Iron Man Canada August 30 2009

Jane McCurdy

To do list:

Swim 3.8 km

Bike 180 km

Run 42.2 km

Sunday August 30, 2009- Up at 4:01 am. I needed that extra minute so I wasn’t getting up at 4:00. 4:01 is mentally easier to accept. There were 5 of us in the house getting breakfast and getting our last minute things together for the race. We were out of the door by 5 and at transition at 5:30. After pumping up my tires, I gave the volunteers my special needs bags for the 120 km point on the bike and the 21 km point on the run, and added last minute things to my transition bags.

I headed to the beach at 6:40, just in time to hear “Oh Canada” and see the pros start at 6:45. I met up with some friends and headed into the water to start the swim. The water was warm and I was concerned about overheating in my wetsuit. To regulate my temperature I loosened the neck of my wetsuit so I would get some water flow from the lake. The gun went off at 7 and I together with 2800 athletes started the 3.8 km swim. The beginning was absolute chaos as each person fought for their space in the water and tried to keep their line. I had athletes swim on top of me, punch me in the face (knocking off my goggles), elbow me, and kick me. I tried to find my space and get into a rhythm which worked well until the next swimmer got into my space. Although the aggressiveness did not cease for the entire swim, the time went by really fast. After 1:08.33 I finished the swim in 22^nd place. Swim 3.8 km- check.

Running into the transition area, I grabbed my transition bag, and went into the women’s change tent and changed into my biking gear. My transition plan was well practiced the day before and the transition went smoothly. After grabbing my bike, I raced out to the “mount area”. Starting off with my bike, I had a great tail-wind carrying me out to Osoyoos (60 km mark). My heart rate was quite high from the hype of the swim and the transition so I worked on getting it down before starting to eat. The bike ride to Osoyoos was relatively flat and fast. It allowed me to bank some time before starting the hilly section- Richters Pass, the rollers, and finally Yellow Lake. The bike ride went quite smoothly and I was able to regulate my temperature by pouring ice cold water on myself at the aid stations. The volunteers and spectators cheering on the course were amazing and their encouragement was very motivational. After 5:45.58 I was finished the bike in 9^th place. Bike 180 km- check.

Once again at the transition area and I gave a volunteer my bike, grabbed my transition bag, and ran into the transition tent. I got ready for the run and headed out on the course. The run felt surprisingly good and I was really pumped knowing that I had a good ride and was on the last leg of the race. I was forewarned not to go too fast at the start of the run and burn myself out. My watch tracked my pace and I made sure I did not run faster than an 8:30 mile. This was hard to do with all the adrenaline I had and all the spectators lining the streets and cheering for the athletes. The run had its highs and lows but besides some aid stations and hills, I only walked once between two lamp posts. With the walk breaks I maintained about a 9 min mile pace. After 3:59.16, I finished the run in 3^rd place. Run 42.2 km- check.

My final time was 11:00.51 giving me a standing of 3/73 in my age division. This final standing allowed me to qualify for the Ironman World Championships in Kona and I plan to participate in the World Championship this October.

Overall, the Ironman was a great experience and I met my goal of smiling throughout the race. It was an amazing experience that I would recommend to anyone. With the proper training, it is totally obtainable.

Special thanks to all the support I received from Team Niklas, Coach Cal from Critical Speed and my Critical Speed teammates for the 100’s of hours of training together. In addition I want to thank the amazing “See Jane- Run, Bike, Swim” cheering squad- consisting of my parents from Halifax and friends from Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary.