Ironman Texas: A Volunteer Story, Part III

After a couple days, the inspiration is still alive and well inside me. I think about heat and the humidity and the effort both the athletes and volunteers put into making such an amazing event. I must have drank the kool-aid though because now I'M REGISTERED TO COMPETE IN 2012!!!

It's going to be  a great year!

Ironman Texas: A Volunteer Story, Part II

Even though I wasn't racing today, I felt every bit a part of the inagural Ironman Texas and had an amazing time. I wasn't scheduled to work my shift until 5:30pm, so I had planned to get up early and go see the swim start. Unfortunately I overslept, but made it to the transition area before athletes started coming back in off the bike. Just for a visual comparison of how many athletes were competing, check this out:

       

A total of 2164 athletes finished the swim and headed out on the bike course. Later in the day, I heard from a lot of IM veterans that the swim start was even more ridiculously crowded than any they've ever had before. The general consensus was that it took at least 1/4 - 1/2 mile before anyone could find open water to swim in where they werent on top of each other like sardines. 

The weather was surprisingly predictable today in that it was hot and humid. When the wind would come through, the 89F temp and 80% humidity were bearable. When there was no wind, it might have well have been a sauna. Just standing still, I was soaking wet with sweat. I could only imagine that the athletes were a little cooler since they were moving on the bike.

Just before noon, the men's leader on the bike, Chris Lieto, came back into transition to a pretty raucous crowd for so early in the day. He had a monster ride finishing in about 4:10. Crazy!

After Chris came in I headed toward the finish line to the volunteer check-in, and then went back to my car to cool off for a while before beginning a 10.5 hour shift at the finish line. Volunteer shirts were color coded: swim = gray, bike handlers = pink, iron team/general staff = green, finish line = purple, medical = red, and security = black. Quantity of purple shirts I now own that I will probably wear again? One.

A lof of people know The Voice of the Ironman, Mike Reilly. His brother Pat was the captain of our finish line volunteer group and did a great job leading his purple army of volunteers. With 75 signed up for each of the 3 shifts, he was responsible for making sure everyone knew what to do and was trained properly.

The first runner wasn't expected to come in to the finish until after 3pm, so there was still alot to set up at the finish line. I spent 30 minutes filling coolers with ice and water bottles, another 30 setting up finishers' hats and shirts, and another 30 getting medals ready to be handed out. The most active volunteer position is the line of "catchers." The job is exactly what it sounds like: when a runner crosses the line, you catch them before they fall to the ground and help them through the finisher's chute on their way to the medical tent or release them to family members. Once you're done, you run back in line and wait your turn to do it again.

  





Somehow, I was the first volunteer in line when the winner came through: Eneko Llanos from Spain. He finished in just over 8 hours and looked like he could've gone back out for more when he was done. I was paired with another volunteer and we escorted Eneko to the media trailer where he was interviewed by Greg Welch for IronmanLive.com, then to a media table where he gave interview after interview, signed autographs, and basically was the opposite of what you'd think the winner of an Ironman would be like. Imagine you just swam 2.4 miles, biked 112 miles, and ran 26.2 miles. Are you going to want to talk to hundreds of people and be charming and humble and high five kids and sign autographs? Me neither. This man definitely earned my respect.

While on the "media circuit," I snapped a couple pics of the top 3 male finishers: Eneko Llanos (ESP), Tim O'Donnel (USA), Luke Bell (NZD)



  

After the pros stopped coming in, my phone died and I wasn't able to take any more pictures. But the memories of the day are sure to last a long long time. I was at the finish line for the very first finisher just after 3pm all the way to the last finisher just before midnight. I helped about 50 people over the course of the day; some still walking under their own power, some collapsing the second after they crossed the finish line and whisked off in a wheelchair to the medical tent, some first time Ironmen, some that have done over 25. Though every one was different, all of them were appreciative and friendly.

The feeling of crossing a finish line is indescribable. The feeling of being on the other side of it and watching people achieve their dreams: inspiring.

Ironman Texas: A Volunteer Story, Part 1

I've been in a little training funk lately. It used to be that I would get pumped before every workout. I knew it would be tough, but I knew it would be worth it. Lately, it hasn't felt worth it. I need something new. I need inspiration.

Not coincidentally, I'll be surrounded by Ironmen (and Ironwomen) from 2pm - Midnight on Saturday as I volunteer at the finish line for the inagural Ironman Texas or IMTX. Some will be 1st timers. Some will be veterans. All will be something that I want to be. An Ironman.

I got to The Woodlands a little later than I'd liked and don't work until tomorrow, but I was still able to check out the event set up. Making perfect sense, the swim and bike sections are a lot more finalized than the finish area. I mean, they've still got about 8 hours after the start of the race before the finish line needs to be up and running. You win this round, Logistics.

The swim starts out across the lake and funnels into a channel that snakes through a residential area and is bordered by apartment buildings and a mall, the heart of the race and where the finish line is located. The channel looks to be about only 20yds across and, with an unblocked shoreline, you can get a great vantage point as the athletes swim by and finish their 2.4 mile swim (Very spectator friendly!). A 90 degree turn around the last buoy brings you to 10 sets of stairs you can pick from to climb out.



A 100yd run takes you from the swim to your bike gear bag and the changing tent. I couldn't tell where the wet suit strippers will be stationed, but they'll be there and it's always fun to see. I don't know if all IM organizers do this, but the gear bags are color coded so the athletes don't put the bike gear in their run bag and vice versa. Blue = bike. Red = run. Smart.

Looming high overhead like Walt Disney's Matternhorn, the giant white circus tent where athletes will grab some fuel, strip down, lube up, add sunscreen, and gear up for the bike now lies dormant and barren. I poked my head in. It's pretty bare with a couple rows of metal folding chairs and a curtain running lengthwise separating the guys from the girls. 8 port-o-johns sit untouched nearby...for now. 

Next to the tent is the bike rack area. It's the size of a football field and completely full of rack after rack of bikes. Another spectator commented that there were millions of dollars worth of bikes in there. With about 2500 athletes and the average tri bike running $3000, he was exactly right. It's pretty cool how the volunteers work here. When you get up to get your gear bag and run into the changing tent, someone else is running into the sea of bikes, finds yours and has it ready when you're set to go. Bike valet. What a great concept.

After riding 112 miles, you bring your bike back to where you got it, drop it off with the valet and run to your run gear bag and back into the changing tent. It's usually just a reapplication of sunscreen in here, maybe some compression socks, throw on the running shoes, and head on out. The course winds through the neighborhood area and goes off somewhere before heading back into the center of the mall area. A couple tight turns through the shopping areas, and then you make that last turn...It's such a huge psychological pick me up when you turn that final corner and see the arch over the finish line. I'm very excited to be there at the end when these amazing athletes finish the course and begin to realize what they've just accomplished.

From what I'm told, my job will be to "catch" the athletes as they cross the line. Basically I'm one of their escorts through the finish chute (get your medal, get your water, get your hat, get your shirt, hold your stuff while you take your photo)  until you can leave on your own or need to go to the medical tent. I can't wait to hear some great stories about the race. It's going to be incredible.

So now I'm back in my hotel, hydrating like an athlete, so I can withstand the 11 hours in 85F temps and 80% humidity. It's been pouring rain on and off over the last 12 hours so I'm sure we'll have some of that too. Can't forget about the gusty winds either. Gee, what kind of person would want to be out in this kind of weather for so long?

Easy. An Ironman.

Tomorrow, my shift doesn't start until 2, but I'm going to try and see how many different volunteer activities I can learn about...starting with opening the transition area at 4:30am. Who knows, they may not let me in. But what are they going to do, turn me away for wanting to help?

Stay tuned for Part 2!