IM St George – A Race to Remember

Wow! I hardly know where to begin…! All week there had been early morning chop at Sand Hollow Reservoir so when I awoke at 3:50a.m. race morning, one of the first things I did was check the weather. I am not the strongest of swimmers so my preference would have been a nice smooth surface. The forecast was for a light 10km/hr wind from the North. I thought to myself, “well that will make the bike a little more challenging, but the reservoir should be fine”. And that is exactly what I saw when we arrived at the Reservoir at ~5:45a.m. 

Sand Hollow Reservoir - Early in the week.

I dropped my stuff off at my bike, checked my tires, doubled checked that everything was working fine and then got in line for the port-a-potties. After a wait of twenty five minutes I got my turn and then quickly donned my wetsuit for my favourite part of the race…the swim! It was a traffic jam getting into the water but slowly people worked their way to the starting line in the water. I worked my way up to about a third back and at 7:00a.m. we were off. I settled into a nice comfortable pace while working my way around a few people. At several points people had completely stopped and were treading water. If you can’t swim then please seed yourself accordingly. 

As I rounded the first buoy chaos struck. I made the left turn and popped my head out of the water to site the next buoy and to my surprise there was no buoys to be seen but waves 3-5ft crashing down upon the athletes. We were later told that the wind had kicked up, 40mph winds. It was quite evident that people didn’t really know where the next buoy was and very evident that many were in a state of shock at the change in conditions. I told myself I would just continue to swim despite the horrid conditions. For the remainder of the swim it was extremely difficult to get into any type of rhythm as you were constantly being thrashed by the waves. I am sure I swallowed a gallon or two of water but was just thankful to have completed the swim. It was a terrible swim, a 1:23 and change, but I am convinced that was due to the conditions.

It was a quick strip of the wetsuit, a dry-off in the chain tent, the application of some sunscreen and I was rolling out of T1, excited to be done the swim and onto the bike. I quickly settled into a rhythm and did my best to maintain the power Brian (my coach) and I had discussed previously. I knew it was going to be a tough go on the bike as the most difficult section of the course would be directly into the wind. The first climb up the hill on SR9 was quite uneventful but I was thankful to be climbing as it allowed me to put out a little more power and generate a little extra heat to warm up. My stomach was not feeling very well and I attributed that to having swallowed a large quantity of water and being sloshed around in the reservoir for over an hour. I stuck to my race plan and nutrition plan despite not feeling the urge to eat or drink. I was excited to finally pass Irvins park at ~9:45a.m.(I thought I would be through there by 0920hrs) as I got to hear the kids and Claudia cheering. The ride up to Gunlock and then onwards to Veyo was anything but fast. With the strong winds from the north coupled with the already tough bike sections it was anything but easy riding. I tried to stay aero and sat up for a couple of the tougher climbs as well as the hill on the north side of Gunlock and of course to ride up the wall. 

Powering past Irvins Park after the aid station.

Heading back to St George on SR18 was screaming fast. I could tell the wind had started to die down but the ride was still fast. I was thankful to have an ice cold Red Bull in my special needs as this was just the boost I needed to continue the ride into town and start the second loop. The second loop was much easier than the first as the wind had died down a little, but I was struggling to keep my power numbers up. I was feeling great and had no problems on the climbs but the “false” flats had me riding a very low cadence with a power number below what I should have been riding. I figured there was no point trying to push when my right quad had seized up once already and I could feel the left getting tighter. I just continued to press knowing that I wasn’t being passed and was continuing to pass other riders. I was happy to finally be heading back into town for the run…my specialty. A bike of 5:49:49 was definitely not what I was hoping for but based on the conditions it was all I had.

And then came the run. I knew it was a fairly “flat” course, but each leg of the course was down-hill and then back up-hill. It was a three loop course in the shape of the M. I figured I would run the down-hills easy and try and push the up-hill sections. I wasn’t too concerned with my pace initially as I just wanted to settle in over the first five kilometers and then see how the legs were feeling. Well, the legs felt great. I was through the first loop of the three loop course in fifty-seven minutes. I thought that was a little on the fast side so slowed it down a little on the second lap running a fifty-nine minute. At this point my stomach was still not feeling great. I continued to push the calories down range but knew that sooner or later I was going to need a wash room or I would have my picture plastered all over slowtwitch. I made the call on 400 Street and made a quick stop into the port-a-potty just before the aid station. With business taken care of, I finished the 400 Street leg and headed for Diagonal Street. The legs were getting a lot stiffer at this point and my pace was starting to drop off a little bit. It was at this point I hear Mike Reilly announce the first Age Grouper through the finisher shoot. I thought to myself that’s not bad I’ll be within twenty minutes of the top age grouper. 

Running up 400 East Street - Saying hi to the kids!

I finished the last leg on Diagonal Street and then it was to the finish line. I honesty had nothing left in my legs. I was tired, exhausted, and my stomach felt terrible. I had given my best, survived through some tough conditions, but was most thankful for just not having quit. I crossed the line in 10:20:38 having run a 3:00:41 marathon, the fastest AG marathon of the day and the second fastest including the pros. I was hoping for a sub three but I guess that’s for next time. 

I had given my best, I had pressed on to the finish to win the prize as it says in Phillipians 3:14. Unfortunately, this just wasn’t my day for a Kona slot. I was 25^th overall and 5^th in my AG, but seeing as there were only three slots in my AG and no roll downs, I guess I am off to IM Couer d’Alene. By the way, congrats to the others in the M25-29 age group for great races and congrats on your Kona slots…well deserved on a tough course.

Special Thanks to:

The volunteers. Especially those at the aid stations. You guys and gals were all top notch and made sure we got what we wanted.

My parents who taught me never to give up. I knew the conditions were tough, but I just don’t like to quit.

My lovely wife who despite being more than seven months pregnant continuously supports my insanity and brings Ruth and James out for the moral support.

Brian Grasky of Grasky Endurance Coaching for his amazing support and encouragement.

Compressport Canada for the great compression gear which allows me to race and recover like none other.