Ironman Louisville : Official Thread (Page 69)

I think there were two of them. I know one guy had an IU shirt on. He carried a water bottle and squirted water on his feet to keep them cool.

Did anyone else prepay for pictures? If so, have you gotten the confirmation email with Order # that is needed to download pics?

Funny thing about the guy using a squirt bottle, It was my bottle that I gave to him because I felt bad for him.  Would have done the same thing for me because he is an Ironman and thats what we do for each other.

And he finished in under 15 hours.

Edited by elcaminobill 2010-09-02 5:35 PM

A few things...

Signs - Thanks Tim, yours was a boost especially on the way home.  Chuck Norris sign was good, my fav was Race with the Energy of 1000 Chihuahuas - anyone with kids who reads Skippyjon Jones knows that...

Pain - So much of it out there, especially on the bike.  Bodies by the side of the road will be my lasting impression of that bike.  The seeming omnipresent ambulance. 

Pros - I saw about a dozen gold bibbed pros on their second loop while I was doing my first.  Without exception they all offered support and praise to us age-groupers as they passed by.  What an amazing thing - in what other sport to we not only compete with the pros on the same course but they go out of their way to offer support? 

Track My Athlete - I echo Brian - a great product.  I am not affiliated.  Their product is awesome.  I had about 50 people tracking me and they loved it.  BTW Brian I finished at 13:05 and several people asked me about someone on Track my Athlete that was close to me the whole marathon - must have been you.  Great job!

The experience - It was incredible.  Louisville was outstanding, a great host city.  Yes IM could have done better on the water thing, no question.  But I wouldn't let that deter me from highly recommending Louisville to anyone.  Just train hot and you will be fine.

Last but not least, thanks to all the BTers.  Everyone that shared on this site had a part in me finishing that Ironman last Sunday.  I owe you all, big time.  Thanks!

I'm enjoying the stories almost as much as I enjoyed the race.  I'm adjusting to life back at home and taking the week off.  I'm going to do an easy spin tomorrow with the wife and start training a little next week.  I'll try and get my race report done tomorrow and looking forward to reading those that have already been completed.

Great race, all!  I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to meet more of you but have enjoyed the past 9 months of fellowship! 

Did anyone get an XL finishers shirt and wish they had gotten a Large?  If you did, I would love to trade with you.

Before this thread dies off I wanted to say thanks to everyone.

I have really enjoyed reading your posts. I am glad I was able to meet a few of you last weekend.

See you next year.

My Race Report is up.

I finished in 12hrs.  The swim was slower than expected, but I wasn't pushing it.  I was killing the bike with a 22mph average through the first loop until I effed up my nutrition and started cramping.  The run was semi survival mode.  jogging between 9:30s and 10s and then walking the aid stations get get food and liquid in.  The run course was boring and felt dirty.  The landmarks were hidden and not much to look at anyway.  The best thing to see was The U of Lou.  The bike course was amazing though and is the only reason I would consider doing this race again.  Volunteers were great too most of the time. 

I found that it was hard to squeeze the Perform bottles though.  I think the plastic is too heavy on them or something.  I could only get about two thirds out of them before I had to toss em for a new one.  And I kept getting broken water bottles.  I think people were dropping them on the grab and the volunteer would pick them up and try again with the next person, but the top had cracked so when I went to drink half of it just gush out of the side. 

Great work everyone. Proud to be on the same course with all of you.

I just want to say that anyone that finished that race is a beast! From my calculations, there were around 800 DNF/DNS's and that is brutal.

Congratulations Ironmen!

Edited by blountds 2010-09-03 4:11 PM

Can't agree more. Unfortunately for me my rear deraileur broke going up the last hill on the out and back and bike tech turned me to a single speed. I rode to mile 87 (after many more mechanicals with bike tech help) where my chain finally broke again and bike tech said my day was over. So I was one of the 800 DNFs due to a mechanical (which seems much worse than my body breaking).

lesson learned. My bike was checked over the week before the race and given the okay. Next race I'll have it checked both before I leave and once there. I'm also learning alot more about wrenching my own stuff.

Congrats to those who finished and wish me luck at Beach 2 Battleship full...thats right I'm not wasting all this training. I signed up for B2B before some of you finished on sunday :-)

At least my bike looked fast!


http://www.flickr.com/photos/30603911@N03/4955337460/



Edited by blountds 2010-09-03 4:10 PM

Here's my race report:
Volunteers: First & foremost, I would like to express a heart felt thanks to ALL of the volunteers that were part of this event. While picking up my race packet, I met Scott (who had posted a blog on this site a few days before the race). I had inadvertantly cut in line and Scott very politely pointed out my error. I jokingly told him that I was a "VIP" and that I was entitled to be in the front of the line. As it turned out, I would later see Scott on the bike and on the run, and each time he would yell out "Come on VIP!" No matter how bad I was suffering, every time I heard this I just had to laugh, which helped me keep going. It was such a random and small thing, but every race I do from now on, when I get tired, I'll think of Scott yelling at me and I'll think to myself: "Come on VIP" and I'll keep pushing myself to that finish line. From packet pick-up until the time I picked up my bike after the race, every single volunteer made me feel like an absolute Champion and as much as anything else, I'll never ever forget that. Thanks again Scott and all of the other volunteers.

Swim Start: On the way to swim start, I met a fellow BT'er who agreed with my earlier post that I was easy to find. I forgot your name buddy, but remember that you were from Hatiesburg, MS. While waiting in line, I met a couple of other very cool people. An underlying theme throughout the event that seperated this event from any other was the comraderie amongst the athletes. Everyone is so friendly, so encouraging, and so helpful to one another. That and the volunteer support is enough to bring me back. I was able to meet Destroyer, his girlfriend, and his brother at the meet-up before the race. I saw his girlfriend & brother at swim start and during the run and each time they cheered for me as if I had known them for years - boy that felt great. Just before making that final turn down the ramp towards the water, I saw my wife. At that moment, I knew I was ready to do this!
My swim time was aweful, but not unexpected. Unfortunately, I am a terrible swimmer. Next year, I promise I'll be 10x better! I did manage to do 2 things in the swim: First, I didn't drown, and second, I made the cutoff. Swim time: 1 hr 50 mins.
Bike: I saw my Mom, Dad, brother, sister, nephew, & friends at mile 12 and again at mile 100 on the bike. That was a boost. The crowd in LaGrange made me feel like I was in the TDF: people lined up on both sides of the street, yelling, screaming, ringing bells, cheering. The atmosphere was electric. The only negatives on the bike were the vehicular traffic in spots, and the fact that a couple of aid stations ran out of water. Bike time: 6 hrs 25 mins.
Run: I met so many good people on the run. The course itself was pretty boring but honestly, with all my fellow athletes out there and the volunteers I wasn't concerned about the scenery. I saw Destroyer (he was finisihing when I was just starting), and several other people that I had met along the way. I thought that I would be able to run a whole lot faster, but my legs just didn't have it. Run time: 5 hrs 10 mins. Total time: 13 hrs 52 mins
Overall, this was a great experience. This was my 1st IM, and I knew it was going to be tough. But honestly, it was tougher than I expected. That's part of the reason that I will be back next year...That's right, I'll be back!
Thanks to each one of you, my new "friends" for your support, encouragement, & motivation. Thanks to my wife, my, friends and my family that were there to support me. Thanks to the volunteers who made it all possible. I hope to see you all again in 2011!
Aaron

What's up VIP? Thanks for being out there. Your prescence & support was definitely felt. I assume that was your wife who gave me the "VIP" treatment at T2? Tell her thanks as well. You guys are freakin awesome!

In for 2011, Hyped!!

FM
"The" Cube

Pretty sure I'm in for 2011.  Loved the course and the town.

I'm officially in for 2011. Just signed up and booked my hotel. I'm going sub 12 hrs next year.

Had a great time at the race and the city is awesome but I'm not in for this one again - will do canada in 2012 - need a year off to re-focus on a few things.

CONGRAT to everyone and thank you to everyone - I've really enjoyed reading the posts.

GOOD LUCK to everyone in for next year - ride the waves and rock it out

This was my first Ironman and it was an amazing experience!!  I'm also in for 2011!!

Congratulations to all of you that participated this year!  I'm in for 2011 - my 2nd IM (CDA was my first this year).  Very much enjoyed reading all of your race reports.

Funny what a week can bring in the Ohio Valley, it was 59 this morning 81 this afternoon, 25% humidity. Best day of the summer weather wise.

Yeah no kidding...makes the heat last Sunday seem like it was only a dream...or nightmare maybe!

Lost Casio camera, at the finish line around 7:45-8:00 pm it's pink and has pactures of my race on there if any one knows anything about it I would love to have this camera back and would gladley pay a reward

Why must the tri- gods punish us??????????  Great temps before and after????????  I guess we can all say we earned it!

Tim - Thanks again for the sign.  I saw it while driving the course and then made a point to look for it during the race.  I can't tell you how many times I thought of the BT peeps while out there.

I'm trying for Florida, but if I can't get in, heading back to "the ville".  I will be seeking revenge.  Certainly nothing against IMLOO, but I just want to experience a different race that is within driving distance.  I enjoyed every minute of IMLOO (and believe me, that was a lot!)

Edited by Jeepguy2358 2010-09-06 7:18 PM