For some time now, I have wanted to finish an ultra triathlon of 140.6 miles or longer. I thought to make Vineman my first last year but due to my body acting up and being ill for a long period, I withdrew my entry and settled for Vineman Half 70.3. As moderate as the course is, the race was not easy for me. I had an asthma attack, my chain popped off twice while changing gear, TWO flat tires and it was hotter than lava so I did not run. I learned a lot from this race and wanted to clear my mind from the bad and regroup so that I could keep my fitness as well as trying to get some things in control. Rather than trying to beat the clock, I started from scratch.
In January, I decided to join Masters Swim and found the Long Beach Grunions. In order to keep my fitness on point, I swam as much as I could with some weeks up to 8 times. Getting rid of the asthma was the most important factor in my joining because I was tired of coughing and wheezing. With the help of more than two handfuls of coaches, I was able to make significant improvements with my breathing, strokes and technique. Since I cycle a lot, I only worry about THE LEGS playing dumb when they should not. The running is tricky because sometimes my right leg is on vacation while the left is working.
In August I thought it was time to put my swim to action and see what else follows. Night after night I checked out all of the triathlons worldwide and read race reports to figure out which one would work for me. My first thought was Israman in Israel because I have never been there and my friend is going to be in Egypt for some months in the early year. I considered other races and Ironman Cozumel, Mexico and Ironman Port Elizabeth, South Africa seemed like highly recommended courses. I did not care that they were an Ironman branded event, I just wanted to go abroad for my first big triathlon. I decided to register for Cozumel and two weeks later bit the bullet and registered for South Africa. Call me crazy but with the added $50 insurance benefit, South Africa was a must. If I get injured and have a doctor note, I can withdraw with full reimbursement. Holla!
Being that it was official, the pressure was on to get the swim together. I constantly reflected on all the advice and lessons given by the wonderful lifesaving people in my life. I had to figure out this, that and everything in between. The cycling was fine and knew that I could pull of 112 miles. I train on a tank of a commuter so I know that my legs would be fine. Running was difficult because after a few miles, the right leg flared up like a fire. It was awful but with no time to bow out, I put it behind me and pressed on.
I flew from LAX to DFW to COZ on a redeye using miles because I had close to 750,000 between two carrier/partner groups. The layover in Dallas was about 5.5 hours so I was able to sleep long enough to drool all over the public furniture before heading down to Mexico. The flight to Cozumel was crazy. There were a million bike boxes being loaded on to the plane and most passengers were heading down for the race and had to let everyone know by way of tattoo, shirt, hat, visor, shorts, jacket and the infamous Newton running shoes. I was low key with my beater sweats, Asic running shoes, a large box with my wheels and a large duffel bag with my entry level road bike, real beater I thought the passengers on the flight was bad but it was just the beginning.
Once in Cozumel I met up with Dailene, a local athlete from IAMTRI. She is a very nice woman who helped us all out more that one could imagine. I walked around the city hours then went to bed.
Being so excited, I think I slept for 5 hours. When I woke up, I started to put together my bike only to find the rear dropout and derailleur hanger had broke. No bueno! I was upset but cool about it because I thought it was not the end of the world and with Cozumel being a lovely island, the second best thing would be to cheer all of the athletes on if I could not make something work. I was tempted to buy an even lower end bike from Mega (Cozumel Wal-Mart) and ride it as I thought I had no choice. Two local girls (Dailene and Martha) helped me by trying to find a bike and taking mine to the on-site mechanic sponsored by the race. First we went to the dead end expo where we got bags, bibs and a jacket. People were buying IM crap like there was no tomorrow. It was sick! A young man by the name of Isaac said he would be able to put it together. After some time, he chiseled away at a hanger and screwed it in the bike and good to go it was. I could not believe it. I really could not believe this young man had the wherewithal to hook me up. I offered to buy him lunch, gave a big tip and three hugs. I was elated. I love Isaac! I love Mexicans! I had to replace the tube and tire then I was off and running.
Later in the evening I joined some athletes for an untraditional Thanksgiving dinner at a local restaurant that was off the beaten path. I grubbed my life away.
Next morning, a fellow athlete Ute and I had breakfast and walked around and went for a practice swim. I did about a 500m swim and found it to be rather comfortable so I lowered my goal time from 1:40 to 1:30. We headed back to town and went for a bike ride. It was nice but hot. I did not wear enough sunscreen so I got stung a bit but I was feeling good about this race. In the evening there was a dinner and show for all participants. It was set to start at 6:00 but food wasn’t being served until 6:30. At that time, I quickly grabbed a plate and swallowed some rice, beans, salad, tortillas and “spaghetti.” I was finished by 6:40 then I left to catch the ferry to Playa del Carmen to see Incognito for FREE. Holla! The concert was the Riviera Maya Jazz Festival on the beach. Eldar and Al Di Meola performed before Incognito, which was nice because it was relaxing and FREE! When the funkiest man in acid jazz started to do his thing and the band followed, I did too. I was up dancing and singing as it I was being paid to do so. I enjoyed shaking it and this show. After the show, I shared a few words with the band members as we have meet several times in different locations before. A few times they have added me to their “guest list” so I was able to go to some shows and after parties for free. Holla! They are great people who create sounds like no other. Since the show ended at 1:15a and the next ferry back to Cozumel left at 7a, I decided to sleep on the beach. It was nice because it was peaceful, no one bothered me and I was not the only one doing this. It was great to get away from the stupid Ironmania that people played into.
The day before the race was dead. We had to take our bikes to Transition 1 and drop them off with our bike and run bags. Ute and I ate breakfast and farted around town. I took at short nap and later dropped off my stuff. As I was riding through town, I took a wrong turn and was chased by a mad dog running about 20 mph after me. I looked back and saw he was about 20 feet away and ready to bite. I guess he got tired and turned back. I would like to think that dog was trying to get me pumped for the race.
When I dropped off my bike, it was quickly registered and I was marked. I took a shuttle back to town and had tacos with Ute. I walked back to the hotel and a man wished me luck on the race. I needed it and some sleep as well.
Race day came EARLY. The owners of the hotel were flat out drunk and blasting music as if to be running a disco. I did not sleep much at all. I got my act together and walked to meet Ute so that we could take the shuttle to the start. In the shuttle I ate a tired peanut butter and honey sandwich, fruit bar and chased it with a shot of 5hr Energy. As nasty as it tasted, it was going to work.
Swim
The event started at 7a so we all had to jump in the water by 6:50. I jumped in, hung on to the fence and got stung on the butt by a jellyfish. I was wondering when the next one would come and how much it would affect my swim. The cannon blast went off at 7a and was load enough to wake up all in Belize. Off went everyone out for the wildest swim in all of Mexico. I tried to find my way amongst the chaos for a while but couldn’t. People were swimming all over, on top of and right through me, which was annoying. I just kept my cool and remained calm until some turd kept on my toes for too many strokes then I went in for the hard kick. I was finding my space until we had to turn TWICE. I was nearly strangled by crazy arms trying to swim around the buoys. Again, I was finding my space until someone grabbed my feet. I was ticked off and wanted to rip off that persons goggles but I kept on going. Through the last turn, I separated from one group towards another and ended up as the wayward swimmer. Thankfully the water was clear so I found the finish and out I was in 1:26:??, crossing the pad at 1:27 (three minutes faster than expected) Holla! So many swimmers surrounded me that I thought I was in the middle of the pack until it was announced there were still 300 more swimmers left in the water. Oops, I was in the back of the pack. It was fine because I did better than expected.
Transition 1
I got out of the water, took off my swim cap and pulled out a piece of gum that I stored there to chew during transition. The water was so salty that I had to rid my mouth of the ocean funk that was swimming in there for so long. We were able to take a quick shower to rinse off the salt before grabbing out bags. Once I grabbed my gear, I was running towards the changing tent and some broad had the nerve to slowly walk as if she were the only one at this event. Luckily she slowed me down by a few steps otherwise I would have stopped to give her the Irontalk about moving to the right so that others can pass. I managed to take off my swimsuit and put on my hat, shoes, shorts and top. The female volunteers were so efficient and fast that they had me sprayed down with sunscreen before I could finish my change. They were the best.
Bike
I find my bike #1587 and put on my helmet over the hat, grab my bike and ran to the mounting zone. Once on the bike, I rinsed my mouth again with water and like a man, I spit it out on the left side of me. I did not look back and hope that I did not hit anyone. The crowd was roaring like mad which was great because it got me fired up. I started to go and felt strong. There were two times that I had to fix my shorts because they were wet and not on right. I was getting into this ride and knew I was going to keep it steady. It was warm and a bit windy so I kept the fluids going down with Xood. The course was around the entire island and as I approached the town, people were out on the street cheering us on like mad. The kids were the best hollering “Si Se Puede” and “You ca- do yit.” I reciprocated with “No, si se puede” and “Thank you/Muchas gracias.” To all that waved the Mexican flag, I said “Viva Mexico!” The big party was downtown. The streets were full of supporters, energy all around and I was lovin’ it every bit of it. There were DJ’s blasting music, people dancing and people making human waves of celebration and all the rest. As I rode through, I held up my arm and yelled “WHOOOA!” to the supporters and it got them fired up. They roared loader and loader as I; the hurricane came through the streets of Cozumel. A fellow athlete said, “These people are really cheering you on.” With a big smile I told him that I think I was there for the people, not for myself. I heard “Venga Amiga” and “Vamos Morena!” It was hilarious and I nearly fell off my bike. I love Mexicans. My second lap was a bit rocky. Around mile 40 I think my stomach was still swimming and started to get a bit seasick. I had to slow down a great deal. I ate, took salt, sucked on an energy gel for 50 minutes and took straight Gatorade. I felt as though this lap took at 3 hours to finish. As I passed through town again, I brought back the hurricane and started to pedal a bit harder as I was feeling a bit better. The third lap was a long one because the wind picked up and was unforgiving to anyone on a bike. I pushed as much as I could and just accepted my 7h or better ride was not going to happen. The only thing I could think of was how my legs were good and pain free. I gave as much support to other athletes and pressed on. I stormed through town again and noticed there were fewer spectators but for those left, they really got load when I passed by. My finish time was 7:44h.
Transition 2
It was a quick transition since I was not doing a costume change. I changed shoes, put lube on my feet and put on the knee braces and off I went. I shuffled a bit because I was afraid of falling then picked it up a bit. My knees and legs did not hurt which made me fell good about attempting to run a great deal of the 3 lap marathon. I heard so many roars of encouragement that I broke down and cried. It was overwhelming to me to hear my name called out by complete strangers in a foreign country. Over and over I heard” Venga Ingrid, vamos Amiga, venga morena, si se puede and let’s go girlfriend.” I now know what it feels like to win the lottery of life. I tried to keep up the shuffle but my body was putting up a fight. My stomach was acting up again so I had to sip Coke to settle it. As much as I kept hydrated along the bike course, I peed 5 times (morning style) and thought I would have no problems on the run. I was wrong. While trying to keep hydrated during the run, I had to stop to pee every mile or so. I stopped between 15 and 20 times to pee (morning style). It was annoying because my bladder was so out of control that there was nothing I could do but walk. Fortunately I was not the only person on the course and with so much support I had something better to think about. Approaching my third lap I spotted Isaac, the young man who fixed my bike. I picked up my step and yelled out his name and thanked him over and over again. He gave back a big wave and a bright smile that I will never forget. Still, the crowds were out doing their thing and cracking me up. The music was pumping, bodies moving and with them, I stopped and danced a few times. Mexicans know how to shake it! There was one house blasting We are the Champions and the themes to Chariots of Fire and Rocky. There is only so much of that crap that I can take so no matter how badly I had to pee, I rushed by as fast as I could. One woman was bumping the Smooth Jazz, which was right up my alley. I stopped to shake it with her for a moment and thanked her for her music and support. During the last 5 miles, I thanked all who came out to support and volunteer for this race. I looked at my watch and saw that if I could stop peeing, a sub-16h finish would be a possibility for me. I quickly dropped the ideal of hydration and did not drink water for the last three miles. I shuffled towards the town. This had to work since the last porta-potty had already been removed leaving only the beach to pee at. Along the way, people were still cheering as was an elderly woman who sat in the middle of the street for hours making noise. She should be awarded Best Cheerleader of Cozumel. She kept telling me to go and with big arms up and a smile I thanked her for coming out. With about a quarter of a mile to go, I saw familiar faces and threw up my arms to give hugs and thanks to all. I was drunk from all of this attention. So drunk that I gave hugs and high fives to complete strangers. I did not care about finishing or my time. I wanted to be with these people. I gave in and shuffled across the line finishing at 15:51:39 with a 6:26 marathon time. As soon as I finished, one of the Red Cross volunteers talked to me to make sure I was okay. I told I was fine but needed to cry because I did have to pee for over two miles. He laughed and asked if I needed anything else. I told him I needed to find Isaac. He said he could not help me there. I grabbed my finishers medal, necklace and shirt, some pizza and Gatorade and walked around looking for Isaac. Unfortunately I could not find him. I hope meet with him again. Oddly enough, I felt well after the race ended and got on my bike to ride around and cheer others on.
Post Race
I was still amped after the race that I slept for about 5 hours then started to walk around Cozumel again. Ute and I ate breakfast and walked around for a while like typical tourist. Later in the evening, we joined other finishers at the post race party for awards and dinner. There was a hotel giveaway to 5 people who had numbers under their chairs. I was with number 4 and won 3 nights for next years race at Intercontinental Presidente Cozumel- the premier hotel on the island. HOLLA! After the event festivities there was a “party” at one of those cheesy gringo-mexi bars that blast bad music with extra bass. It was fun to watch so many getting drunk and make fools of themselves but I could only take so much as I too old for that scene and was tired of the Ironmania in the air.
Two days after the race I left to the main land, as Cancun was the airport I was departing from. With having a few days to play tourist, I visited Tulum, Chitzen Itza and Cancun City and ate a lot of tacos.
I had the experience of a lifetime not because I finished my friend Ironman race but because I was with amazing people, triathletes and non-triathletes. I knew that Mexicans are great people but I did not expect all that they gave me. I love them and will return in the future to do this race again. Come April, I will do my second race in South Africa, which I have been told is a fantastic race as well.
Observations and Thoughts
- Ironman as a race is cheesier than Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. I was tired of seeing so many race shirts, caps and bags all over the place.
-There was nothing that I did not like about Ironman Cozumel and suggest it to all who want to race a 140.6 for the first time or do one abroad. Overall, the course is the easiest and seems to have the fastest swim splits.
-To see so many race and travel with their high-end aerodynamic gear can be intimidating for some but I am not fazed by any of it. There was nothing aero about me, just dynamic! I took my beater bike and gear so that I would not care if something did not make it or was stolen. My outfit cost $12.50 and held up well.
-Dollar for dollar, to do this race was just as much as doing one stateside.
-I was nearly blinded by the beautiful athletes. Too many good looking fit me around men is never a bad thing. Holla!
- Ace of Base, Ricky Martin Roxette and Vanilla Ice are still topping the charts in the Yucatan.
-Mexicans are special people. I love them!
Someone started this funny thread about me. Don't hate the player, hate the game. http://www.trifuel.com/forum/24607/ironman-cozumel-pictures
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