Branson 1/2 Ironman Race Report

Tuesday, September 21

Good morning.

Branson 1/2 Ironman Report:

Boy oh boy. How does one describe this event? How does a participant convey the difficulty of the Ozark Mountain bike leg of the race?

One way is to hear it from a couple professionals who competed in the race.

Michael Lovato is a professional triathlete and an Ironman winner. Michael said:

"Reflecting on the race yesterday: this Branson course really should be a world championship event. Fair, tough, and fun."

Kelly Williamson, the female winner said:

“This bike course is the probably the toughest bike course I have ever done,” said an exuberant Williamson after the race. “It was just one huge hill after another, they just never stopped.” At the awards ceremony Kelly also said that any age grouper, "me," that completed the bike section should be very proud.

The inaugural K-Swiss Ironman 70.3 Branson proved to be a worthy addition to the Ironman 70.3 series. The race began in the crystal clear waters off of Moonshine Beach on Table Rock Lake, then featured one of the toughest bike courses on the Ironman 70.3 circuit and ended with a scenic run course through Branson. It is already being hailed as a "must do" for those seeking the challenge and a course that breaks up the race on the bike.

My Experience:

I was really looking forward to this event. For some reason I really was attracted to going down to Branson. Was it the hills? Was it the fact that it was an inaugural event? I am not sure. I always look forward to a good road trip and this would qualify as one.

The drive to Branson took approximately 8 1/2 hours. No biggie. The scenery in Illinois was boring. I did notice that most of the corn had been harvested and that there were many wind farms. Ah, the greening of America.

Once through St. Louis the topography started to get more interesting with rolling hills. Once I got closer to Branson the hills became bigger and bigger and were big enough to be exciting in a car. I almost thought I was driving in the foothills of the Rockies.

The thought occured to me, "are we going to be actually doing the bike section of the event on these types of hills?" My question would be answered on Sunday.

I arrived at the host hotel, Chataeu On The Lake. It was pearched on top of a big hill overlooking the whole Branson area. A very nice view of Table Rock Lake could be had as well.

You could feel the excitement as triathletes arrived and checked in. Also, the expo and all that we would need would be in the Chataeu. This was very convenient for all of us.

I checked into the hotel and went to athlete registration asap. What a smooth process this was. It only took 10 minutes to get through the whole registration and goody bag pickup.

Friday night there was a welcome party at the Branson Landing with a band that specialized in music from the band, Journey. They would play Journey songs all night. This was a big happening in Branson as many locals came to watch. Branson Landing is on a river and is a mall-like outdoor shopping area. Very nice. I stayed for a little while and decided to head back to the hotel.

Saturday was the day to set up your bike in transition area one. This is always interesting because you get to see your competitors and also their machinery. This is a fit group of people to say the least.

Befor setting my bike in T1 I went for an easy 7 mile ride to see how the new riding position would be. The past several weeks I was having slight knee pain on the bike. I went to my bike fitter Adam at Get A Grip Cycles and discussed my problem with him. He took some measurements as I sat on the bike and raised my seat a bit. So, I wanted to see how this felt on the road. So far so good.

After the ride and setting the bike in T1 I went for a little swim in Table Rock Lake, the swim venue. All systems go.

Saturday evening the host hotel had a pasta dinner party which I attended. After that I went to my room and organized my tri-bag and got ready for the next days event. The clock was ticking.

Event Day

The Apple I Phone alarm went off at 3 am. But, I had already awakened on my own at 2:55 am. I got up and turned on "my" coffee maker. Yes, I always bring my own coffee maker. I would consume just about a pot of the black, body juicing beverage. Coffee gets all systems moving if you catch my drift. It's so important to me to be able to compete in an event with no bathroom stops.

I then got in my car and drove to transition area 2. Yes, this is a two transition race. We would start the swim and bike at T1 and the bike ended near Branson Landing and that's where the run leg started. I wanted my car at T2 so it would be more convenient after the event. After parking the car a shuttle bus transported us back to T1 and I went back to the room. It was 5:00 am.

Time to gather my stuff and have some breakfast downstairs then walk to T1.

It was still dark outside. This is an interesting thing to witness. You have triathletes walking to T1, gear in hand, in the dark. It's very sort of peaceful and quiet. Once you near T1 you begin to hear loud rock music and the hiss of air pumps being pulled from tire valves. You also stop to have your bib number inked onto your arms and legs.

Then you walk into transition and get organized for your race. This involves pumping up you tires and positioning your gear in the order to be used for maximum efficiency.

The clock was ticking.

The announcement:

It's 6:45 am and transition is closed please leave transition. The race was fast approaching and the excitement was palpable. Athletes were everywhere wearing their respective swimcaps. Each age group has it's own color. Mine, ages 50-54, was navy blue.

The music near the beach was blaring. This is a very exciting time. You get to watch the athletes and see the various expressions on their faces. Each of them has a particular way to deal with their emotions. Some are nervous, others just focused.

Me....a little of both but mostly focused. I think the swim leg of a tri is very interesting and you really never know what to expect. You are kind of at the mercy of those around you. There will be mass chaos in the beginning, that is for sure. There will be contact with other athletes and that is guaranteed.

It was our turn, ages 45-54 were called to the waters edge. This was it, this was the start, this is what we trained for.

The Start:

An interesting observation with 30 seconds to go before we were off. I looked in the water and noticed a SNAKE!!!! It was 8 feet in front of us in the water. It looked like a baby snake about 8-10 inches long. I pointed it out to the guy next to me and he said, "why did you have to show me that?" I am sure if some of the woman had seen this they would have been scared to death. Some men as well.

Nevertheless, we had to swim. I wonder what the little guy thought when the gun went off and we stampeded into the lake.

BANG, we were off.

I positioned myself to the left and got a great start. Not a whole lot of contact but there was some. You just have to deal with it and not panic. I just swam and kept sighting so I would go in the right direction. More contact on the legs and arms. I don't mind this. I just don't want a heel in the mouth.

I make contact once in a while as well. If I am approaching another swimmer and their leg or foot looks like it could hit me in the face I kind of brush their leg to the side. This is more self preservation than trying to pass someone.

You must always keep looking ahead underwater to make sure where you stand compared to others. After a few minutes things loosen up a bit and you can really focus on swimming. That is until you start catching the swim waves ahead of your's or the waves behind you catch up. Every once in a while one might have to stop and check their position.

The part that made this swim tough was the fog that rolled in during the middle of our swim. It was hard to sight the orange bouy's. I would just have to rely on watching the swimmers in front of me for direction. It worked and I exited the water, somewhat tired.

I climbed the beach and headed to T1, found my bike, ripped off the wetsuit, put on socks and the bike shoes, put on my helmet, glasses and number and ran towards the bike exit.

The Bike:

I got on the bike and headed out. Little did I know how difficult this would be. But, I was ready for anything. I trained hard. When I was on my trainer I would practice pedaling the biggest gears ever so slowly to simulate going uphill.

Within 1/4 mile we started our first huge climb. We went up a hill that I had come down in my car when first getting to the hotel.

This is a hell of a way to start the race. My pace was 6-8 mph and I think this hill lasted for 5-7 miles.

Once we finished this section we got on highway 465, the "high road."

We would do this section 3 times. This was a doozy. We are talking huge hills. The hills I saw driving to the event. Boy oh boy, what a ride this would be.

As signifigant as the climbs were so were the descents. I would hit 45 mph going down. But, before you would know it it was time for another 2, 3, 4 mile slow laborious climb.

What added to the toughness of the climbing was the hot temperature. It was sunny and approaching the mid 80's to low 90's.

Even though this was really tough I honestly took it in stride. You can only do so much and only go so fast up these hills. I settled in and stayed in the lowest gears and paced myself. After the first pass we turned around and headed back to the start of Hwy 465 and did it again and again and again. We would do this section of road 5 times including all the back and forth on HWY 465.

I noticed that I was riding with a lot of the same athletes during the bike leg. I would talk to some of the athletes on the ascents. I said to one guy, "you know how many people can't do this?" He looked at me and understood, shaking his head in agreement.

This was a massive undertaking. I will never be afraid of another hill climb.

On the final return back there were more and more people walking up the hills with their bikes. They were exhausted. I felt sorry for them.

The final turnaround approached and I felt energized. I knew there were more ups and downs to contend with but I was on the home stretch. I pedaled hard and really started to feel strong for some reason. I was also excited that my knee never hurt at all. Thank you Adam. It's amazing what impact a minor adjustment in bike fit can make.

After the final huge climb people on the side of the road kept yelling out, "your almost there, the last 6 miles are downhill." At this time that sounded sooo good. I rounded the corner and started my approach to the bike finish. We would be passing cars the closer we got to Branson Landing.

I kept wondering how my legs would feel after I got off the bike. Would they cramp up??? I would stand up on the pedals and do some stretching and simulate running on the pedals. This felt good.

We were hauling butt to the finish. There's the final turn and I could see T2. Swoosh past the cars and a fast left turn. The crowd was cheering as we approached the dismount zone. I got off the bike and was surprised that I could actually walk without cramping, So, I started running in my bike shoes to my spot.

I quickly changed into my running shoes, put on my hat and took off.

The Run:

It was a nice fast transition but I made a mistake. I forgot my fuel belt which had some nutrition in it for the run. I just had to take that in stride.

Our run was three loops through Branson Landing in between the shops. The crowd lined each side. I was looking for shade and found a sliver. It was very very hot and humid out, no breeze.

After that 3 hour+ biking effort this was going to be a difficult 13.1 miles. We would meander through the Landing and then around the neighborhood. The heat was intense. I wondered if I would make it.

Those of you that know me know that I like the heat and I do most of my runs in the hottest part of the day. I'm starting to realize that that may not prepare me for today. My body was hot. Everyone's body was hot.

Perhaps my training gets me to the finish line. I passed so many runners who were really moving slowly or just plain walking. Athletes were exhausted.

I never have poured more water on my head. It felt so go but only lasted a minute. At times I actually wondered if I would pass out. I would not let that happen. I would take walking breaks at the various water and Gatorade stations. People who lived on our run route would spray us down with their hoses. Thank you!!

So, this was a very difficult 1/2 marathon run after an extremely difficult hilly 56 mile bike ride. I was not impressed with my run time at all. But, it was a matter of survival and finishing.

As I approached the last 1/2 mile I was getting more and more excited that I had made it, without fainting, and I wondered how I did in my age group.

I was now in the final 100 yards and the crowd was yelling encouraging words. The announcer was saying the names of the finishers as they approached the finish line. I finally heard my name and crossed the line.

Damn, I made it. Someone came up to me immediately and asked if I needed medical attention. I said no. Then a volunteer offered me a bottle of water or Gatorade. I took both. Then a medal was hung around my neck.

I looked around at those that finished before me. We all looked tired and relieved. I walked around in a daze for a little bit. Then I spoke with some of the athletes about how challenging the event was. We all were in agreement on that.

Then a wonderful thing! I noticed athletes soaking in the fountain adjacent to the finish area. I asked if it was cold and they said yes. I took my shoes off and got in. The water was so cool and it felt sooo damn good. It was a terrific way to end the event. A little ice bath.

What an event!!

In my humble opinion, if ever someone should feel proud to complete a 1/2 Ironman event, this would be it. It could not get much harder. My finishing time was not what I wanted but it's all relative. I can't really compare this 1/2 Ironman to my first at Steelhead. This was much harder.

My results: 15th in my age group.

SWIM: 1.2 Miles, 39:13
BIKE: 56 Miles, 3:23:44

RUN: 13.1 Miles, 1:59:33

OVERALL: 6:09:05

RANK OVERALL: 345

RANK AGE GROUP: 15th

Well, what a triathlon season it has been. What an amazing journey to be on. It is just starting. I look forward to continuing this journey again next year and will train to be even more competitive.

Next year I will also be competing in my first full Ironman event.

IRONMAN WISCONSIN.

Can't wait.

Thanks for reading.



LEG DISTANCE PACE RANK DIV.POS.
TOTAL SWIM 1.2 mi. (39:13) 2:03/100m 460 21




BIKE SPLIT 1 - 11 mi 11 mi. (42:41) 15.46 mph
BIKE SPLIT 2 - 28.9 mi 17.9 mi. (1:07:50) 15.83 mph
BIKE SPLIT 3 - 46.8 mi 17.9 mi. (1:11:51) 14.95 mph
FINAL BIKE SPLIT 7.2 mi. (21:22) 20.22 mph
TOTAL BIKE 56 mi. (3:23:44) 16.49 mph 546 26


RUN SPLIT 1 - 4.63 mi 4.63 mi. (38:38) 8:20/mile
RUN SPLIT 2 - 9.26 mi 4.63 mi. (41:55) 9:03/mile
FINAL RUN SPLIT 3.84 mi. (39:00) 10:09/mile
TOTAL RUN 13.1 mi. (1:59:33) 9:07/mile 345 15

TRANSITION TIME
T1: SWIM-TO-BIKE 4:29
T2: BIKE-TO-RUN 2:06











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" Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."

* It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin