Jeffrey Kramer 2009 IRONMAN CHAMPIONSHIPS Race Report
Wow! Where do I start? Hawaii is an amazing place and somewhere that everyone should experience at least once. So the journey began in Maui where Dena and I started our official honeymoon after getting married in June. We stayed at the Four Seasons and I can't tell you how amazing it was. The hotel itself, service and just the overall area was gorgeous. We did the touristy things like standup paddleboards, snorkeling, and zip lining. I tried to relax as best I could even though I was a little anxious about the upcoming race. Dena was a saint for putting up with me. We were there from Saturday until Thursday morning. A little longer then I really wanted because I wanted to get to Kona, but it ended up being worth it.
Thursday morning we wake up and drop off the rental car. Dena hates to fly and we would only fly on a jet from island to island. So the shuttle takes us to the terminal and we see this puddle jumper that seats about 10 people. Dena almost lost it! Thank god it was the wrong plane. So we go to the correct one and get into Kona about 8:30. Get to the Royal Kona Hotel. Let's just say that it aint the Four Seasons. It is in a great location for the race but it certainly doesn't look like the pictures on the website. We had to change rooms because it was so dirty. Let's get to the good stuff….Ironman World Championships!
We check in Thursday morning and still have to get my bike which cost me almost $400 to ship it there. Walk to get my bike at Bike Works after checking in. Let's just say it was a little hot and a little further away then expected. Our feet were on fire and we were sweating horribly. Walk back home and finally get a chance to sit down. Dena wasn't having anything to do with Kona. Never should have gone to Maui first. We watched as it seemed that everyone and their mother was running or biking during the hottest part of the day at mach 10. I think I got a total of 10 miles biking and about _ mile swim. Typical!
(Race Day….skip to the important part)
So I get up and go through my normal routine. Have some breakfast and get my last minute things ready. Walk down and check in my special needs bags. Get body marked, which in Hawaii is legit. Not like any other race. These numbers are stamped on you. Of course mine didn't last the race due to water, sweat, suntan lotion, Gatorade, and more water. Get into the water and who do I see? Melanie! Just chillin out. So we chatted for a bit and here comes Eric Hodska. He told us that the weather reported no wind for the day (not true) and was really excited and had some great words of wisdom before the start of the race.
Swim- The cannon goes off without warning. Worst Ironman swim I have ever been a part of. Finished 300 out of the water, which normally I finish in the top 100 but these are triathletes that can actually swim, unlike most of the other races I have done. Punched, kicked, pulled, elbowed you name it. I made it out in good shape. 1:00:34 wanted to break an hour but I am not complaining. But I really am though. (4:39 transition)
Bike- The bike didn't seem to bad. I went out pretty conservative. It seemed like everyone was passing me on the bike. I was in my own little zone. It was boring. I would say even worse then Ironman Florida. Going out to Hawi there was the only real hill on the course. Definitely slowed down my average, but what goes up must come down. So after the turn around was a nice steady downhill. FAST!!!!! Reality set in again once I got to the Queen K. Head wind the whole way back. Pedaling downhill and only going 16mph. Crazy!!!! Finished the bike and all I wanted to do was take a nap for about 10 minutes. Got into transition and it was just nice to sit down for a few minutes. Put on my sneakers and off I go! (6:01:36 with a 5:34 transition)
Run- Miserable!!!!! What can I say; I just wasn't ready for it. Between the heat and how hard I had to work on the bike I just didn't do very well. This is that moment in time where you say to yourself I should have done this and that and everything else to prepare myself for the run. Only thing is that really I couldn't have done much. Well maybe a little more running long after the bike. Anyways I struggle for the first 20 miles. Go figure. Hook up with a girl from England named Myrika. We walked/ran for that last 16 miles or so. We got to the energy lab and our special needs bags, Red Bull and Mike and Ikes. These are my favorite race day goodies. Drank the Red Bull, ate the entire bag of Mike and Ikes and then I felt like a million bucks. Looked down at my watch which of course the battery was dying, and realized that we could still break 12 hours which I didn't think was possible the way I was going. So we ran the last 10k and picked up an Australian kid named Alex. Alex didn't say much so Myrika and I did all of the talking. Averaged better then 8:30 for the last 10k and finished the last mile in 6:50. Wouldn't you know it though my two friends that I met along the way ditched me and beat me to the finish. No worries though. I saw Dena before the finish line, gave her a big kiss and then crossed all by myself and got a great finishing photo. What a DAY!!!!! (4:32:26)
Midnight- For the first time in the 16 Ironman that I have completed I went back to the finish. I am sure this is like no other finish line. It was one big party!!!! Fire Dancers, Loud Music, and a lot of the big named pros were still there and I was able to get my picture with Craig Alexander. So worth it!!! Well if you read this far that obviously you took an interest in how my day went. For that I thank you. I really felt out of place for the first time in a race. Knowing that I didn't qualify it is a different world. When people ask you, where did you qualify? I tried to avoid that question as much as possible. But anyways it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Better then all of the Ironman that I have completed. Next time I will hopefully earn it. Before I finish up I would like to take a minute to thank some people who have helped me through this long journey to get here. My wife Dena who has put up with me through all my races and now she is doing it too (Lake Placid 2010). Newington Bicycle for all of my bike stuff, Jaime Sullivan and Gabe Jiran for getting me out on my bike, Bill Honeck for our early run training, Shawn Desjardins and Donna Cannon for their help and support, Allan McDougal for his support and sincerity in telling me that it was great to see me out racing after my horrible 2008, Eric Hodska for his support and knowledge of Kona, and Sara Pragluski for showing me the ropes while in Kona. I know that I am forgetting people but you all know who you are and for that I truly thank you. Thank you again for taking the time to read my race report!
Wow! Where do I start? Hawaii is an amazing place and somewhere that everyone should experience at least once. So the journey began in Maui where Dena and I started our official honeymoon after getting married in June. We stayed at the Four Seasons and I can't tell you how amazing it was. The hotel itself, service and just the overall area was gorgeous. We did the touristy things like standup paddleboards, snorkeling, and zip lining. I tried to relax as best I could even though I was a little anxious about the upcoming race. Dena was a saint for putting up with me. We were there from Saturday until Thursday morning. A little longer then I really wanted because I wanted to get to Kona, but it ended up being worth it.
Thursday morning we wake up and drop off the rental car. Dena hates to fly and we would only fly on a jet from island to island. So the shuttle takes us to the terminal and we see this puddle jumper that seats about 10 people. Dena almost lost it! Thank god it was the wrong plane. So we go to the correct one and get into Kona about 8:30. Get to the Royal Kona Hotel. Let's just say that it aint the Four Seasons. It is in a great location for the race but it certainly doesn't look like the pictures on the website. We had to change rooms because it was so dirty. Let's get to the good stuff….Ironman World Championships!
We check in Thursday morning and still have to get my bike which cost me almost $400 to ship it there. Walk to get my bike at Bike Works after checking in. Let's just say it was a little hot and a little further away then expected. Our feet were on fire and we were sweating horribly. Walk back home and finally get a chance to sit down. Dena wasn't having anything to do with Kona. Never should have gone to Maui first. We watched as it seemed that everyone and their mother was running or biking during the hottest part of the day at mach 10. I think I got a total of 10 miles biking and about _ mile swim. Typical!
(Race Day….skip to the important part)
So I get up and go through my normal routine. Have some breakfast and get my last minute things ready. Walk down and check in my special needs bags. Get body marked, which in Hawaii is legit. Not like any other race. These numbers are stamped on you. Of course mine didn't last the race due to water, sweat, suntan lotion, Gatorade, and more water. Get into the water and who do I see? Melanie! Just chillin out. So we chatted for a bit and here comes Eric Hodska. He told us that the weather reported no wind for the day (not true) and was really excited and had some great words of wisdom before the start of the race.
Swim- The cannon goes off without warning. Worst Ironman swim I have ever been a part of. Finished 300 out of the water, which normally I finish in the top 100 but these are triathletes that can actually swim, unlike most of the other races I have done. Punched, kicked, pulled, elbowed you name it. I made it out in good shape. 1:00:34 wanted to break an hour but I am not complaining. But I really am though. (4:39 transition)
Bike- The bike didn't seem to bad. I went out pretty conservative. It seemed like everyone was passing me on the bike. I was in my own little zone. It was boring. I would say even worse then Ironman Florida. Going out to Hawi there was the only real hill on the course. Definitely slowed down my average, but what goes up must come down. So after the turn around was a nice steady downhill. FAST!!!!! Reality set in again once I got to the Queen K. Head wind the whole way back. Pedaling downhill and only going 16mph. Crazy!!!! Finished the bike and all I wanted to do was take a nap for about 10 minutes. Got into transition and it was just nice to sit down for a few minutes. Put on my sneakers and off I go! (6:01:36 with a 5:34 transition)
Run- Miserable!!!!! What can I say; I just wasn't ready for it. Between the heat and how hard I had to work on the bike I just didn't do very well. This is that moment in time where you say to yourself I should have done this and that and everything else to prepare myself for the run. Only thing is that really I couldn't have done much. Well maybe a little more running long after the bike. Anyways I struggle for the first 20 miles. Go figure. Hook up with a girl from England named Myrika. We walked/ran for that last 16 miles or so. We got to the energy lab and our special needs bags, Red Bull and Mike and Ikes. These are my favorite race day goodies. Drank the Red Bull, ate the entire bag of Mike and Ikes and then I felt like a million bucks. Looked down at my watch which of course the battery was dying, and realized that we could still break 12 hours which I didn't think was possible the way I was going. So we ran the last 10k and picked up an Australian kid named Alex. Alex didn't say much so Myrika and I did all of the talking. Averaged better then 8:30 for the last 10k and finished the last mile in 6:50. Wouldn't you know it though my two friends that I met along the way ditched me and beat me to the finish. No worries though. I saw Dena before the finish line, gave her a big kiss and then crossed all by myself and got a great finishing photo. What a DAY!!!!! (4:32:26)
Midnight- For the first time in the 16 Ironman that I have completed I went back to the finish. I am sure this is like no other finish line. It was one big party!!!! Fire Dancers, Loud Music, and a lot of the big named pros were still there and I was able to get my picture with Craig Alexander. So worth it!!! Well if you read this far that obviously you took an interest in how my day went. For that I thank you. I really felt out of place for the first time in a race. Knowing that I didn't qualify it is a different world. When people ask you, where did you qualify? I tried to avoid that question as much as possible. But anyways it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Better then all of the Ironman that I have completed. Next time I will hopefully earn it. Before I finish up I would like to take a minute to thank some people who have helped me through this long journey to get here. My wife Dena who has put up with me through all my races and now she is doing it too (Lake Placid 2010). Newington Bicycle for all of my bike stuff, Jaime Sullivan and Gabe Jiran for getting me out on my bike, Bill Honeck for our early run training, Shawn Desjardins and Donna Cannon for their help and support, Allan McDougal for his support and sincerity in telling me that it was great to see me out racing after my horrible 2008, Eric Hodska for his support and knowledge of Kona, and Sara Pragluski for showing me the ropes while in Kona. I know that I am forgetting people but you all know who you are and for that I truly thank you. Thank you again for taking the time to read my race report!
