked up 15 minutes earlier than they did.

At one point my swim goggles were kicked free by a competitor and as I stopped to adjust them I drifted back the other direction. As I reviewed the maps of swim from my GPS watch you can see where this brief stop swept me back in the other direction. Unfortunately as I struggled to make any progress possible during this stretch of the swim I had to result to breast stroke at times as the breaking waves made it difficult to get into any kind of rhythm. I confess during this difficult stretch I looked at my time at 1:20 into the swim and I worried that I would not make the cut off time of 2:20 required during the swim portion of the race. Kayaks were turned over, boats were pulling out swimmers, but I resolved that even if I did not make the swim cut I would do my best and finish. Finally as I approached the island and stood up briefly on a rock I could see the finish was within my grasp. As I rounded the final buoy the wind was as at my back and quickly finished the final 2.4 miles coming out at 1:47. Disappointed in not reaching my target time of 1:20 but grateful for the opportunity to continue the race.

As I raced up the ramp volunteers stripped me of my wet suit and I head for transition 1 where I immediately drank and ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich having burned more calories than I had planned for in my nutrition plan. Having suited up for the 112 mile cycling leg, I was slathered in sun screen by helpful volunteers and rode out with cheers from my local team families including Sunny and sister Sherri.

As I made way about 30 miles from Sand Hollow Reservoir to Saint George the course turns up hill through Ivins city toward Gun Lock Reservoir. As the course turned North, it was disappointing to realize the most difficult part of the course would continue into the winds that were reported up to 40 mph.

Ben Hoffman the winner of the event reported: "This was the hardest race I've ever done." "That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life," said Hoffman, most likely echoing the thoughts of the entire field. "Hands down." "It was chaos out there," Hoffman said, celebrating his second full Ironman win, having captured a crown on an easier course at Lake Placid, N.Y. The wind blew him off the road at one point during the 112-mile bike ride, he said.

My personal low point on the cycling portion was a mile before "The Wall" which is one of steepest portions where my front tire went flat. It was the only time I stepped of my bike and it was frustrating to watch people pass me as I struggled to change my tire. I drank at least 2 water bottles every hour and religiously stuck to my electrolyte and food plan. I had also committed to myself that no matter what I would eat 300 calories an hour during bike and this proved extremely difficult as my stomach never recovered from the chaotic swim. Most participants burn up to 8000 calories during the race, so the biggest mistake for a racer is to fall behind on food consumption which under the race conditions you can't recover from. As I finished the final loop of the bike course I enjoyed a downhill section where I was able to load up on food and Ibuprofen at speeds up to 49 mph. As I entered Tabernacle street at transition 2, I was again greeted by team supporters and Sunny's cheers feeling fairly strong considering I had been racing for 9 hours so far.

During my run transition I chose to change into shorts and sports briefs (which came in handy later in the race), and downed 3 GU's and a water bottle. Shaking off the muscle fatigue as my legs transitioned from bike to run I picked up my pace and started my first 8 miles within my goal pace of around 9 mph. The run course weaved back and forth through the streets of Saint George and allowed me to see 8 of the 14 men I had been training with. This created a boost for all of us as we struggled but encouraged each other as we would pass on opposite sides of the street. The first 13 miles as I ran consistent and strong I was surprised to catch runners who I knew could run circles around me in normal running conditions.

Clearly the previous legs had taken there toll on all of us. The last 13 miles became more difficult each mile as my stomach and GI tract turned on me and eventually I was unable to hold down any food. This is a common challenge for endurance participants and as you do the caloric math the clock was ticking as my body was burning the remaining energy without anything coming in to replenish. With around 8 miles left in the race I ran side by side with Shane, a 2 time Boston Marathon qualifier and 17 Marathon finisher. As we discussed locations of each of our buddies we determined that we had only Taylor the 28 year old "Adonis" in front of us. This was encouraging despite the intestinal discomfort, muscle fatigue, and nausea. I was determined to run in side by side sharing the number two spot.

My final low point was at mile 24 where my bowels betrayed me and I told Shane I was a goner and had to retire to the portapotty to discard my sports briefs and clean up the best I could under the circumstances. I finished the last 2 miles gingerly at a final course time of 13 hours 47 minutes.

This was well short of my goal but I was reassured later when I found that 29% of the racers who began the race did not finish which was the highest reported ever in an Ironman event (previous 19% also in Saint George). The announcer of the Ironman reported that he has called 105 Ironman events, and never called in a winner with a slower finish than the 2012 Saint George Ironman. Clearly not what I had signed up for, but content that I had finished.

This is is the race highlight video from the award ceremony.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LDTI3yhluM

Story about a couple of the guys in our group who overcame testicular cancer and a broken back:

http://m.ksl.com/index/story/sid/20275479