I entered the water and slowly made it to the far left portion of the course after a couple of minutes. I was right by the Ford buoy/raft. I treaded water, trying not to bump into other athletes. The cannon went off and ‘away we a go.’ As expected, I started to get run over as I was running others over. :-( However, almost immediately I started to count my strokes and focus on front quadrant swimming. After about a minute or two it started to thin out—but not by much. As we approached the first buoy a phenomenon that I did not expect occurred. My game plan was to pass wide the buoy, but what happened was that all of the athletes started to try to get as closely to the buoy as possible, pushing me closer. That meant that the ‘combat’ got worse. This continued to repeat every 200 meters as we passed each buoy.


Swim start

It is a difficult swim from a focus perspective. It is like swimming in an aquarium. There were tons of wildlife and coral. It is just breathtaking. During the training the week before I saw turtles, giant fish and eels. One of my favorite things during the week before the race was the giant catamaran that was a couple hundred meters away from the race course (thanks Kramer for pointing it out!). If you swam out there they gave you espresso. There is something special about that—the salt really helps the taste of the coffee. But it was race day and there was no coffee today. I got out to the halfway point and looked at my watch. I was much slower than I thought. The swim has a reputation of being more difficult on the way back. However, I did have a negative split by a couple of minutes. I was really working on lengthening my stroke and front quad swimming. However about 150 meters before the end I had a calf cramp. I don’t know why—I haven’t had one of those in probably two years. It certainly wasn’t because of lack of salt. I think I drank a fair amount of the ocean! The swim was great--with me finishing about 30 seconds faster than my best projected time. There was a fair amount of contact with other swimmers--but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.



Stay out wider by the bouys.

As I hit the transition to bike I made my first mistake. One off the volunteers putting sun screen missed my entire lower right leg. I ended up getting a 2nd degree sunburn--which gave me a blister that was about 1 1/2 inches wide later that evening. My daughter called it an heirloom tomato! As I headed out on the bike I saw both my family and friends--which gave me a great lift.



Reapply suntan lotion.

The bike was great for the first 25-30 miles or so. The first set of miles include a hill out of the transition area and then an out and back on Queen Kaahumanu or Queen K highway. About three miles into it there were three lanes dedicated to the cyclists. I was in the middle of the first lane. One older athlete passed me yelling to get over. I guess two lanes to the left were not enough for him. He was one of the few jerks that I saw the day of race—I did not take his bait and stayed in my race box. The entire time, I was thinking “I’m doing this thing—I’m really doing this thing.” My game plan was to keep the power lighter than normal during the first forty miles.

I made another mistake on Queen K. I kept my feed bottle with my calories on my cage and would pick up two water bottles at each aid station. The first was to dump on my head. The second was to refill my aero bottle. At one of the aid stations I yelled “water” and was handed a coke bottle. Yup you got it—I dumped the coke over my head. It ran down my back into my shorts and into my shoes. Nice. That gave me a blister on the bike, which was a first for me. I dumped another bottle of water over my head to clear it out. Race day lesson learned—drink a sip before dumping! I started to laugh…

For the most part I stuck to my game plan. My day got tougher as we headed out on highway 270. About here my power tap started to get flaky. I tried to reset it multiple times and got weird results. As we headed up the hills towards the town of Hawi I started to get hit by cross winds for the next 19 miles as the racers were climbing the steepest hill of the day. This was one of those times during the race that I felt a little down--which meant my nutrition was not right. I made the right correction by increasing my calorie intake.

At the top of the hill was Hawi which is the bike turn around. Jullian, Anthea, Danette and the kids were there to cheer me on. I stopped to get a kiss from Danette and a hug the kids and then biked a couple hundred feet to the bike special needs area. I got more suntan lotion on my body and noticed the right leg which looked like a red sock.


Pounding with with Layton at Hawi

Then I started to fly back down that hill at 38 miles per hour in cross winds. Next I hit the Queen K highway. There I was met with strong head winds for probably next 35-40 miles. I was told by many that the bike course would be tough due to the wind and it did not disappoint. At one time I was at my race pace heading down a hill and I looked down at my computer and I was going 12 MPH @ 150 watts. As I ascended up the hill, I looked down and saw that I was going 13 MPH at the same 150 watts! I never have gone up hill faster than downhill! I kept telling myself that e all were facing the same wind. Toward the end of the day I was thinking about paying Dillon to pack up my bike until January! As I headed back into town I was greeted by a helicopter. The women's winner was crossing the finish line setting a new record. I still had the pesky Marathon to do!







I would have gotten my time trail bike earlier in the season.

I did my transition at turtle speed. I got some water, used the rest room and took my time. I would have sold my bike for $100 at that point! (note to self, there is a business model here—buy bikes during T2). I was paired with a volunteer – an ARTer from San Jose—who assisted me through the transition area. While I was leaving T2 Tom Davies (another lottery winner from Team Shadow) hit the transition area. 12 minutes… fricken camping.

Maybe hurried

I was thrilled to be done with the bike and head out on my best leg of the event--the run. Team Aetna and my family was there again cheering me on! Pre-race I knew the only question was whether I would run a 9 minute mile or an 8 minute mile. 90 degree weather with 90% humidity + strong winds changed that plan quickly. I started off holding my 8:45 pace for the first couple of miles. Carrie, Madison and Aaron were out there cheering too! As I headed down toward the water one of the race officials waved me to the right and I complied (I was in automatic pilot mode). He must have thought that I was finishing the race. After about 1/4 of a mile I saw the finish line I realized that I was heading the wrong way. They key was seeing the finish line! The person running next to me rolled her eyes and I started to back track. Not good! My first marathon and I have to add more distance! Not smart.

I ended up catching up to Tom again. He is a weight lifter (CrossFit) and a big guy. He had a jersey that said "Big Sexy," which got endless comments and cheers. I walked/ran with him for a while. People were offering him drinks (margaritas, beer….). Mental note get a funky jersey for next time!




Tom Davies
After a couple of minutes, I ended up leaving him and heading out to the first turn-around at the southern portion of the course. I continued to get passed and repass the same competitors during this period. When I got back down toward the downtown part I started to walk hills and run the downhills. I saw Aaron, Madison and Carrie who cheered me on! As was running out to the Queen K I saw Dean Harper and Kim Bruce finishing up their days! Lucky bastards. Due to the lava there really are not many flats on the course. The sunburn was really starting to hurt. I was running 12 minute miles and my heart rate would start to race. My body was really shot. Every water stop I was dumping water over my head, putting ice in my hat and drinking water. The volunteers were great!

It started to get dark about 6:30. Running on Queen K is like running on Mars. Unlike the first 11 miles there is virtually no one out there cheering. To the left and right are lava fields that are just radiating heat. There are little rolling hills that never seem to end. After while I switched on a head lamp that my wife MADE me bring and headed down into the energy lab. It was completely dark. I knew I would finish but very disappointed in the run time. But I would finish. When Tiger Woods plays golf he plays to win. When I play golf I try not to hit the water, to keep the ball on course… In other words I play not to lose. At one point I passed an aid station and there was an athlete passed out on the grown with a Mylar blanket put over him. I was dammed determined not to be that ‘guy.’ My race plan had changed completely. This triathlon had me playing not to lose! I was going to finish.

In the complete dark, I turned off of Queen K to the famous energy lab. This is the part of race course that has caused more people to lose it. While it was still hot, it was not as bad for me as it was for people who passed through here in the day. I passed the Ford Inspiration Message Board and headed to the turnaround. I passed the run special needs area. I yelled out to the volunteers that I would not be picking up anything today. At the aid stations they started to serve chicken broth. This was something that I thought I would never want, but it really was great. My mantra was keep moving forward at all times. I was slowly getting it done. The run that I was so proud of was just not there today.

At one point about mile 20, two athletes caught up with me--both Germans. One spoke English (Albert) and the other did not. The second athlete was 70 years old and hoping to finish at the top of his age group. After a couple of miles, the 70 year old dropped both Albert and me. Albert and I continued our death march into town. We ran into another athlete, Sean that I had been talking to throughout the day. The three of us ran together for while. As we entered the last two miles, my pace picked up (helps that it started on a downhill). It is amazing to enter the city again after being in the dark for so long. I was on a natural high. I saw the family one last time as I raced through town. The crowds were starting to pick-up. I think I saw Kim Bruce cheering me on at this point too. I saw Ailii Drive and knew the end was near. Aillii drive was like Madi Gras. My eyes were completely dilated as I was coming back to the light. I was so fricken happy. As I entered the chute I saw Team Aetna, Aaron, Carrie, Madison and Steve. I gave them high fives. As I continued down the chute I took my hat off and pumped my arms. I saw one of the MCs working the crowd up by spinning a towel around. I stopped to fist pound him and then continued down the chute to to hear "Geoff Wezooski You Are an Ironman!" I was so happy—I was looking around for Danette and the kids, but they had not gotten back to the finish yet. They could see me finish, but were to at the finish yet. Two volunteers grab me and made me stop running. I got my medal and most importantly I bypassed the medical tent!







Run

Hung out with the family and friends. Got photos taken


With Danette!


With Layton, Dennae, Danette


In front of the sign that my buddies made me!


Post race rainbow (the next day)


My blister--it got twice as big the next day.


Dennae ran the kids du and came in as the third fastest girl


Layton was the third fastest boy




Kona medal
Post race kiss!




The heat/humidity and the sun burn


The stories were amazing. One was a Canadian, Sean, who had 25% lung capacity--he and I finished within two or three minutes of each other--talked quite a bit on the run. On the bike I yelled at Rudy who was a 20 year old double amputee. He was struggling on the bike, but runs 6 minute miles. I yelled "Hang in there; I look forward to kicking my butt on the run." He smiled and laughed. He missed the bike cut-off by six minutes. He will be back next year. At the finish line he found me and thanked me. It is me who should be thanking him. The 80 year old nun did not make the bike cut-off either nor did the biggest loser contestant winner. Heroes one and all!

The next day I talked to the women's winner who is Chrisy Wellington for about five minutes as we waited in line to pick-up our photos. Smart and down to earth. During the close ceremonies she shared that one of her favorite moments was when she was finishing the marathon and got proposed to by a giant banana!

This race has about 1,800 competitors with 5,000 volunteers. It is amazing the support that we get. I smiled probably 90% of the day and thanked volunteers endlessly. As a FFB (former fat boy) who parked his butt on the couch for 15 years it has been a fun journey over the last 4 years. I started this sport as part of the Aetna Healthy Body program. I dropped my fat percentage from about 24% to 7% over this time. One person who gets credit (among many of you) is Elaine Misseri--who was my nurse in this program. Thank you Team Aetna (Joel Reed, Ron Smith, and Rose Harris) for following me out to Kona! They had great t-shirts. Thanks Pete Charles and Brian Ternan (my two bosses) for your flexibility and allowing this to work. I was coming in at 5:00 am and then leaving for a couple of hours and returning to work until 6+ at times. Thanks for the flexibility. Thanks Mark Schroeder for watching my back and covering for me while I was out.

Training for this event means that I cross paths with tons TRI people! All of you have made a difference in my success! I truly hope that I did not forget someone—but I’m certain that I did….

-- I started to train about four years ago when I started to swim at the Master’s Program at Indian Valley Swim. I could not swim free style and it was the first time that I worked out on a regular basis for about 15 years. Thanks Sarah Wondolowski and Sam Dix—you guys were very patient with the slow old guy who struggled with swimming 700 yards in under an hour!

-- I joined Team in Training for my first Triathlon. It was a great experience from start to finish. When I signed up I waffled whether to compete in the sprint distance or Olympic distance. Our team manager Megan Kilkenny said "no, no, no don't sign up for the sprint, you can do the Olympic." She took my application and checked the box! The die was cast. Coach Paul Kinney was outstanding and kept the team going in a balance/low key approach—I still can count on you for answers and support. On my Kona IM race rehearsal he gave up his ride to fix my bike when I broken down in the middle of nowhere. Thank you coach/captains Adam Njaa, Andrew Kilkenny, Amy Amundson, Mike Kyle, Mike Digirolamo, Darren McNally, and Nicole Kohleriter for all of your help. Last and certainly not least Raji Watawala who was my mentor. It is amazing that you have done 25+ endurance events and have raised over $100k. You kept me balanced and helped me work though many issues associated with getting through the TRI. As you finish battling cancer remember that you are one of the strongest people I have met. This magic carried over to my next TNT season at Big Kahuna. Also to thank you to everyone who donated to my races to beat the snot out of cancer.

--For the last two years I have been going to Heather Farms Swim TRI classes off and on. Thanks to Coaches Wayne Spaulding, Lisa (Crap I don’t know your last name) and Kerry O’Brien. Thanks to your help the swim in Kona was the best part of my day! Also for my lane buddies—who kept me honest and motivated.

-- www.BeginnerTriathlete.com is an online triathlon service. It has been fun to watch the site grow. I have been tracking my workouts since day one! Through this service, I have met many great people—who have inspired me throughout the ups and down of my training. You guys have made me a better athlete and a better person. You know who you are! I have four years of history on the log—which is always fun to look back upon to see my progress.

-- www.teamshadow.org You guys have been great and thank you for all of you who has ridden or run with me in the last couple of years. Thanks for swimming with me done in Shadow Cliffs. How many people do you know who would work out with you in Duck Poop? While there are tons of you to thank one person need special credit—Kevin McNulty. Not too many fools people would run with me at 5:00 am for long runs. This was done after his IM. That goes beyond the call of duty. Thanks to Lulu had one of the best training quotes that I have ever heard. You’ll have to ask her (or Aaron) about it….

--Livermore Cyclery—Four years ago when I started this journey I had a budget of $800 for a bike. Chuck got me fit and came within fifty cents of hitting the budget! When I got approve from the boss to upgrade I knew where I would go. Chuck and Chris spend significant time fitting me and giving me countess advice. I have freakishly long legs/arms and am difficult to fit.

--Center for Sports Medicine—My PCP recommended Dr. William Ross when I was having hip problems. I have seen them since with plantar face & then with IT Band issues. Ernie PTed me with the plantar fasciitis late last year. Thomas cranked on me for the IT bands later in the season. Both of you guys made me cry and 90% of the time you guys kept me healthy as my volume increased. ART is the greatest.

--Aetna Bike Club—I have enjoyed the rides up Mount Diablo and other locations. Many times you guys forced me up that hill (Diablo) when I didn’t want to go up there!

-- Forward Motion—Thank you for all of your support too. It is amazing how many great cyclists there are in the bay area! In particular to Jason and Kim Cooke for letting us swim at ‘their’ lake in Walnut Creek! Jason came up with Kona Geoff as my nickname. That’s like calling the 6’8” 230 pound guy tiny! Somehow it has stuck. Also to Chris Dufor who joined me during one of my race rehearsals when I was going freakishly slow. How many other local club have four qualifiers to Kona?---and at least twice as many who have or will qualify?

-- www.EnduranceNation.us Thank you the great training plans and online support. You have made my foray into training with power a success. The coaches Rich Strauss and Patrick McCrann have created an environment that is great! When I got the lottery slot it gave me great comfort to know that I was well into my training season. It was a training plan that kept me challenged and honest! One of the more critical pieces that I picked up was the race week execution plans. Not only did you give the right Xs & Os, one of the more critical posts was what to do in Kona outside of geeking out. It was a great post of things to do in Kona—we got virtually them all done except the volcano. You kept me very calm (and married.) Thanks to the Northern California Sleeper Cell of EN. In particular John Stark (thanks for the race kit), Steve and Carrie Chavez (who ‘schooled’ the Kona Rookie) and the rest of the crew! It was great to see many ENers out in Kona.

--Finally, Aaron Smith (BT, Endurance Nation, ForwardMotion, xAetna) who has raced and trained with me more than one else. You always knew how to bring ‘the stick’ when I needed to suck it up and get the training done! He let me borrow his tri equipment along the way. Also, he was there the week of the race. You will kick butt at IM AZ next week!

And finally, thank you to my wife Danette for letting me complete this journey. None of this would be possible without you. You balanced everything while I tried to balance work, training and life. You are my lobster!

Watch on NBC December 19th! I'll be the guy in the black speedsuit in the swim.

Top 10 “Magic” things that happened along the way to Kona (apologies to David Letterman):
1. I found out that I got a lottery slot via Facebook. The announcement was made on the 70.3 Ironman World Championships on NBC on Easter Sunday. I would not have been married if I stopped Easter Sunday Dinner to watch the event. Later that evening, I was checking email I got an email from Team Shadow wishing Tom Davies good luck on getting into Kona. My email message to him was “Well done! I sign-up every year for the lottery. One of these days.... Geoff.” He responded back “Geoff......You didn’t see???? You are in too!!!! I kid you not!!!!! Team Shadow represent!!!” This was followed up by Lulu (who as a way with words) “Holy c**p! Phenomenal! Rather you guys than me!!! Represent!” I didn’t see either response as I was logging into Facebook to give “Facebook Bather” to Tom. One person had already posted “You and Geoff will do well in Kona.” I started to shake….I headed back to the TV and grabbed the remote from Danette and flipped to the end of the Kona broadcast for the announcement the Kona Lottery Winners. There it was “Geoff Wieczynski.” My first reaction was it has to be a different “Geoff Wieczynski” but then I noticed that it said “Lafayette, CA”—I was really in. My first thought was “Danette will never let me do this.” Followed by “What the hell have I gotten myself into.” Then I thought “how am I going to afford to do this?” Followed by “What the hell have I gotten myself into.” Followed by “How am I going to do this.” Followed by “What the hell have I gotten myself into.” I have never had such a swing of emotions in a 2 minute period.
2. The week after getting the lottery slot, I had previously signed up for a 60 mile ride. Aaron Smith burned that bridge and pushed me into signing up for the full century. When I got into the car that morning the first song on the radio was IRONMAN. How strange… how fitting.
3. Dillon Hollinger brought his bike down from Clayton to Livermore so that I could be fit on the bike. Amazing.
4. Getting passed on the Vineman Aquabike by fellow Athlete Tom Davies about mile 60/70—while he was video tapping. http://www.facebook.com/wieczynski#/video/video.php?v=114571646446. How he can bike backward while smoking me? In addition, it was a lift when I needed it. It was fun sharing the adventure with you!
5. About ten days before the race the method of transporting my bike fell through. I was freaking out. Aaron called Carrie who arranged for me to borrow a bike case from Doug Marshall. They had it all worked out within two hours of my other method falling through. Amazing. And if that wasn’t enough Steve Chavez broke down my bike and packed it for me. That was not trivial! If there is no bike, then there is no race.
6. This is event is amazing. Where else can you race with the world champions and with great age groupers? As I was checking in the day of the race I saw Craig Alexander (who was followed by cameras). About six people behind him was Sister Madonna Buder—an 80 year old nun. The first day we were in Kona we saw Chris McCormack and his wife on a moped—which is like the seeing robin at the start of spring. Amazing. This is the word this is the Superbowl of triathlons. The two days before the race I saw Steve Chavez sitting next to someone after the swim. I took a seat next to them to put my shoe on. It was Dave Scott who won more IM events than any other man. I remember watching him battle Mark Allen as a kid. We talked briefly and at the end he introduced himself to me. My typical smart ass response was “Oh, I’m vaguely familiar with your work!” That got a smile out him.
7. It amazes me how many people in the bay area have competed at this event and how approachable they were. I would meet me people at random places—such as Richard Ashburn (who did much of the power racing math) at my son’s football tryout. Or Dean Harper (who won the first Wildflower among tons of other races) at the local pool. He and Brent MacDonell taught an open water clinic at Lakewood. Down in Danville lives the second place winner Chris Lieto, who would blow by me on the road like I was standing still! One of my swim coaches, Wayne Spauding, writes for USTA….. There is something wonderful about the bay area.
8. At the finisher’s banquet they started the video segment with an introduction like “there were a lot of age group athletes who really worked hard to finish the race.” This is what I call the pain and suffering section of the presentation. In the back of my mind I was thinking wouldn’t it be great if I made that video. First person they showed was me crossing the finish line. I could not believe it.
9. In general there were two reactions from triathletes that found out that I got a lottery slot. The first was “I’m so happy for you.” The second was “You bastard, I hate you.” And I’m sure that many times the first reaction was what they said and the second was what they were really thinking!
10. The finish at Kona. Thanks Bill Suiter for videotaping—you got no sleep that night! Also, to everyone else who was watching online. I wish I could have been faster so you could get more sleep! http://www.facebook.com/wieczynski#/video/video.php?v=1176362621145 Also thanks to Lulu, Scott, Mike and Mike for taping another version too. http://www.nbc.com/the-biggest-loser/video/episodes/?apl=true#vid=1...
I did not have the race that I wanted on race day. However, I got the race that Madam Pele and Kona gave me. None of that matters. I have enjoyed the six month journey and am truly thankful for all of the support I got along the way.