Ironman Lake Placid - TriathlonFull Ironman

I originally planned to start toward the outside of the lake and then gradually make my way toward the buoy line. However, when I got into the water, I quickly realized that I was not the only one with that plan...LOL.

I decided last minute to start about 4 or 5 rows back from the flags and about 4 or 5 rows away from the buoy line. I was a little nervous about my location but decided to go for it anyway! Excellent decision, one of the best I would make all day.

"It's a beautiful Day" was blaring out during the swim start and I totally agreed ~ what a beautiful day for an Ironman!

I swam mostly clear the whole way. I could NOT believe it. I thought this would be a HUGE contact swim. I can (almost) say that I had less contact than at IMLOU last year! A little contact here and there but nothing to complain about.

Excellent swim!

Nothing.

No rush here. Used the wetsuit strippers. WALKED (I think I was the only one....LOL) the long path to transition, got my bag and headed inside to change.

Nothing.

WOW. Don't really know where to begin or what to say here. I was out of my league. Not sure where I got the balls to sign up for an IM in the mountains; however, this bike course wanted to chew me up and spit me out.....it tried, but I just wouldn't let it.

I have never seen SO many people on the side of the road or being driven back by SAG. I was out there for more than 8 hours and didn't feel like I was in the back at all; I was still surrounded by 100's of people.


A few things I can say that I learned about the bike course (from a weak biker):

1. The descent is not as bad as it sounds.
2. The climbs are long, very long (and there are ALOT of them!).
3. "Rollers" are a matter of perspective (and, in my opinion, there is NONE on this course....LOL; okay, maybe one or two).

I had never ridden this course before, but had heard time and time again that this course rewards patience. I am glad that I listened.

I never felt horrible, stopped several times to use the bathroom and stretch my feet, got my nutrition in as planned, slowed down when I needed to, remained positive and never let the course take me out (which could have happened very easily). It was just hard. Very hard. And, the headwind on the back half of the course (where all the BIG climbs are) didn't help.

I am proud of myself for making it to the end.

I don't have any idea what I could have done differently. I did the absolute best that I could based on my ability.

Never been SO happy to get off the bike. I walked through transition, got my bag and headed in to change. Took my time in here; wanted to be as "clean" and comfortable as possible for the run.

Nothing.

I have always thought that as long as I get off the bike and make it to the run, I will finish. I came horribly close to realizing that this is NOT a given.

I ran for about 3 miles. They were slow, but I was ok with that. Then, I just started walking. I'm not even really sure that I made the decision to walk, I just realized that I was.

Miles 3 to 6 are a blur. I know that I started to feel bad and really started to realize this was going to be a long night. By miles 7 & 8 I didn't think that I would be able to finish; I was in the port-o-let a couple of times and was really starting to feel sick to my stomach. My mile splits were about 18 minutes at this point; however, I was still running when I could.

For the first time (in any of my IM's) I was all too aware of the midnight time limit and the fact that if I didn't figure something out, and soon, I wasn't going to make it.

I thought about withdrawing. I thought about making it back to town and turning in my chip. I didn't think I could make it another 4 or 5 hours on the course. At one point, just past the little bridge heading back into town, I was belching a bit......ugh, I just threw up in my mouth. Oh no, once I start that, I thought it would be over.

I can't NOT finish this race. I did the bike. That bike was SO hard, I have to find a way to finish this race, I just HAVE to.

Walk. Just walk and figure this out. Ok, somewhere after that bridge and heading up the hills, I decided I was just going to have to walk the rest of the way. I can do it. I can just walk. So, walk I did.

It was a tough decision to make, knowing I would have about 4 more hours to go; however, once I decided and got moving, I felt ok. Running was making me nauseous and I feared that it would eventually shut me down (been there, done that at IMLOU last year) and this time, I didn't have the extra time to spare.

If I wanted to finish this race, I was gonna have to walk as fast as I could for 16 more miles. And, I better not slow down, either.

I denied special needs, didn't want to waste time and didn't really need anything anyway. I was taking one cup of chicken broth at every aid station and keeping my hand held bottle full of ice water. This was working perfectly.

Just past special needs, I saw my husband. He walked with me for a while and I told him my plan. Said I was SO sorry, but he was gonna be out here until midnight. He said, "don't worry about me, I'm just glad to see that you are ok and are gonna finish" (I was WAY behind my previous times). He also commented on how dam fast I was walking....(which is VERY unusual for me).

I also told him, It's a dam good thing I can swim! I would later realize that my swim time saved my race.

The last loop was hard, but I walked and walked as hard as I could, stopping only to get some broth and water. The long, dark turn around was hard. I walked with a couple of guys that I met (Howard and Joe) it was nice to have some company for a bit. At about mile 19 or 20, I ran a little. I really wanted to bank a little time. I did NOT want to go through all this only to JUST miss the time cut-off.

When I got back into town, I saw my husband again. He walked with me on the last little out and back. I was starting to lose it a bit and thought I was further away than I was. I heard Mike Reilly say "20 minutes" and I went into extreme panic.......I was less than a 1/2 mile away:)

My hubby broke away as soon as the barriers came up.....I will see you at the finish, he told me. Dam straight! I said.

Running into the oval was amazing. By far the best finish ever. There is something to be said about being one of the last finishers (and there were still 23 finishers behind me). I can not believe how many people were there! I was high fiving everyone and smiling, cheering, clapping my hands! It was amazing.

"Stacie Tumlin.....you ARE and IRONMAN!" I will NEVER get tired of hearing that!

I really don't know.

Collect finishers gear, pictures, talk to hubby a minute. Then, into the athlete lounge for two slices of cheese pizza......that was REALLY good pizza!!


Tough, tough training season for me. Fourth IM year in a row has really taken it's toll on my body. I have had several foot injuries and just gotten slower and slower. I have had ALOT of personal family problems in the past 6 months that has really affected me; my stress level has been through the roof and my sleep has been extremely compromised. I almost withdrew from this race back in April. I am SO, SO glad that I didn't.

I have told my training partners all year that the one thing that was going to get me through this race was my experience. That couldn't have been more true. I made some good decisions that allowed me to complete a course that was WAY, WAY out of my league. (A little luck that things fell into place didn't hurt either....LOL).

I am happily taking some time away from Ironman and very proud of the way I'm going out!!


Lake Placid is beautiful. I was simply amazed. This venue would be very, very hard to top. The volunteers are AMAZING!!