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OCTOBER 15,
2004:
Who will win the Hawaii Ironman this year? Who cares?
Let’s talk about me.
I did Ironman Canada this year. I shouldn’t have. Two
years ago I’d done it and had suffered through the worst 5
hour marathon imaginable. The worst 5 hours of my life.
Every step was pain. I finished in 11:31 and was crippled
for two months. This year I was in worse shape and had run
even less. I’d been hobbled by an injury in my ankle for
over five weeks. It simply would not heal. Still I’d put
my $500 down and I wanted my monies worth. I was going to
Penticton. I figured I’d see how I felt race morning and
decide then.
A few days before I was to leave Peter invited me and my
friend Jim( also doing IMC) to his house for dinner and a pre
race chat. Jim and I would put any questions we had to the
champ and he’d do his best to fill us in on his race day
strategies and secrets.
I always look forward to spending time with my friends and
this was no exception, but the truth was I certainly didn’t
expect to get anything that would help me through the race.
Peter and I had shared a house for many months prior to him
winning last year and I saw then what one did to win an
Ironman. You trained like it was a full time job. You ate
well and you rested when you weren’t training. People were
always asking me about Peter’s secret training tricks? Well
there they are, or so I thought. What more was there to
learn?
I was under trained, overweight and injured. He could have
had Dave Scott, Mark Allen and Paula Newby Fraser there with
their combined wisdom and I’d still be looking at a Sunday
in Hell.
But, Jim was keen to hash out some nutritional stuff and
Pete had picked up my favorite dish from a great Thai
cafe. Also he’d just got himself a new plasma TV and I
needed to have a look at that bad boy. I showed up on time.
We got right to the questions and after 90 minutes of one
thing leading to another, it began to dawn on me that I
really was picking up a long list of little jewels, jewels
I would remember in the days leading up to the race and
tools to use on the day.
I signed up for three intense days of ART treatment in
Penticton and come race morning I entered the water without
hesitation. 11 hours 47 minutes later I finished. I was 16
minutes slower than I had been two years ago but it’s hard
to imagine a more comfortable race. Looking at it now I
realize that I could not have raced one minute faster. It
was a perfect race and it was a perfect race because of the
game plan laid down by the world champion. Our friend Jim
went 9:58 and echoed my words - Pete’s little list of
secrets made all the difference.
Pete has had one tumultuous year. He’s had more
distractions than a mouse in a cat house, but he never lost
sight of the prize and for Peter the prize is Hawaii.
But can he win again, and if not him who?
I think maybe Tim and Cam have similar tunnel vision.
They’re both tough. They’ll both show up to race. Could be
either on them.
Don’t know much about this Lessing cat but word is everyone
should be trembling before his awesome potential. Every
year there’s someone who’s going to blow the sands right off
the shore. Whatever.
Will any of the German’s save something for the run? Maybe.
I think it’s kind of goofy to predict winners for this
race. Too much is in the hands of the gods, and they are a
pernicious and capricious lot.
But who do I really think is going to win this
year?
I must sadly admit I think Peter will have a tough time
winning this year, IF HE’S HIT BY A BUS ON THE RUN!!
Of course he’s going to win! Dumb question. |
