The start was crazy, Nothing like it ever. It's been termed the washing machine, and that is a pretty accurate description. Bodies everywhere. I had swum the course twice over the previous days and was pretty familiar with it. That helped to give me a good comfort level in a crazy environment. My one regret is early position. I let some of the crowd overtake me early and that left me packed tight with other swimmers for almost the entire first loop (1.2 miles). I took a foot to the cheek, and was brushed another time by someone who almost used my face like swimmers use a wall to push off of. I had incidental contact numerous other times with arms, hands etc.. also, countless grabs of my feet and calves. Weird, but I think all that is pretty cool. The turns at the boys were so crowded, it was easier to go upright and just go with the flow. The current seemed to pull everyone right along. Once on the second lap, some space opened up, but nothing substantial. For me, the swim was crowded 90 percent of the way. Still, it was an awesome experience.

Learn to surge better to get in front of people. I can do a faster swim than this, but I was happy with my time. It was pretty much dead on what I predicted.

Got pulled out of the water, and headed right to the strippers.. they got my suit off in no time and I was off to the Helix. I did a ton of hill work for this race, and the helix was very easy. I must have passed 30 racers in there alone, no heart rate blowout or any adverse issues either. Once up, I saw my support team.. that was awesome and set the stage for well for the next leg of the race. I headed into the terrace, grabbed my swim to bike bag, and headed to the changing rooms. I raced the entire race in a tri suit, so I did not change clothing. I put on my bike shoes, helmet, and sunglasses, then headed outside. There I got a quick rubdown of sun block from volunteers, then ran to my bike. Volunteers handed me my bike, and I headed over to the bike exit Helix.

Nothing.. T1 went well. Could get a little more efficient, but there were no mental errors at all.

First, let me say that I did 4 100+ mile rides in training, 3 formal century rides and one on my own, all hot hilly courses that had me well prepared for this one. Still, this course was not easy. Hills, Hills, and more hills. Some screaming descents, and, some long, some steep, climbs. I hit 45mph on down hills at least twice. Maybe even faster. I was too afraid to look a few times due to speed. :) I took the first lap easier per recommendation, then hit it hard on the second. Saw Leslie in Verona twice. She had chalked in my nick name and number, but I didn't see it.. I was going WAY too fast.. heh.. not really, I just didn't see it. I also saw Greg and Nicole about 6 different times out there. Seeing support on the bike makes a world of difference from those long boring training rides. Each time I saw someone I knew, It was like a shot of Jeagermeister.. oh wait.. a shot of adrenalin. Same difference. :)

I did see a bike accident, single rider about 50 feet in front of me, going through a town. He just kind of leaned over and fell. Looked from behind like he passed out. We were doing 18, 19 mph and he rolled twice.. with his bike. I looked back and saw medical racing toward him, so there was no need to stop, but it was a scary moment for sure. I hoped for the best for him as I continued my race.

I ate Three un-crustables out there. Forget kids, those things were made for 140.6 races. They provided great calories and great taste. I also downed 4 gels and refilled my Heed and Infinite at special needs. Went pee once, at special needs, though I had to go almost the whole time out there.

So, 16 miles out, one 40 mile loop x2 then 16 miles back.. and those 16 miles back were the worst part of the ride. It seemed like it was all uphill, and the course at this point was fairly non descript. Once back to John Nolan, I was pretty excited. Fatigue was not really apparent yet. Up the helix without a problem and off the bike. My support crew was at the top of the helix, and that was really cool. Handed off bike to volunteers and was off to T2

Other notes.. saw cows approximately 4 times. Moo'd at them approximately two times. I chatted with them once and they definitely didn't say anything back, so I knew my hydration and nutrition plan was solid.


Nothing.. maybe ride with a SRAM 11-26 instead of a 12-25. I power better with my 11-23 and missed the 11 out there.

I had planned to take my time in T2, to sort of regain some strength for the long run ahead, but.. you know, you get caught up in stuff, one thing leads to another, your bike stuff comes off, your run stuff is put on, all without you really doing much at all (thanks volunteer!.. then your out the door and on the run thinking.. how did that happen? Really, it's pretty much a blur at that point. Not from fatigue or anything, just cause that's how it was.

Don't know. It was pretty cool.

Went out feeling strong. Took the first look at my watch all day and saw 8:03 total elapsed race time. If I could do a 4 hour marathon, I had 12:00 or sub 12 within my reach. Running is my strong event. I ran a 3:19 in Chicago last year and a 3:29 at the ING Georgia Marathon in March. The latter was all hills. I knew coming off a bike of 112 would change things up, but I was hoping for the best.. and my projected best case was for 4 hours. I managed the first loop pretty well, but could feel that I was fading toward the end of it. I took in some broth and some gels and perked up again, but the muscle fatigue was just too much to nail that 4 hour marathon. So on the second loop, I just did what I could without jeopardizing my race. I felt nauseous and dizzy at times, and saw people dropping around me, so mentally I had to man up a little bit. The spectators were great, giving me that boost right when I needed it. I saw my support crew several times. Leslie at the start, then at the state street turn around, and Greg and Nicole several places as well. Let me tell you. Seeing your support crew is perhaps one of the single biggest motivators of the run. I got to mile 22 / 23 and felt a little better, so I picked up my pace knowing that I was going to be an Ironman in just a few short miles.. at 23 I actually thought to myself 'one loop of the river left' .. Atlanta peeps know what I mean. That moment, it all became real. I was going to do this thing.

So I got to within one mile and started plotting my finish. I wanted a gap. I didn't want anyone else mucking up Mike Riley saying my name.. :) with about 1/2 mile to go, I made my move. Picked up the pace and ran right into a large gap.. people well in front, people well behind me. I held that gap and got into the finish area.. the single most memorable racing moment of my life, the day I first became an Ironman laid before me. I crossed the first mat, and there it was.. "Ron Teed, first time from Atlanta Ga, you're an Ironman" .. woo hoo.. I crossed the finish and broke the tape as if I had just won a gold medal. total time. 12:43:59..

My catchers grabbed me, whisked me off to get my medal and shirt, handed me a water, and took me over to the finish photo area. They stayed with me the whole time.. once the picture was done, they took me to the exit where I met my support crew. Lets just say It was a great moment in my life. I might as well have been sitting on shoulders and marched down the street while my adoring fans threw roses.. ok, maybe not, but it's as close as I will ever be to a moment like that, and let me tell you, it felt amazing.


Nothing on this day.. it was as perfect a first time IM as I could have asked for. I have ideas for the next one in terms of not fading on the run, but that's for another day. Of note is the fact I went pee 4x. I have never gone once during a regular marathon.. Hydration? (check).

Walked, ate pizza and subs, watched Joe and Scott come in at 13:20 and 23 respectively, then went and got an hour massage for free from a volunteer. She said to me.. "these are supposed to be 8 to 10 minutes, but I can't do much in that time.." so she worked on me for an hour. Woo Hoo. We chatted about life and everything else from A to Z. Not a word about my race. It was a perfect post race.


Course difficulty.. but again, I could also say nothing. I did exactly as I expected and as well as I had hoped. I just know I have a faster IMWI in me. Not IMFL or AZ.. IMWI. I'm of the philosophy that Ironman PR's are course specific, not distance.


Best race ever. Great volunteers..(thank you!) great organization, great people, great city.. a five star event and highly recommended. Of course.. it sold out in 22 minutes the next morning, so if you plan on doing it and are not registered for next year, start planning how you are going to get a spot now. It's going to get more and more difficult, and for very good reason.