Month: May 2024

Race Crashing

My wife and I head to northern Wisconsin every spring to get our lake home ready for summer, mowing the grass and picking up the hundreds of sticks that seem to gather on the ground. Memorial Day weekend is the perfect weekend for that getaway.

After getting all the chores done and taking a relaxing boat ride on Saturday, the following Sunday was the perfect time to drive to the local trail and get in a short run. As we approached the trailhead the parking lot was packed, and clearly there was a running event going on. I figured it was probably a 5K, so we made the decision to drive up the road to where a street crosses the trail, park, and start our run there. As we parked, we could still see runners heading back into town with race bibs on but it was pretty thinned out. We started running the other direction on the trail and I asked someone what race was going on and she said that it was a 5K/half-marathon/marathon. Here we were crashing another Minocqua trail race.

I’ve done this inadvertently before a few times. Heading up north for Memorial Day and Labor Day generally means I have work around the house to do, and if I run, it’s just to get a training run in – racing is never on my mind. But both holidays seem to have a big race going on. One year I was doing a 20-mile training run while the No Frills Marathon was going on. I got to run with a few of those runners too. Hopefully I will remember and have enough training under my belt to join in officially.

Kari and I were getting lots of “looking good” and “way to go” comments even though we weren’t in the race.

As we headed out most of the runners coming toward us were wearing the half-marathon bibs, and one runner was carrying a 2:00 hour pacing sign, so mostly mid-pack runners at that point. Then came a biker with another runner with a different bib. The leader of the marathon had just run by – with bleeding nipples. Even the elite runners still make the mistake of neglecting to tape the nips!

Kari decided to turn around after a little more than 2 miles, and I said that I’d run another 1/2 mile and then turn around. Just before I turned around I saw another marathoner heading back in, who was clearly struggling. I caught up to him as he was walking and I asked him if he was in the marathon. He replied that he was. I then said to him that he was the number two overall runner, that he had about a 5K to go, and that there was an aid station just ahead. He replied that he was feeling okay, just tired, and that he appreciated the pep talk. I said that I’d hate for him to get passed and lose a podium spot, and offered to pace him a little. He started running again and I picked up my own pace to make sure he got to the aid station. He took on some water and sports drink and I figured at that point he was looking good again.

It wasn’t long after that the third overall marathon leader and the first place woman runner caught me and passed me. This was turning into a very tight battle for second place. She was wearing earbuds, so I’m not sure if she could hear me, but I informed her that she was in third overall and that she had a good chance of catching the guy I was pushing to finish strong and not get caught! I always root for the underdog, and love to inspire someone to go for it.

I finished my 5 miles and went home and checked the results. Sure enough, the guy had enough left in the tank to hold off the hard charging top woman. I googled his name and saw that he was a rower at UW-Madison, so maybe not a runner, but an athlete who runs well for sure.

So as a reminder to myself, if I’m running well again this fall, I’m going to try to participate and not just crash the race.

I’m Proud Of It, So What?

I was on an ultramarathon Reddit page when I made a comment on a post about underestimating ultramarathons, mentioning how I felt ultras were more difficult than Ironman was for me. Then there was this reply to my comment:

“How do you know when someone has done an Ironman? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you.”

This is an old joke, and probably pretty fitting for most of us Ironman finishers. The guy thought that he was pretty witty I guess, even though it wasn’t even an original joke. Some people just feel the need to belittle others. I initially took his comment as an insult and then told him to stick it, and he then confirmed his insulting nature by trying to belittle me some more. A bully hiding behind his keyboard that I didn’t waste any more time on.

But it got me wondering if it was true? Could I be a little over the top with Ironman pride? Yeah, guilty as charged. I’m proud of being an Ironman, damn proud of it actually. It was something that I never thought was possible for me. I couldn’t swim 100 yards in a pool without stopping, and the thought of biking more than a century and then running a marathon after all of that – used to boggle my mind. I would watch the Ironman race on television and think that these people were superhuman.

Most finishers feel the accomplishment is worthy of celebration. We buy the gear – and wear it. We refuse to take off the athlete wristband for weeks after the race is over. Some follow a long-held tradition of getting the “M-dot” tattoo, usually on the right calf. Talk about telling others that you are in an elite club.

But this is not the first time I got the feeling that I need to dial it back. After my first finish, I took to wearing my new Ironman Wisconsin hoodie, the one with the athlete names on the back of it, every chance I could. Another dad, who liked to raze me, mentioned that I was wearing that hoodie – AGAIN. Touché, but did I dial it back?

Heck no! One Ironman finish became two, then three, four, and currently I am up to five. I wear the finisher jackets, the Ironman hats, t-shirts, and hoodies. I drink my coffee from my Ironman race mugs. I started this blog to document the training and the racing, but there’s definitely some level of pride going into it. I want the memories to be there for me when I am older. Although I write them for myself, others visit the site, looking for race insights and maybe some inspiration. I like to write about running, triathlon, and Ironman, I’m not making any excuses for bragging a little.

At home, it may even be worse. I have a room dedicated to running medals, race posters, and memorabilia. I have a similar shrine to myself in my office at work. Guilty, guilty, guilty.

My shrine to myself at work.

My shrine to myself at work.

I’m not sure if there are many more races in the cards for me. I may not earn another Ironman finisher medal, jacket, name t-shirt, hat, or plaque with pictures of me working hard to earn those things and that title of Ironman. I’m going through some injuries right now and realize that I will get over them, but at 60 it’s not getting easier. So I will look back on those five Ironman finishes and cherish them, and maybe brag a little about it.

As they say, “Suffer for 140.6 miles, brag for a lifetime.”