2004 IronMan Canada
By: Keith Manuel

It was a great race. I felt good most of the time, followed my race plan of carefully monitoring my heart rate, making sure to eat and drink enough on the ride and finally to give it all over the last 6 miles for a good finish.

Well at least that’s what I hope I can write after August the 28^th.  But right now as I sit here it’s only the 18^th just 10 days out from Ironman Canada and I am starting to feel the nerves.  Not much, but enough for it to pop into my head several times a day.  It doesn’t matter that this is my 4^th IM race, I feel only slightly better simply because of previous experience, experience that tells me that I am undertrained. But then does anyone ever feel they trained enough?

The six of us who are doing IMC (Mark “Hollywood” Miller, Kyle “drop your gear” Love, Jimmie Bienvenu, Charles Decker, Jody Ferguson and myself) met at Precision Bikes today, to have Miller breakdown our bikes and pack them up to be shipped UPS to our respective hotels in Penticton, British Columbia.  On arriving at Millers shop there was already some nervous chatter going on and some sideway glances from the guys, maybe it was due to the upcoming race or maybe they were afraid the hammer Miller was using on Dr. Jimmies bike would come loose, hit one of us and knock us out of the race before we even had a chance to start.  Anyway the bike expert did his job and at the end of the day it was pretty impressive seeing those six bike boxes lined up waiting to be shipped out tomorrow.  Its kind of funny, those bike boxes contain a lot more that just bikes. (Especially in Decker's case.  Does the FAA allow you to fly with pressurized bottles of Carbo-pro?) They really hold hours of training, private thoughts, sacrifices, injuries and recoveries and most of all they hold the camaraderie of friends going and friends staying behind and our hopes for the type of race we can talk about for the next several months.  I’m off to swim at Reds and then get a quick run….remember, I am undertrained.  

Its Monday the 23^rd, 6 days out.  So what does the average triathlete do at this point in the prerace week?  Besides pestering each other about what the other guy is doing for race nutrition and whether to carbo-load or not, he probably watches the Olympics with pride and awe, marveling at the commitment these athletes have made to their sport. He hopes that in some small way he too can be like them, never giving up, never backing down.

Oh, and did I mention that he still trains.   Not heavy training but the requisite reduction in volume that’s called the taper.  All I can say about tapering is that it gives you something to do so that you wont go stir crazy while waiting for Sundays race…..where did I put my swim goggles?  

September 1^st.  

O.K. we’re back.  Wow!!!!!  What a venue for a race.  Penticton , British Columbia , land of fantastic mountain views, ice cold creeks, deep cold clear lakes and the friendliest people that you can find outside of Lafayette , La.  

I could write about what we did on our trip, how fun it was and how we shared many moments of self-doubt, pre-race anxiousness and great courage during the run part of the race.  But this is a race report not a Good Housekeeping article.

Thursday: leave Lafayette 6:40 a.m. arrive Penticton , B.C 6:30 p.m.  

Bikes arrived around 8:30 pm by legendary hockey personality John Depourcq.  Thanks John you were a blessing to us.  From getting us signed up a year ago to being there at the end of the race to celebrate with us, you were a terrific host.

Friday: beautiful day about 65 with 40% humidity.  We start out with a short ride to check out the bikes.  Miller leads us straight up a hill that felt like a 20% grade, which I am sure it wasn’t, but it felt like it anyway. 

Then off to the registration tent, where we signed in, were weighed and given information and packages for our race.  Visualize the old army induction line, men going from station to station picking up their materials, only difference here was we got to keep our clothes on (disappointment for Kyle) and there were women in this line.  Probably 30% of the field was women.  Just a guess on that, but it seemed like there were a lot.  A couple of hours spent at the expo (got to have those souvenirs and did they really give Melissa Bienvenu a volume discount at the register?), then a short swim in the lake to get the feel of it.  

Saturday: spent the morning getting the transition bags ready as the bike and the bags had to be in transition area by 3:00 pm.  As an example of the type of support the community has for the triathletes, that afternoon we all attended mass. At the end of the service the priest had all athletes come to the front where a special blessing was given.  How cool was that?  Although now, I’m not sure if it was a blessing or the last sacrament.

Off to the athlete parade down main street where we walked as a group.  Fans were on both side of the street clapping and yelling for us.  Of course the fact that Jimmie and Mark had brought bags of Mardi Gras beads to throw might have had something to do with it.  In any event it’s the closest you will get to the feeling of an athlete walking in the parade of countries during the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. (39 countries were represented at IMC).  It was back to the room and off to bed. 4:00 a.m. comes early. 

Sunday 4:00 a.m.  As my good friend Jody would say just a little later, “ it's on boys”.  We head out to the transition area, about a ½ mile from the hotel, its still dark at 5:00 when we get there to be body marked.  Both arms and legs with your number and your age on your left calf.  Top off the water and nutrition bottles then over to Mark and Kyle’s room to suit up.  A pre-race prayer given by Kyle, then were off to the beach.  After the national anthem of Canada of which I know only the first 2 words, the cannon sounds and we are off.  Think about being in a washing machine with Mike Tyson.  Yeah that’s about the right comparison.  Swim about 1200 meters out, go right at the boat for about 1400 then back in.  Exit the water where several people descend on you to remove your wet suit.  A little advice, cooperate with them or they might remove a little more than your suit.   Off to the transition tent to change into biking clothes, then onto the bike.  The ride starts out slightly flat to rolling then begins the ascents into the mountains. Everything is going well at this point, I’m feeling pretty good, my heart rate is in the proper range and I begin the mantra, “just a long catered training day.”  For the first 42 miles all is cool.  We must have been well hydrated as I stopped twice before the infamous Richter Pass that begins at mile 42.  Then it’s in front of you, 7 miles of climbing at a steady ascent.  I don’t remember the % grade of climb, but I could only sustain a spin rate that carried me to the top at about 6.9 –7.2 mph.  People were lined up cheering you on, which was cool if you could hear them above the sound of your labored breathing.

What goes up must come down.  This was evident on the backside of the pass as I descended at about 44 mph while gripping and squeezing my brakes.

Sorry, I have hit the pavement once at about 24 mph, so forgive me for being a big chicken.  From mile 50 to mile 75, I kept waiting for Alan Ladd to walk out onto the rode from the mountain with his 6 guns.  Sorry, you have to be at least in your forties to remember the movie “Shane” Anyway you get the idea about the beautiful scenery we were traveling through.  Beautiful or not, I was coming to the realization that my heart rate was starting to get jacked up.  I didn’t feel bad, but I knew it was going to be a slow bike split.  I can’t describe Yellow Lake Pass, except to say it ain't yellow and I passed people walking their bikes up part of it.  I saw 6.5 mph again on this part of the ride, the cool part though was the people on the sides of the rode near the top clanging cowbells and yelling like it was the tour.  At the top of the pass I hit mile 99.  From there, it was as they say, pretty much all down hill.

After Yellow Lake I felt pretty shot and was wondering if I could finish 26.2 miles after I got off the bike. 

At transition I did something I have not done in the previous 3 IMs, I completely changed.  New top, shorts and socks.  It cost me several minutes as I didn’t get into too big a hurry, but so what?

I was off onto the run course.  I felt pretty good after the first 3 miles, which started out flat, then immediately began a slight uphill.  My heart rate was at about 153.  Anytime it got above 155 to 160 I would slow my pace down.  My goal was not to walk any of the course except through the water stops.

I saw Jodi at about his mile 20, my mile 6.  He was coming up the last of his hills on the course.  Miller had said 1 hill and flat as a pancake the rest of the time. Lying *&^%*^%*#.   We exchanged a few comments as we crossed.

I was feeling consistent by mile 8 when I saw Charles Decker..what an example of courage.  You could see the toll the race was taking on him, but boy did he gut it out.  Shortly thereafter came Miller and Kyle both looked good as they went by.  Just as I got to the turnaround I went by Dr. Jimmie, what a first race this guy had.  How he didn’t self-destruct after listening to all the BS we were giving him on what to have, what to do, etc. it’s a wonder.  The last 13 miles were kind of a blur, I felt fairly good, but it really was a matter of concentration and experience that go me home.  The crowds on the run course were unbelievable, particularly the last 6 miles of the course and into town.  People came out into the street to high five you as you went by.  They would call you by name (they had programs and your name was on you race bib) it was great.  Crossing the finish line never gets old.  When can I sign up for the next one?

If you are thinking about a full IM, great.  It will be an experience either way.  If you are thinking about shorter distances that’s cool too.  At any distance this maxim will be true: you will realize it’s not about the finish, glorious as your first time will be, but about the beginning and the parts in between.  The training and the sacrifices you will make will define you as a competitor but more importantly as a person.

Yeah it was a great race and one made greater by the shared experience of friends.  Thanks guys and thanks Melissa for being there for Jimmie's first IM and being so supportive of the group.

S. Keith Manuel