What a weekend! We arrived in Madison on Friday evening and settled in our hotel, The Edgewater (not bad but not close enough for me) and headed out to dinner a Sardine - highly recommended, make sure you check it out the next time you're in Madison.
The Day Before
On Saturday we headed over to Monona Terrace for our volunteer meeting at 8am. If you recall, Rianman, Jodie (TriSupporter extraordinaire), and I choose to body mark (more about that later). We and 3400 other volunteers met to get our instructions, get our t-shirts, and for those who wanted to register for 2010, a wristband. Our volunteer captain reminded us in a not-too-friendly way that she too was a volunteer and she was up early when one of the group started wise-cracking. Ouch. She also insisted that we were to only write actual ages on both arms and the calf--many of us questioned this but she insisted. Okay, what can you do when the captain says jump...you jump. The final blow came when she told us there was a mix up in the tshirts and there weren't enough large and extra larges. This of course meant people wanted to start grabbing at shirts and she lost total control when she said she had to save some sizes for those who couldn't make the meeting. Huh? They don't have to come but they get first choice? That did not fly with the two Ironman brothers from Illinois. They shot back and the promptly took their shirts. At which point I grabbed a Large for me and Medium for Jodie. Rianman got an Extra Small. Hot huh?
After we left our orientation, we hit Marigold Kitchen our favorite breakfast spot in Madison; I NEVER leave Madison without visiting at least once. We then split up for most of the day so we could see our friends. We finally met up late in the afternoon with Joel, Steve, and Joel's daughter Kaitlyn. Saturday might meant sharing an Italian dinner with Kat and Stacy for Kat's pre-race dinner. Can I just say, Kat had a beer! Really. Rianman hardly had a beer all summer before IMOO 2008. Who's the stud? After dinner, we all headed back to our respective rooms for some good sleep before our 4 am wake up calls.
Race Day
4 am again. We're up, showered and at the body marking station by 4:40. No, Rianman did NOT wear the extra small shirt. He wore the large and I pinned the XS to my shirt--the green didn't match the only shorts I brought--a kelly green pair--I wasn't going to wear any size in that color shirt! There were a lot of volunteers and at first, I thought, too many of us as athletes only trickled in. But then, then crush of athletes arrived and there were definitely enough of us. Oh, I have to say this...remember when we all questioned why were writing the age in 3 locations when NO other tri does this? Well, after about 10 athletes were marked, the captain informed us that in fact we were to write the bib number on the arms and the age or P for Pro on the calf. DUH!! So, sorry to the handful of athletes that will never find their photos.
Things I learned body marking
Let me just say that body marking is the BEST. First, it's early and you're free to watch the swim start. Second, you get to use a really big Sharpie. Finally, you HAVE to touch some very, very well-toned, no, strong arms.
- Men are easier than women - there is just more real estate to write big numbers on
- Shaving is a real plus--writing on hairy shoulders or legs is tough
- It is NOT possible to write clearly without holding onto the person--really. I swear.
- Some bodies are easier to write on than others and the biggest muscles are NOT easiest cause they are too well-developed. Smooth skin and toned arms is the key.
- No matter what they tell you, most are nervous because many of them have a hard time telling your their age--it's like they just forget.
- A Pro does not want his or her age on his or her leg, a P will do nicely, thank you very much!
- You make a connection with some athletes and you end up cheering them on all day and you feel for those who didn't make it, at least on this attempt
TriSupporting
Once Rianman, Jodie and I finished our volunteer obligations which I must say I LOVED, we tried to find a spot to watch the swim. We headed to the top of the Monona Terrace garden and squeezed ourselves between others; Joel and his two daughters came out to cheer. It was of course a blast and invigorating and inspiring. It was made all the better when I reflected on how much less stressed I was than the previous year when Rianman was in that mass of arms and legs.
Jodie had her athletes to cheer so while she did a little cheering at T1, Rianman and I went to breakfast then the three of us took off for Mt. Horeb High School. Our whole day was essentially a redux of last year. Once there, we saw Monty, Chelsea, Kat, Trish, Laura, Beth and the memorable athletes we marked. It was warm so we felt for the athletes; there was no breeze and few clouds. It was a good 10 degrees warmer than last year and I think it made a difference. We had one guy stop and ask for salt tabs. He ended up laying down for 20 minutes. We were nervous for him but he said he felt better and started back on the bike. Rianman took down his number just to follow up. Add one more to cheer for.
Once we saw our athletes pass us twice on the bike, we headed back to Madison to sit ourselves at the Union--it's a great spot because you see your athlete twice in about 15 minutes and then again on their 2nd loop when they really need to see you. And, it is not so crowded (don't y'all go there next year). We did get to see Hillary Biscay pass by - she won last year and came in third this year. Very exciting. We saw our athletes pass by and all looked good. Monty was taking it easy but had a great attitude. Chelsea was kicking some serious ass while Kat and Trish ran together and met - how fun is that? We also saw the guy from earlier who needed the salt tabs--he was running and he recognized us! He looked great and we learned he finished!! We also cheered on a couple other KC Multisporters including Todd who I body marked.
(Kat and Trish running - I tried to get a better shot)
Once we saw Trish pass with her brother Tim running along side (Tim is a super supporter - holy cow, he ran all over town for Chelsea and Trish and when I say ran, I mean he actually ran. He needs to bring a bike next time.), we made our way back to the finish line to see them all cross. We also heard the unfortunate news that Monty had to pull out at 13.1 miles. He was cramping and eventually ended up at the ER on Sunday night. Lest anyone think becoming an Ironman isn't hard or dangerous or should be taken lightly is just wrong. This shit is hard. We witnessed the results of crashes, a guy vomiting just 20 yards from us, men and women crying, people limping and grabbing at leg cramps and side stitches, and the lonely looks on many faces as they walked by with 6 long miles to go.
At the finish line, we watched in anticipation and heard Mike Reilly announcing each Ironman. Let me tell you, that NEVER gets old. People are so happy to come into that chute and spectators are screaming and cheering happily and relieved to see their athlete achieve a dream; the lights are bright and the music is loud. We watched as Laura, Kat and Trish crossed as well as so many we watched and cheered all day. It was a great day and hope next year will be another great year, now that Rianman has signed up. Yup, we'll do it all again.
Congratulations to all the athletes--don't forget to thank your TriSupporters!
Hey Natalie ~
What a great recap! While I'm so sad for my hubby and his DNF, I'm happy for those who achieved something I can't even dream about doing, especially in the heat. Thanks so much for updating me and for cheering him on. We were talking today about maybe trying to volunteer next year and body marking sounds like a great job.
Posted by: Susan | September 14, 2009 at 10:58 PM