Swim went well. I started all the way to the right. I found Michelle (Shelly123) in the water which I thought was good because we are about the same speed. We got right up on the line and waited for the gun. Holy Sh*t I am about to start my first Ironman. The race started and I was off. I slowly made my way over towards the crowd and the line. I just went from fet to feet and tried to draft throughout the whole swim. I learned during this that either I dont swim straight or they dont swim straight but next time I will sight for myself a bit more. I got kicked in the face once pretty hard but it wasnt that bad. I exited the water at about 30:00. This is where I made a bit of a mistake (see below) Hit the course for lap 2, which was about the same time wise and I drafted throughout this lap also. The swim was pretty uneventful but a lot of fun.

I started too far right and stayed to the outside of the group/bouyes for most of the race. This was bc of nerves. I am a good enough swimmer to get right in the mix and make my course as short as possible. I guess it had to do with lack of confidence.

When I exit the water next time I wont take my sweet azz time getting back in the water. I walked and went slow. Even once in the water I waited until the water was almost waist deep before I took a stroke. Next time I will move through this a bit quicker.

T1 was different than I had ever done before. I took full advantage of the wetsuit pealers, but my Left foot got stuck and they kept pulling. This was the first cramp that I got. From my foot being pulled in a weird direction my leg cramped. Then the run was long to the tents butI got in and tried to get out. It was crowded. I took the stuff I needed and gave my bag back to a volly.

I would put my arm warmers on. I was wet and they didnt go on as easy as I hoped. I figured that I was warm enough anyway and I would be fine.

The bike went OK. After T1, I was a little cold so I tried to keep my cadence up in hopes that I would warm up eventually, wgich I did. I was staying with my HR Zone, even to the lower end of it but I was moving. I did the first loop in about 3:10 which is fast for me. I know the spot that it all started to go bad for me though. The Hasselton out and back. I hate this part of the course, and I dont know why. Its not that challenging but I just cannot stand the out and back. Anyway, this is where I decided to eat solid food. I ate an Uncrustable PB&J. Went down ok, but I wasnt really hungry at the time but figured that I better eat. Long story short is that it did not sit right and messed my nutrition plan up. Hit the Special Needs, but the truth was I really only needed my 2nd bottle of nutrition. The first was Perpeteum and gel with water. A heavy concentration that I was taking down with water.
I saw the fam at this point and it truly was a boost to see Amie, my Mom, Sis, and Grandparents, even if it was just for a quick "Go Matt."
The sandwich got into my stomach right about now, as I was heading out of town on the 2nd loop.
I was keeping my cadence up througout this loop too but my stomach was giving me some problems. I woudl say that I probably spent more time out of my Aerobars than in them for this loop. I stopped once right before the big downhill figuring that I could make up some time. I drank a little and tried to wash the sandwich out of me. Then the wind picked up, WTF? It seemed calm but it wasnt and I just kept moving through the course. I again got off the bike at the start of the Hasselton Out and Back. This was a Potty break though. (I did go on the bike but I wanted to stretch at this point also) I sipped my second cocktail that was a combo of carbo-pro and gatorade w/ water. This did help me a bit but to be honest I was just grateful that I was still able to get any calories down.

I was also taking Endurolytes throughout the bike for the most part, sometimes I just could not get them down.

I would put more miles in on the bike during my training. I would also execute a better nutrition plan. I dont think that I really needed the solid food. I think it is true thats if you have the calories and the right blend of them, then solids would probably not be necessary. If I did eat again, I would try something else, like maybe a clif bar. I think that the complex carbs would be easier absorbed.

I had never done a T2 like this one before. I got to the Dismount line and I basically followed what other people were doing. I handed my bike to a volunteer and ran to get my bag. A volunteer had already gotten my bag which was sweet. I sat down, took my bike shoes off, and put socks on and then running shoes. Changed my HR strap, just to have a different feeling, and rubbing in different spots although I was not having any problems. Amie wrote me a card that said on the outside"Open When You need It Most." Well there was no better time for that then right now. It was sweet with a lot of inspiation that really made me want to get moving. NOW COMES MY DOWNFALL.

I grabbed a coinr purse with Endurolytes out of my T2 bag and put it on my lap. Then I grabbed the used pack that was in my pocket and had it in my hand. The volunteer asked me a question, and I threw the empty one back in my pocket, and the full one into my T2 bag. (but I didnt know this yet) Got some sun screen, went to the bathroom in the tent and I was off.

Mark my coin purses so I know which ones are from the bike, run, ect. I also might move a little quicker, I was kind of taking it all in.

I exited the transition tent and saw my Grandma standing there waiting to see me. I went over to her, told her that I was feeling good, gave her a kiss and I was off. I was planning on going 9:00 run, 1:00 walk, but I was def stopping at the first Aid station. I got to the first aid station at about 4:00, reached into my back pocket to get my Endurolytes, and sure enough I grabbed the wrong coin purse. There was only 1 pill in there and there were supposed to be 8. Oh Boy!!

I didnt let that stop me though. I continued doing a runn walk, but I dropped it down to 4:00/1:00, and this set me up for the aid stations also. This was going well and I felt pretty good until the turnaround. I was consistently trying to drink at each station and suck the salt off pretzels since I had no pills. I started to hurt at about Mile 10. It was getting bad in a hurry. I was feeling dizzy, and I could not put anything into my mouth bc I felt sick. I was forcing Coke, hoping that the sugar could help settle my stomach. I made it up the Hills back into LP, but I was hurting.

I saw my Mom and Amie at this point. I was right across from Mirror Lake, by the brewery. I told them that I didnt feel good, and I had been walking a lot. I kept going though. After going up Lake PLacid Club Drive to that turnaround, I was not good. Some guy gave me some Endurolytes but I could not even take them. Amie came to meet me up the road near the turn around and thats where I cramped. I was about 100-150 yds from the 13.1 mile mat. My calfs cramped. They cramped so bad it could not even stand. I went down, and a volunteer came over to help me get off the course. Amie was there, and I could tell that she was upset. After a few minutes of laying there and downing chicken broth, sucking pretzels, and sucking ice cubes, I also ate an Enurolyte by just puring the stuff into my mouth and washing it down, I felt "better." The volunteer asked me if I had been drinking and if I wanted to walk to the medical tent. I told him if I could walk to the med tent, I might as well walk the course. I thought to myself that if I was walking, my stomach should settle soon.

Amie walked with me a little bit more and then I cramped again. I didnt go down this time, it just buckled me. I was trying to stretch it while Amie punched it. Once it went away I was off. I could not stop until I crossed the line, otherwise I would probably cramp again. It was about 6pm at this point, I think?

I continued walking, drinking chicken broth at just about every aid station, then mixing in a little coke at some spots. I was walking, and walking, and walking. I tried to yell to people throughout the run to help lift their spirits and raise my own. My stomach settled, but then my feet were starting to hurt. I wasnt really bending much throughout the run because I was afraid of cramping, so the balls of my feet were the only spots that I was walking on. They were getting hot but I was not stopping at this point. It began getting darker and more and more people passed me along the way. I met some great people that were also walking but eventually they were faster than me too. I kept telling myself "never again, never again" "one and done".

I got to mile 23 and I look up and Amie came to find me on the course. She wanted to give me a little support and we joked that she was "pacing" me at 20:00/ mile. She trekked with me for the majority of the last 3 miles. At this point everyone was being "paced" that was still out on the course. Her phone was rining off thee hook bc everyone wanted to know if I was still racing or not. At mile 26, Amie ran ahead so she could watch the finish with my fam. I hobbled down around the oval, and then I saw a guy that I met on the run. He told me that he would hang around to watch me finish. As I saw him, he said "Bring it home" and I started to jog (sort of, I dont knwo if it really can be called jogging.) I was going down the chute waiting to hear my name, but nothing was being said. I realized later that there was a wedding going on. Anyway right as I crossed the line I heard Mike Reilly say Matthew Forger, someone else, and someone else, you are all ironmen. It was 11:20 pm, and I was officially an IRONMAN. Not the way that I pictured it, but this was just about finishing.

Where do I begin? LEARN HOW TO RUN for starters. Nail my nutrition a little bit better throughout to help on the run. I dont know? Its not hard to improve on a 7+ hour marathon.

Went tto the Med Tent just to get my feet looked at. It was so friggin hot that I ended up getting dizzy and naseus in there. I layed down for a bit, got my feet wrapped, and ate a sandwich. Again thank you volunteers. I did leave my Rudy sunglasses and visor, race belt and HR strap in the tent. Damn.


Salt intake. Hands down I think that was my #1 limiter. And of course I am not a good runner.

Went from 172lbs at the start to about 165lbs


I just want to thank everyone of the volunteers that I did not get to thank personally that day. without them the race really could not go on.

Also I want to Thank Amie, Mom, Jill, Grandma, and Grandpa for all the support. I know that was a long day getting up with me at about 3:30 am and staying at the race all night. Every lap that I went past any one of you it brought my spirits up. Most of all Amie, when you came to "pace" my walk towards the end it was great.

During the race I said never again, and even the day after but the truth is I am chomping at the bit to get back and race another Ironman. Maybe in a few years but def again, but everyone knew that I was full of it anyway when I said that was it ;)