This morning I woke up early (MUCH earlier than anyone ever should on a Sunday) to take pictures at the Ironman Kansas being held out at Clinton Lake. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Triathlon, it consists of a 1.2 mile swim, followed by 56 miles of biking, and 13.1 miles (a half-marathon) of running...a total of 70.3 miles. Needless to say, those who finish the task well deserve the title of Iron Man.
(Note: Click on any of the pictures to make them larger!)
When I arrived, I was greeted by a steady parade of participants already biking. The race actually began at 6:00 a.m. (okay, so they woke up earlier than I did...) and many of the atheletes were well on their way by the time I got there at around 7:30.
To make the course safe for the approximately 2,000 participants, the race starts in phases, with the fastest athletes going first. Although the waiting to begin is probably torture for some, it benefited my picture taking because I got to see two phases of the race at once. But, before seeing anyone in the water, the spectators had to go on a nice little walk (probably at least 2 miles, round trip) down to the lake itself (bikers racing past the whole way there). Walking the course did help me to understand part of what the participants are going through, and that the terrain wasn't going to make finishing any easier, as this hill well illustrates.
When I finally made it down to the lake, there were only a few people left swimming. You can see the pain and anguish that was already overcoming them by the looks on their faces.
At each transition point-- from water to bike, and bike to run-- there stations like this one. Each person has a designated place where they previously set everything they'd need for the next leg. After the swim portion, your bike, shoes, helmet, and hopefully cheering section are all waiting for you.
But don't try and take any shortcuts, or you may end up here.
After changing, you bring your bike to the start of the biking portion, and mount up knowing you're 1.2 miles and 1/3 of the way complete with the race.
After seeing a few participants transition from water to bike, I headed back up the hill to see what was going on there. At the top, I encountered the area where the participants trade in their biking shoes for tennis shoes and take on 13.1 miles of running.
Apparently the Ironman Kansas running path is a loop, so when you make it back to this area the first time, you encounter these signs (that would probably kill whatever of my spirit was left at that point):
But of course, you eventually make it back around, and get to run, crawl, or drag yourself down this last but most glorious stretch of the course to the finish.
By the time I got done taking pictures at the bike-to-run change station, it was time for me to go; I had to complete my own run (training run of 7 miles today...week 5 now complete!). The race front runners weren't going to make an appearance at this part of the course for another half an hour, so I was unable to get any pictures of the running portion of the race. But in order to complete the tri-fecta, here's a picture of me pounding the pavement a couple of weeks ago in Wisconsin, taken by my favorite photographer (Pete).
Hearing some of the stories I heard while walking around (for instance, a man who only has use of one side of his body was completing the swimming portion as I was watching) certainly inspire me to continue on in my training for the Marine Corps Marathon in October. It also reminds me how important my fundraising efforts for St. Jude Children's Hospital are. (Click here to donate!) As crazy as it may seem, the Ironman is something I may someday take on. Then again, I've got a marathon to complete first.
