In the 2012 addition of the half-ironman I felt the added pressure of the Boulder Series Points race hanging in the balance. I had a total of 13 points due to my flat tire in the sprint while Steve Johnson had a score of 10 points since he raced in the amateur elite category which receives no points. If I could somehow finish second and Steve finished first, I would earn 8 points and he would earn 10 so I would win by a point. Anything less than a second place finish would mean I would finish second in the series. Normally I wouldn't worry about having to finish second, but the field in my age group in this race is stacked. The last three Americans to finish on the podium at the Ironman World Championships in Kona in my age group all live in the Front Range and were lined up on the start line. I came in third in 2004, Tim Hola placed several times since 2005, and Steve Johnson came in second last year. To add to it, Tim Hola had beaten me handily last year at the ITU Long Course World Championships when the swim was cancelled. For me to place second, I had to beat one of these two!
Before the race started when I was starting out for a warm-up run, I crossed paths with Tim. After exchanging pleasantries we started making excuses as to why we weren't ready for this race (I know it's odd, but this is a normal conversation). He said that he had already done two Ironman races and that although rested, he had little speed. For my part, I told him about my ankle injury. I explained that I hadn't run more then 10 miles this year with no brick workouts and very little speed since that is what hurt my ankle the most. I even asked, pleaded really, that he beat Steve so I could still win the series. He promised to try.
After a long wait from the 7:05 pro start to the 8:00 35-39 male start, I found myself at the start line next to Tim. Normally I would seek out this start position, but since I can see (thank you Colorado Ophthalmology) and I have been swimming fast, I would have preferred to start far away from him so I could get clear easier. Once the gun sounded, I took off and got clear of the field. I didn't feel anyone closely trailing me but I didn't flip over to check. I started running down the first two waves in front of me before the first turn and then after the turn buoy I settled into a smooth pace where I concentrated on the glide phase of my stroke. With about 200 meters left I noticed that I did have a trailer and Tim had been riding my draft all swim. He tried to come around, but I slipped under the exit banner first with Tim right behind. We went into transition together and exited together. I am a little disappointed with my swim time. Twenty five minutes is reasonable, but the way I'm swimming this year I expected a 24 low.
The first part of the ride is a dangerous section for me. I am not a powerful rider and the first 8 miles are a slight uphill power climb. This type of riding fits into Tim's strength on the bike. I resolved to try to pace off of him and I was fortunately able to keep pace with him. If the first half of the lap favors him, the second half favors me. I am more aerodynamic and a smoother rider and the down hill favors me. We started the second lap together. Unfortunately I wasn't able to keep up on the first part of the second lap and he was able to get out of sight quickly. To add insult to injury, Steve passed me at mile 30 and Eric Kenney (I got to chat with Eric after the race for the first time and he's a really great guy) passed me five miles later. I got to the top of the hill on 36 and knew my only chance to get back into the race was to push my advantage on the down hill. I pushed the down hill hard. My new Jamis just screamed down hill. I was going so fast that the lift created by my aero-helmet actually started to lift the helmet off of my head. Good thing it was strapped on tight! Once I made the turn at the bottom of the long down hill who should I see right in front of me but Tim. My strategy worked -- thank you Jamis! I matched my bike course PR of 2 hours and 14 minutes in a year that I have been biking slower in general. It's gotta be the
Tim gained about 30 to 40 seconds on me in the last 10 miles and I started the run in fourth. About 4 minutes behind Steve and 40 seconds behind the tandem of Tim and Eric. Since I haven't done any long runs or bricks, I felt that my best chance to at least get second (I could see that Tim was going to do me no favors in beating Steve) was to be patient on the first lap and try to get within sprinting distance with a mile or two to go. By the first turn around I had moved into third and 25 seconds behind Tim. By the end of the first lap I was only 10 seconds behind Tim and due to the enthusiastic cheering from the Runner's Roost crew, Tim learned how close I was. Starting the second lap Tim allowed me to catch him so he could ask if my ankle was feeling OK. Actually it sounded as if he was questioning the reality of my injury (apparently he hasn't been reading my blog, Oh the horrors!). I assured him that this was my longest run of the summer, but I doubt that it gave him any comfort. Well, at this point I was in a bit of a pickle. I didn't want to pass him and be forced to set the pace and risk my lack of fitness getting the better of me, but on the other had I wasn't sure he would allow me to sit on his back shoulder for the next 6 miles. Sure enough Tim slowed down a mile later forcing me to pass. So pass him I did. I accelerated hoping that I could keep it together for a 5 mile acceleration. At the second turn around I had a 26 second lead and by the finish line I put on another minute for a second place finish and an overall win for the series! I ran a pedestrian 1:24, but given where I have been this year I couldn't have been more thrilled with my effort. Overall I finished with a time of 4:07.35 which is a course PR for me after 10 years of racing this course.
Unfortunately my concern about my lack of condition was well founded and the race ended in the medical tent. I am extremely grateful to the Runner's Roost team for making sure I got in and out of the tent without going to the hospital. In particular I will forever be in debt to Jesse and Tristin for staying with me while I received a liter of IV fluid.
I also need to thank Jamis, PowerBar, and VeloSoul for helpping me get to this race and to perform as well as I could.
Thank you,
Kirk
How fast does this set-up look!
