CRCC President’s Column – Oct. 2009

Report on the Augusta Ironman 70.3 2009

On September 27th, Duncan and Bonita Truit, the team of Gina Dunning and Donna Hickey & Butch Jones participated in, and finished the inaugural Augusta Ironman 70.3. I also participated in it but didn't finish. It turned out to be the largest Ironman 70.3 ever with over 2600 triathletes entered.

Sunday morning, the 27th, was a combination of -- hurry up and wait--- getting ready for the start. The transition area was a couple of miles from the hotel and over a mile from the swim start. We had to hurry to catch a shuttle to the transition area or find a place to park, then wait in line to get marked, etc. Getting that many people where they needed to be before the start was a logistical nightmare. The organizers did a good job, for the most part. We all made it to the swim start well before the first wave started at 7:30 AM. We then stood around, for what seemed like forever, waiting for our waves. Gina’s wave stated at 8:10, Duncan’s at 8:30, mine at 8:34, Bonita’s at 8:38, and Butch’s at 8:58.

The 1.2 mile swim was in the Savannah River swimming with the swift current, fortunately. The water was 70 degF and wetsuit legal. I had made the mistake of leaving my wetsuit at home, but everyone else had theirs. There was no warm-up swim allowed, so there was no chance to get used to the water. We each had to jump in a few seconds before our wave start, then take off from the temporary dock in the river. I had to talk myself out of getting right back out of the water, but after a few hundred yards I warmed up enough to keep going. Other then getting tangled up with a few weeds, the swim went very well. I had the fastest swim time by 8 minutes for the 1.2 miles. The others all had fast swim times as well.

The 56 mile bike course was one loop, with a big part in South Carolina. The first few miles were mostly flat with a tailwind. I, along with everyone else, was zipping along. The next several miles included several rolling hills, but nothing worse then our Wednesday night club ride. The last few miles were relatively flat but with a strong headwind that made the effort harder then it normally would have been. I averaged a little under 16 mph, which was about what I had hoped. Duncan was really strong and averaged nearly 19 mph. Bonita, Butch and Gina all had strong bike segments as well. Butch passed me near the end of the bike with a few encouraging words that were appreciated.

By the time we were ready for the run, the weather had turned sunny and had warmed up to the high 80’s. While Duncan, Bonita, and Butch headed out for the 13.1 mile run through the streets of Augusta, Gina turned the run over to her relay partner Donna. When I got back to the transition area, I couldn’t find my running shoes. They must have been kicked under some trash bags or something. After looking around for a little while, I called it a day. I wasn’t feeling that well and may not have finished the run anyway.

Donna had a strong run after taking over for Gina. Duncan, Bonita, and Butch persevered to the finish.

Gina and Donna finished a combined time of 5:55
Duncan finished with a time of 6:13:01
Bonita finished with a time of 6:15:56
Butch finished with a time of 6:39

All of us had fun, although it may not have looked like it as everyone stiffly walked out of the restaurant later that night after dinner.

Ride Safe.
Craig

PS. I did find my shoes later in the lost and found at the transition area!