Saturday, April 12, 2014

2013 IM France Race Report

We arrived in Nice the Wednesday before the race and settled into the 4th floor apt. we had rented after unloading everything and making several elevator trips in a tiny old wooden elevator (max. 3 persons and they better be slim) that looked like it was from "Phantom of the Opera" with a heavy metal grill exterior door and two interior folding wooden doors with glass inserts.  The apt. required 3 big old fashioned keys to enter (one for the building, one for the first door entrance that served two apts. and the other for the actual apt. we were renting)... quite cumbersome to carry around.  We had dinner at a small traditional French restaurant near the train station and off the tourist path that had been recommended to us by the desk clerk at the hotel where we picked up our apt. keys).  It turned out to be so great that we even returned there the next evening and happened to meet our friend Dave Lowe as we were walking there and he joined us for dinner (small world).

The next morning there was "swim training" as they referred to it on the schedule.  Basically, it was a lot of athletes swimming at that time and some safety in numbers as well as a tent set up with wetsuits... Fun meeting other athletes from all over.  The course was not marked yet so people just swam where they wanted.  The hardest part was entering/exiting the water with moving tide and small waves because this is not a sand beach, but rather rocks!... not little pebbles... but bigger rocks... 3" or more in diameter... the kind you paint for "pet rocks!"... and talk about a beating as you tried to maintain balance esp. exiting (usually unsuccessfully)... and ended up being raked over the rocks!... Ouch!... Grown people were on all fours trying to exit the water!... The swim that morning was cut short due to thunder and lightning!...luckily everyone made it out of the water although some did not even realize right away that it was thundering/lightning!... including my husband.

Later we went to the Expo and I picked up my packet.  Reminder:  If yo do one of these International events be sure to bring not only a photo ID, but also your triathlon affiliation card (i.e., USAT card)... not something everyone thinks about since this is not a USAT event... but without it, you are subject to a medical exam/certification right there and must also purchase a temporary day license.  It was fun looking at the various triathlon gear/clothing/stuff at the Expo.  We talked with a representative from the European "Triathlete" magazine... and very nice triathlete who lives/works in Paris.  We told him about our son who lives/works there and they ended up talking on the cell phone and hoping to meet sometime.  People were really friendly.  It does help to know some French.  They seemed to appreciate my efforts.

Thursday/Friday were more "swim training" and the weather had cleared and was wonderful... but still more raking over the rocks!.  I met Lisa Ribes (Pro whom I know from Tucson) and her fiance Jon and wished her well in the race.  Also, I met some Team-in-Training athletes from California.  Mostly, though, there were Europeans at the race and mostly men with only about 7% women in the race.  I had some questions about the course and stopped at the Info Booth.  There I met the most wonderful represtative of Active.com (European network) named Sandrine.  She answered all my questions and seemed to take an interest in such an "old gal" attempted to do the race.  She told me about a 70.3 in Lisbon, Portugal and encouraged me to consider it.

Friday evening was the pre-Race dinner and it was one of the best we've attended.  It was held in a huge outdoor park and instead of packed tables, there were little tables and cube-like seats that could be re-arranged wherever you wanted.  The food was some of the best food I've ever had at a pre-race dinner!.. It's France!... They even had beer which my husband enjoyed (He wasn't racing)!  the program was efficient, showed a video, named the competing Pro's, talked about their charity and wished everyone well!

Saturday was bike/bag check-in at various times based on your race number.  My check-in time was the very last (6-7:00PM) and took a long time.  I would rather have eaten dinner early and gotten to bed early the night before the race.  Also, at check-in you were given your timing chip and got "body-marked" (I slept on a beach towel as I didn't want black magic marker to get on the white sheet in the rental apt... seemed an odd time to body mark)!

The transition area was the longest one I've ever seen at any race!... It went on and on... medical, transition tent, rows of bike bags, rows of run bags, rows of bikes... luckily my bike was racked near the bike out so I did not have to run so far with my bike... but still everyone had to run from the swim exit passing all those rows to the Bike Out.

As its typical, I didn't sleep much the night before the race... kept checking the clock... got up at 3:30AM for coffee, yogurt, etc. and headed down to the start.  Some locals/tourists were just getting in from partying all night!... and here were all these athletes heading down to the Start.

Ironman France begins at 6:25AM with the Pro's followed by the age groupers 5 minutes later... earlier start than most IM events... plus, the race ends at 10:30PM (16-hour cut-off).

First stop was to uncover the bike (Power Bar had provided plastic covers for the bikes), add nutrition, liquids, pump tires, check bike, etc.  Then I put on my wetsuit half-way, grabbed my goggles/cap and made my way down to the "street clothing" bag drop and there was a line.  You had to be out of transition by 6AM... so you really needed to get there early.  Next it was down the ramps to the rocky beach area.  Fortunately there was carpeting on the swim exit itself although you still had to go over rocks.

SWIM - While standing on the rocky beach awaiting the Swim Start, I stretched out my race-numbered official swim cap and it ripped!... Oh great!... I rushed back to see if there were any extra caps... No!... so I went back to the line up and hoped my cap would not tear any farther and that my ears/head would not get cold.  (Note:  Bring an extra swim cap)!

At 6:25 the Pro's went off... and they were all over the place.. seems they weren't sure which buoy to go to either and plus there was current/tide throwing you off.  The swim consists of two loops... first a clockwise loop of about 2.5km and then a run out on the rocks and back in for the 2nd lopp but this one was counter-clockwise and about 1.3km.  Then the age groupers took off.  Since I'm a slow swimmer I was near the back with "Mr. Zig-Zag" in front of me! (clobbered me a couple of times).  I had to keep trying to sight as I wasn't in the pack and the few buoys were difficult to see and also a bit of a challenge differentiating between buoys for loop 1 vs. loop 2.  It seemed like everytime I put my head down, I would go off-course... so I ended up doing some breaststroke so I could sight better).  Heading to the rocky shore was particularly challenging and although there were kayakers out there, it wasn't always clear where to head to the exit.

When I finally approached the exit, I tried to stand up and my right leg and foot cramped big time!... There were volunteers assisting people over the rocks onto the exit carpet and there I was with this stiff leg!... which finally uncramped and I made my way up the ramp, grabbed my bike bag and was directed to a changing tent that said "hommes" (men) but who cares.  I proceeded to strip off my wetsuit (NO wetsuit strippers here), change, drop off my bike bag and head down the very long transition to my bike.  My swim was slow but I was relieved to have made the swim cut-off since my swim training had been less than optimal due to months off with skin cancer surgery/treatment.

BIKE - The bike course starts out along the Promenade des Anglais and there were tourists cutting across the bike course... almost ran into some woman oblivious to the fact that there was a race going on!... had to yell at her to watch out!  It seems I was out there a lot on my own since my swim was slow (although there were some athletes who missed the swim cut-off).  There were volunteers and police at major intersections/turns but since I was so far back, I think some of them didn't notice I was out there and I actually missed the turn to the first climb with a 12% grade.  I heard the volunteers yelling after me as I had followed some other cyclists but it turns out they weren't in the race!... So, I had to U-turn and head up the steep hill.

Much of the early bike course was getting out of the city and through an industrial area... but then it started climbing... not real steep but definitely up... then it would level off and climb some more and began winding a lot more and going through beautiful residential areas with lots of foilage... passing small towns... speed bumps... winding descents... climbing, climbing with the first high climb being the Col d'Ecre at about 70km.  It was slow going especially with the technical winding turns... Every now and then you caught glimpses far down the valley below and thought, "Wow!... This is really high!"  The views were spectacular!   Everything looked so green (especially coming from Tucson)!... flowers were blooming (not that you had much time to admire it all).

I passed about 6 people (5 guys and one gal... the only other "older" woman in the race at age 62).  Then a couple of guys passed me on one of the steep descents where I wish I could have gone faster but not knowing what was around the next corner made me more cautious especially since there were that many cyclists back where I was that I could follow.  As I approached the Special Needs area, I heard an ambulance siren and moved over... then stopped at Special Needs only to find that my bag was not there!!! (and I had dropped it off as directed in the morning).  I was looking forward to my personal nutrition but ended up using the PowerAde drink provided on the course (which did not settle well) and also had a banana but would have preferred my own nutrition.

Then more climbing and this time I could see cyclists winding back and forth ahead so I knew what I was in for (a lot of work)!... then level stretches, more small towns, some cars on the road, a catering van trying to get to a wedding, sightseeing turn-outs with cars pulling in/out... some hairpin turns with a big "!" painted on the road, some road construction, more exclamation marks and even some speed limits.  Then there was an "out & back" stretch around 120km where there was a turn-around with the first bike cut-off time.  If you didn't make it to this point by 3:15PM, you were pulled off the course and couldn't continue.  The volunteers were saying something to me as I was approaching and I thought they were telling me I didn't make the cut-off... but they were yelling to hurry over the mat!... and I did make it.... apparently being one of the last to do so.  I headed on and then came the really long, winding descent (about 20-plus kilometers of descending).  I was cautious and feathering my brakes.  There were stone walls, rock hillsides, crop-off's into who knows where and I didn't see any other cylists out there then.  This is where you could really make up time... but also where you could lost it and crash... undesirable outcome.  Finally, I came to an aid stationa nd there was a gal whom I had met before the race.  Her derailleur had broken and her race was over!... Bummer!

Off I went again trying to maintain control and yet make up time.  About 25km or so from the Finish a motorcycle policeman appeared and told me he would follow me... probably because the road was opening to traffic soon and there I was all alone... so he kept blowing his horn to alert traffic/people.  It got really hairy as I approached the Promenande des Anglais and he moved in front of me as there were so many people out there crossing in/out and the runners running on the run course which paralleled the bike course and plastic cups all over which I was trying to dodge plus water on the road from the showers et up for the runners on the course.  People were cheering me on; runners were cheering me, too... and I knew it going to be close.  As I approached the Finish area, the motorcyclist left and I was faced with people all over the place as I tried to make my way to the Bike In... but I couldn't get through the crowds and figured I must have missed the bike cut-off... so I went to where we checked into transition and there were long lines of athletes with finisher's medals around their necks and their bikes/bags waiting to check out!  I asked the volunteers where I should go as I I I had probably missed the bike cut-off and then was directed to rack my bike and head down the long path with long lines of athletes to pick up my bags), then worked my way through the lines to get my bike and was checked out and chip removed.

My fantastic husband was there to say he was proud of me anyway and helped me carry my stuff through the crowds and back to the apartment.

So, Ironman France was not an official finish for me... but later I heard about more crashes out on the bike course including a 30-yr. old male from the U.K. who crashed on the course, was helicoptered out and died on his way to the hospital... so very tragic!... so in the big picture, I am thankful I did as much as I did and remained safe out there.  My training had been less than optimal with the time off for skin cancer treatment.  Plus, with a 16-hr. cut-off, with each segment having less time) this race is particularly challenging for the older athletes.. and yet I want to give it another "go" as I consider it "unfinished business!"

The Awards Ceremony was another fantastic event... again wonderful food... relaxing setting... great camaraderie... with a somber part as they had a moment of silence fo the cyclist who had died during the race.  Great to see that Lisa Ribes placed 4th among the Pro women in spite of having her bike stoled prior to the race and having to race on a borrowed bike!  Sandrine from Active.com whom I had met at the Info booth came over and sat with us and told me I was an inspiration.  I would have felt more inspiring had I actually finished the race... but she seemed to give me credit anyway for hanging in there and finishing the swim and the bike.  Then she left for a few minutes and back back with overall female Pro winner Mary Beth Ellis (whom Sandrine knows well) and introduced me to her.  I was very impressed with how personable Mary Beth was.  She also said what a hard bike course it was and that she had even crashed during it but managed to get back, finish and win!... Now that's inspiring!

Merci beaucoup to IM France Race Organizers, to TriSports.com, to my husband, family and all my friends who continue to support me!

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