Oh Muncie. Dear Muncie.

 July 12, 2014. Muncie, Indiana. My first 70.3 triathlon. Had completed a few olympic distance triathlons but was totally unprepared for a 70.3. Swam ok. Cramped on the bike early. Wasn’t sure I was going to finish the bike portion. Sat in transition for 15 minutes because I couldn’t reach my shoes to change them. Legs continued to cramp. Finally willed myself to stand and forced a shoe change. Decided to try and walk out the cramps. It was hot. The run is all hills. I did run, some. 8:18 minutes after I started, I crossed the finish line. (Cut off time is 8:30). It wasn’t pretty but I got it done. I learned so much that day. I learned if I wanted to continue this path, I needed to train appropriately. I learned I needed nutrition help. I also learned that if things go wrong, I can continue to fight. I learned I liked triathlon. 

Fast forward to Virginia Blue Ridge 70.3 2023. Ironman is having low registration numbers. As a marketing ploy, they offer athletes $75 off a future 2023 race. I can’t let that go to waste! But my triathlon season was full. I was already registered for Penn State and Michigan 70.3. I’ve used up my travel budget. Then I look at Muncie 70.3. Last day of September. That gives me a week of recovery from Michigan and a taper/race week. Muncie is a 90 minute drive from my house. 1 hotel night wasn’t bad. I can drive home immediately after the race. No time needed off work. Perfect! I’m in! 

I arrive at Prairie Creek around 5:50  Transition opens at 6. I need to hit porta potties before I go into transition. I carry all my stuff down to bank of portos. Set it down, go inside, no toilet paper. Repeat 3 times before I find toilet paper. It’s dark out. I don’t have my phone or a flashlight. I grab my stuff and go to transition. I find my visor from my bike helmet missing. This isn’t good. I knew I had it when I loaded the car so I figured it was in my car. Set up transition and go back to my car. It’s starting to get light out. The visor is NOT in my car. I searched like 3 times. I now wonder if the visor popped off during the multiple Porto switches. Looking back, why did I carry all that down there???  Because I was tired and nervous about the race. I head back down to the Portos. There’s a good line of people now. I announce I’m not cutting in line and ask if anyone saw a black helmet visor. No one said anything. I then found it! Right in front of porto I had used!  No one had stepped on it! Glory hallelujah! The line of people cheered! I held it up high! I breathed a sigh of relief! I got in the line to pee, I mean I was right there, might as well.

Water was 71 degrees. That 10 degree difference from Michigan is huge. Sleeveless wetsuit and ability to swim without getting breath taken away was great! Not much contact during the swim. Easy peezy. 41 minutes and I’m out. 

Run up to the bike . Happy I brought an extra small towel to wipe off my feet before I throw on the socks. Off I go. Bike goes well but due to some headwind, my average is lower than Michigan. Part of me wonders if I hadn’t fully recovered from Michigan?? Kept an eye on heart rate which was a little higher than I’d like it to be. No issues on the bike. Averaged 20.3. My competitive brain thinks, “alright, three minutes faster on the swim but 6 minutes slower on the bike. I’m still in position to sub 6 this race! I get to T2, rack bike, take off chest strap, switch shoes and go. No fooling around in transition! 

I start the run feeling good. Then the clouds move. The sun presents itself and all the warmth it will provide the azure sky! Plan is to just stay in the mile I’m in. Don’t think ahead. Just go find the next mile marker sign. About mile 3, a cloud covers the sun! It’s like a breath of fresh air! Mother Nature looking out for us! A slight breeze hits and feels fantastic! I put a little pep in my step! Maybe 2-3 minutes of pure shady joy….disappears. Cloud moves. Mother Nature turns oven back to bake. Dang it!! Alright, gotta focus. Stay in the mile, stay positive. What’s on the brains music playlist today?

I create a children’s song. That’s right. In my head I start singing, “Four four mile four! Four is great. Four is my favorite number! I love 4! 4 mile 4! Let’s find 4!” Repeat repeat repeat. Found a 4 sticker on a stop sign. Not the 4 I’m looking for! Then I find the mile marker 4! Yay! Next lyric, “five five five alive! I love 5! 5 is great! F I V E 5! Five alive!” Repeat repeat repeat. Six and seven, same thing. Every aid station I take at least a cup of water or Gatorade. I also use a ton of ice. Ice in my Race Saver bag in my hat. Ice down the shirt. Ice down the shorts. Trying to stay cool. Not watching time or heart rate, just trying to move forward. Trying to stay positive.

“Eight eight, that guy that passed me is Eighty Eight!” He wasnt 88, I don’t think. “Eight eight 8 is great! Don’t hate, just be 8!” I find mile marker 8. My song is getting old.

“Nine nine! Nine is fine! N I N E ninnemugging cotton headed 9! N I N…N I N? Nine inch Nails! Closer! You let me violate you! You let me desecrate you! You’ve brought me closer to god!”  I’m like over 5 hours into exercising. It’s hot. The run course is all hills  my brain has switched to singing Closer by Nine Inch Nails. I can’t explain it. It happens. Looking for the 10 sign, the wheels fell off. The sun and hills, and fatigue set in and weighed heavy on my legs. I was walking way more than I wanted to. In the past, this is where my mind would’ve spiraled into the dark space. “I’m not good enough for this. I don’t belong.” Blah blah blah sad face. Not today Satan!! I “zoomed out” my outlook. Looked big picture. I used to suffer through and barely made time cut off. Now I’m blessed to be in good enough shape to finish 2 70.3 races in 13 days! That’s kind of impressive! I knew my run time was much slower than Michigan, but these conditions were a lot tougher!! I was still smiling. I wasn’t cramping. I would run some before I walked. I thanked all the volunteers and first responders. I cheered on others as they were headed out. The volunteers were amazing! Got me whatever I needed  sprayed me with super soakers! Ice dumped down my back.  They kept it fun!

About mile 12, there’s a group of 5-6 people clearly waiting for an athlete. The last guy is holding a sign that says, “It’s a boy!” I ask about it, and sure enough, we have a gender reveal party at the last mile of a 70.3!! I have to head into a Porto potty and I hear the commotion when the new dad reads the news he’s having a boy! That’s awesome! What a way to finish a race!

I hit the last hill and try to jog up it  I think I did, maybe I walked  little. I can’t remember. Brain was fried. I was tired. 

Cross the finish line. A volunteer hands me a folded up hat and says my medal is inside. I thank her and all the volunteers for being there.  I leave the finishers shoot and gotta spell check Finisher on the ribbon (since they misspelled it in Michigan). My ribbon is dark red and says “Relay Finisher”. What the hell?” I just finished the entire 70.3 by myself. I look around and see other athletes with a yellow ribbon that says 70.3 Finisher. I go right back to the shoot and my new friend Chris had just finished. He too did the 70.3 and is wearing a relay finisher medal. We go up to the volunteers and politely ask for a correct medal. I’m hopi g this was a small mishap and that Ironman didn’t order the wrong amount of medals…but their history isn’t promising. Chris and I grab some food and sit down. Another 2 athletes are seen with relay medals. I ask, they did the entire race. Shady shady ironman. There’s a Facebook post later on asking if others got relay medals. Not good IM, not good!

Overall, I’m happy and feel successful. Legs are sore, but no injury, no chafing and left with correct medal. I’m also happy my triathlon season is done. Four 70.3 races in 4 months is pushing it. I finished all 4. I loved some more than others. Chris Tech and Charlie Licata really helped me prepare for my races and I’m exited to watch them close out their seasons soon….while I’m chilling at the Potato or Chocolate Festivals!!

Congrats to Andy Kruth, David Sferella and Chris Kies for crushing their IM Muncie 70.3 races! 

IRONDAD says Challenge yourself! Do epic shit! LIVE life! Do what makes ya happy! You are worth it! IRONDAD out !

“Don’t tell your friends!”

 

 My absolute favorite view

In 2022, I decided I needed to travel a little more to see more of what our nation has to offer. Ironman does a phenomenal job of putting on races in places I’ve never been (and sometimes never heard of!).  Frankfort,Michigan had a 70.3 to offer. It’s about a 7 hour drive from Dayton. A few pictures of the area and the race course description sold me. As usual, the pictures just don’t do it justice. The area is on Lake Michigan with smaller lakes all around. There aren’t many hotels in the area  There is 1 McDonalds just outside of town. No other fast food chains. A good number of restaurants in this absolutely gorgeous area of Michigan. Then drive 5-10 minutes and find a hike. Like Elberta Dunes. A half mile uphill hike in the woods to find an amazing view of Lake Michigan. Amazing how the sand is so high up and you may even sand surf a little to get the best views! A trip to the lighthouse on the point is awesome for sunsets and seeing the water crash on the wall!

 (I don’t consider myself a great photographer but I’m proud of that pic). Brittney did her run Saturday morning in the neighborhood by Ironman village. She ran out to a different lighthouse and saw gorgeous homes. When she gets back, she gives me the bad news: we have to go home and pack. We’re moving to Frankfort,Michigan!! We talked to one local who was volunteering the next day, we told her how beautiful the area was, she replied, “Just don’t tell your friends!”  We laughed but I get it. They like their sleepy chill lake life. They don’t want huge crowds of strangers. It’s like a national secret. But what happens when the Ironman circus comes to town?? Ironman will take over an area. It brings in a ton of money. A lot of people who need places to sleep and eat. Frankfort welcomed us with open arms! They allowed roads to be closed. Roads to be coned so bikes had room and cars could pass by. They allowed us to see their area by bike and foot. I was impressed!  Brittney was impressed! The place is amazing. Totally worth the drive!

Ironman Michigan 70.3

Betsie Bay!

Village opened on Friday. I was happy to arrive just in time to get my packet and bib number. After a quick trip inside Birch and Maple ($65 for the 8oz steak) we ate at the Mexican place next door. 

Saturday morning I checked my bike in at 10am (end of rack spot for the win!)  Listened to the briefing then ran my daily mile with Brittney. Lunch at Papanos Pizza was delicious. Hit up Elberta Dunes then found one of my triathlete hero’s in the wild! 

Lionel Sanders was doing his shakeout run with Trevor Foley! I wished him good luck and he wished me good luck! I was like a fat kid in a candy store! Just giddy! Dinner at Vita Belle found no GF pasta, so GF pizza it was. (Maybe pizza is my perfect tri fuel?!) ended the night watching sunset at our private beach!

Sunday morning. Due to late season sun rise, the race didn’t start till 7:50 for pro men. Then the pro ladies went off at 8. Team Agar started at 8:03.  Age groupers started at 8:10. The big worry of this race was water temperature. Usually the question is whether or not wetsuits will be allowed. Not the case in Betsie Bay in September! Water temp was reported at 57.7 on Thursday. That means wetsuits are mandatory! Chris Tech came through in the clutch and let me borrow his thermal swim cap and booties. Experience has taught me to leave ego and macho behind and use anything that helps.  Seeing friendly faces as we wait to start always helps keep nerves calm. I was super thankful that Tom Sens and Team Down for Pancakes (Colleen, Jamie, and The Assassin Jenny) found me in line. The cannon went off and the pros were swimming! As we started walking to the start, the nerves started to kick in. I think it was meant to stay internal, but out loud I said, “The water is going to cold Matt! It will take your breath away. Stay calm. Breathe. Swim!”  I was ready. Tom was supposed to be my guide in the swim. I told him I was drafting him the whole swim. He starts right in front of me. 3 seconds go by and I’m in the water. The water is cold my friends. 61 degree water took my breath away. I planned for it to happen. I slow stroked and breathed every other stroke. I forced my face into the water I knew I had to get my face acclimated. Once I got my face acclimated to the cold, I could start to breathe like I normally breathe when I swim. It took 2 to 3 minutes, but I finally started swimming relaxed. I could feel the booties keeping my feet warm and the thermal cap kept my head nice and toasty. The thermal cap also kept water out of my ears which I believe helped my brain not think we were so cold. My plan on drafting Tom fell apart very quickly. I saw him as I swam by him. My main goal was to just stay calm and swim buoy to buoy. After going through the little starting gate we went right for just a little bit. Then we made a left-hand turn directly into the sun.  I couldn’t see anything other than bright sunshine. I followed the swimmers in front of me and hoped they knew where the next buoy was at. I told my brain, the sunshine was warming up the water. I had minimal contact with other swimmers. I would just follow the crowd and draft where I could.

 I knew the pattern that we were swimming looked like a coat hanger. 

So I tried to keep in my mind, an idea of where at we were. Buoy to buoy, just keep swimming. I would like to tell you where this came from, but I have no idea why I started singing the Brady Bunch theme song. I don’t even know the words to it, but I know I was singing it. Some thing about a lovely lady and her daughters and somebody wearing curls. Then they met three very handsome dudes. I’m blaming brain freeze. But it kept my mind off the cold water. I was hoping for a swim time of 40 minutes. When I exited the water and looked at my watch, I saw a time of 44 minutes. I knew dealing with the cold water and not seeing the buoys very well had slowed me down. 

I told myself this was no problem and not a worry as this was a long race. Which immediately tells my brain to start singing.Hakuna Matata. All of my triathlon experience has shown when I start singing Hakuna Matata, I chill out and relax. 

I get to my transition area, and now I have decisions to make. I had cut the toes out of long, warm socks to make my own arm warmers. I had also brought fingerless biking gloves. Earlier in the week the forecast had been chilly in the morning. I did not want to be shivering on the bike. I have played that game before. But as I took my wetsuit off, I felt the air temperature was pretty warm. I decided I’d use the gloves but not the arm warmers. I got the bike shoes on and fumbled a little with the gloves, but got them on and the way I went. 

The bike course starts with a 5 mile out and back on a two-lane road. This area was a little tight with so many cyclists. Usually I try to get my heart rate down from the swim. Another decision had to be made. Do I get my heart rate down and get stuck behind a lot of slower cyclists or do I push a little and get to work on the bike. I choose to get to work. I know my swim is not very strong. I also know my cycling is pretty darn good. 

 The Pose! 

I wanted this to be a great effort from me which meant taking a few risks. I had read other peoples results from this race and knew it could be a fast course. There were two 180° turn arounds that experience has taught me to go slow and watch the other cyclists to avoid a wreck. I did not have any issues at those turnarounds. I did notice early on a female triathlete wearing a Coeur blue and white kit who looked strong and solid on her bike. I appropriately, then named her Coeur. Because I don’t think I’ve ever met her before and there wasn’t much talking as we passed each other back-and-forth the entire ride. I was faster on the downhill’s. She was a little faster on the flats. I would slow down for an aid station. She looked rocksteady. Towards the end of the bike ride I would say “hey friend” as I passed her. She’d say “oh! There you are!” As she passed me. My hope was she was enjoying the motivation to keep pedaling as much as I was. Triathlon is a sport where you do all the work. But for some of us, having other athletes on course means we push and pull each other through. About 45 miles in, a male athlete passes me wearing the same Spaero kit and black helmet I’m wearing! We were twinning! I caught up to him and said, “I don’t know you, but I love your fashion sense!” We both laughed. Then Coeur passed us. Back to work I went. Jamie Viers had completed a course recon mission the day before. He told me “the last 4 miles is all down hill! We will be flying to the finish line.”

If you need basic math help, don’t ask Jamie. 

I hit mile 52 and start looking where this downhill starts. It’s flattish with a little uphill. Then we hit the big hill! Maybe Jamie fell asleep on his course recon? I was certainly not FLYING. After Virginia Blue Ridge and Penn State, this hill wasn’t too bad. It was longer but not super steep. I was quite happy to crest that hill and fly down it! Top speed of 37mph on the course. I can type out and try to explain how beautiful the course was but you really need to see it to believe it. A lot of the course is on the scenic highway. Beautiful trees, and lake views surrounding the course. Stunning area. Gorgeous homes. Friendly neighbors out watching bikes take over their streets. I try to say Good Morning to as many locals as possible. Most say it back or yell good luck. I want these folks to want us back. There were some big groups of people spectating. I’d try to put my arm up and rest my chin in my hands. Give them the pose. 

Try and make them laugh. Stick my tongue out at the kids. Life is too serious to not have fun while exercising. I believe I have a healthy balance of taking triathlon serious enough but loving it at the same time. My bike computer did its job keeping me from blowing up my heart rate and showing me I kept a 20mph average for the bike. Blue Ridge and Penn State can shake a cyclist’s confidence. I’ve done consistent work on my cycling and it was nice to finally see a good result. But the bike result is only good if you can follow it with a good run. 

The past few weeks, as training was going well, I had to look deep into my past races. I felt like something had been holding me back. I needed to be honest with myself I needed to admit that fear of cramping had kept me from running well in these races. I knew I was doing OK but I wasn’t happy with the results. About three weeks ago I made the decision that I was going to conquer this fear or push my legs until I cramped. Right before the race I was sitting in the car with Brittney and I told her that today was the day to push the legs. I knew I couldn’t start out way too fast. But I also knew that around mile ten, my brain would try to falter back to “flight “ mode instead of “fight” mode. “Just walk Matt, it’s okay. Your legs are tired, you are tired. You’ve been exercising for 5 hours. No one’s going to blame you for walking!”

I’ve told myself that bullshit for way too long. I trusted in my heart that again I had been blessed with amazing weather and a course that suited me for a great run! The only thing holding me back from crushing this course was me. I had let my heart rate get a little high for the bike course, but there was no excuses, no where to hide. The time to run was here. The time to dig deep was coming.

I racked my bike. Switched my shoes. Didn’t even change socks. I didn’t want to waste the time. Let’s get this done! 

Off I went. 

Instead of watching heart rate or pace, I just started off easy. Plan was to stay in the mile I was in, just go looking for the next mile sign. Take a gel every other mile. Used the ice down the shirt and down the shorts. 

I tried to not overuse the caffeine but I took some in earlier than normal. The course first took us out of Open Space Park (appropriately named!) towards the Finish Line which was almost on Lake Michigan. About a half mile out before we started loop 1. Recreational path that was surrounded by people! Tons of spectators! Kids playing on the playground right beside the path. Scenic views of Betsie Bay and sailboats. Freaking gorgeous! Then I hit the first aid station. Its theme was Barbie. All pink. Pink shirts, pink banners, all pink! These volunteers did it up right and were having fun! The way the run course was set up, we ran through this station 5 times. Then I headed out to loop 1. At this point Coeur was still behind me. My legs were feeling good. My brain was positive. Just stay in the mile. Brittney was along the course and I love having her out there cheering me on! I came up to a corner where there was a few different volunteers watching the path and directing foot traffic (athletes and spectators). I try to thank all the volunteers and first responders because without them, we don’t get to play triathlon. A spectator looks at me and says, “I love you.”  In a matter of fact way. I’m a little confused at his comment and my face shows it. He then says, “You have so much gratitude and you let people know it. I love that about you.” My friends, that warmed my heart. I love it when the positivity comes back around.  Around mile 4, I hit another aid station. This one is all Disney themed! Most volunteers in Disney costumes. Disney decorations. Disney signs, like Darth Vader saying, “Your lack of training is disturbing “! Toy Story characters. Anna from Frozen. Disney music playing. Well done Disney aid station! Well done!  I noticed the sun was getting warm. Not hot, but warm enough I figured I needed to be aware of body temp. I used ice down the shirt and down the shorts. Ice in my hat. Kept cool. Back round to finish loop 1 and I found Brittney before she found me! I’m smiling. I tell her I feel good. She says I look strong and to keep crushing it. Good motivation for when I start to get tired.  

 Apparently I was either rocking out or cheering on University of Texas?

About mile 6 a male athlete wearing a black tri top comes running by me. He’s wearing headphones. This is a clear rules violation. Triathlon does not allow personal music due to safety concerns. I get pissed. If you go faster than me, cool. But doing it by cheating, not cool. Then he cramps. As I run past him, I ask,”does your music not stop cramps?” I called him out in front of God and everyone else. I feel the anger building. Remember, I’m now like 5 hours into exercising and starting to get tired. I ask myself, can I use the anger as motivation or do I need to get over this? The brain processes it and says let it go. Being focused on my mile has worked so far and being pissed is a negative. I try to be positive. The next mile I hear, “Oh there you are! Look who I found!”

Coeur has caught me! Coeur was just as steady running as she was riding! I joked with her that I was all upset she caught me. She wasn’t a talker when she was running. But she told me to keep up with her. 

 That's Coeur, pulling me along

I think we ran 3-4 miles together. Shoulder to shoulder. Around the park at the other side of the course. Through Disney World (aid station). Back towards the final stretch. Couer then decides she wants to go faster. My legs disagree. I yell out to her that she has done an amazing job and I hope she finishes strong. I don't falter, I don't slow down, she just sped up. I didn't panic. I stayed consistent. I made my way back to the area where there were a ton of spectators. I saw Tom and Adam were out on the run. We exchanged words of motivation. 

I see Colleen and Jamie! 

Then I hit the corner where I knew I was approaching the finish chute. Legs were good. Mind was even better. 

My absolute favorite part of any race is the Finish Chute. Lined with people 2-3 deep, all cheering, loud, high fives. 

It's an incredible scene! and even better feeling knowing they are cheering for me. I put my hands up in celebration, knowing I had just crushed this course. I never looked at heart rate, pace or mile splits during the run. I had focused on even effort throughout and not succumbing to becoming a zombie walker in the last 3 miles. I stopped my watch. Saved the info. Didn't even look at the overall time. Found Brittney and proclaimed, "I just crushed that!" 

After taking a few minutes to chill, I asked Brittney what my overall time was. I had expected around 6 hours, hoping to be sub 6. When Brittney said "5:43." 

I had to ask her to repeat that. I was, am still, over the moon happy with 5:43. My run time was 2:10. Which is good and respectable, I'm just not sure if I can run any faster after a 56 mile bike. But for the day, Success was mine. I had toed the start line. I faced 61 degree waters. I let my heart rate be a little higher than planned on the bike. I pushed my legs on the run (also decided I needed to stretch a few more times at aid stations. Hamstrings were tightening up on me.) I waited till 5 miles in the run to hit the pickle juice. I added in Red Bull earlier. I still used energy to thank as many volunteers and first responders as much as I could. I crossed the Finish Line smiling. After 70 miles, just smiling is a win. My only brag, which I feel I've earned, is that I had the 20th best bike split in my age group of 97 athletes. I thank Chris and Charlie who have helped my cycling get stronger and stronger. 

Overall, I can't rate this experience high enough. The gorgeous scenery, the friendly people, the amazing athletes all came together to make this incredible. Word on the street is this race will happen again in Frankfort next year. I'll be there with my wife and daughters. Brittney and I agreed we have to share this area with Heidi and Savvy next year. It's just amazing. 

Brittney, my beautiful wife, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting this crazy fun adventurous lifestyle. Getting out of our comfort zones and finding these amazing places is truly LIVING LIFE. I love you, and always will love you!!

Friends, the Irondad is recovering well from the race. I have a few days until I go back to where the 70.3 craziness started, Muncie, Indiana. I took advantage of a $75 coupon Ironman offered and decided to race Muncie as well this year. If it goes anywhere as good as Michigan, I'll be thrilled. Most of all, I'm just blessed to be healthy and have support to do these races. IronDad out...

I was finished typing this out and just needed to add in the pics when this message appeared. Mr. Eran completed his first 70.3 at Michigan and he left me this nice note. Thanking all the volunteers means a lot to me and try to thank them all. This meant a lot that another athlete took note also. I love the triathlon community!!

if you've read this far, Thanks!! I've registered for Michigan 70.3 2024, you should too! Just don't tell your friends ;)

IM Happy Valley 70.3

Ironman Happy Valley 70.3  July 2, 2023

I’m starting this one off a little different. I’ll cover the normal details, the good (swim area, Finish Line!), and the challenging (bike course!) parts. I want to start this one off with full praise on the Happy Valley community!! I’ve been to lots of places and raced in lots of communities. I’ve seen my fair share of lonely bike courses. Which I get it. 56 miles usually out in farm country or long stretches of road isn’t appetizing to see really cool bikes go zipping by. Or being out in all kinds of weather to see runners run by may not be The Best Parade Ever. I believe the community of Happy Valley decided to show everyone else how to spectate and support athletes! I felt the love from the community when we first arrived. Bald Eagle State Park was jam packed with spectators and volunteers (big shout out to the volunteers who stepped up at the last minute to be wetsuit STRIPPERS!)

Then the support continued through the bike course! 

We did 2 miles in the park which was tight but wide enough to get it done. We then journeyed out to Amish country. I was so impressed with the Amish community being outside and watching us cyclists. I waved, they ALL waved back! Kids, adults, everyone showed love! I’ve rarely seen that  it was awesome! Then we ride into small mountain towns and everyone is out to see us! I wave or give a smile and stick my tongue out (I know you’re shocked by that) and these communities yell encouragement or wave back! So much LOVE! Then about mile 38 of the bike course is the long grinder hill. Big group of spectators there with signs like, “Kill the Hill!” (They are a poet and didn’t know it!). About half way, maybe 3 quarters up, there’s a group of like 10 teenagers, around 16ish, all losing their minds cheering so hard! Encouraging every cyclist to get up that hill. I return some love to them, which only fuels their fire to yell for me more. Incredible! I don’t know if any of these people truly know how much they help us conquer these challenges. The end of the ride enters Penn State campus. The love continues. Just a phenomenal community. Off the bike and onto the run, people are everywhere! It’s like they wanted to see everyone succeed. It started raining, the spectators decided that would not stop them. The volunteers on run course only worked harder. Whatever you wanted, you had 2 or 3 volunteers trying to help! Even the security guys who made sure only athletes got into Beaver Stadium were encouraging. I just can’t say enough about the ENTIRE COMMUNITY embracing athletes!! The love is greatly appreciated!!

Brittney and I left Friday morning. It’s about 6-6.5 hour drive from Dayton to Happy Valley. We got to Beaver Stadium  (named after a former Pennsylvania governor) just in time for me to check in and get my packet and sweet shirt. I’m a Buckeye fan through and through. Seeing Beaver Stadium (2nd largest football stadium in the nation) and being on PSU campus was very cool! 

I haven’t seen many college campuses, so being submersed in PSU was a great experience. Absolutely beautiful campus. Then there’s The Berkey Creamery. This campus ice cream store is elite. Brittney is an ice cream aficionado. She may have proclaimed The Creamery has the best ice cream (Death by Chocolate was amazing, she also enjoyed Peachy Paterno). Side note, the small concession store at Bald Eagle state park even sells Creamery ice cream! After finishing the race, athletes were given a scoop of Creamery ice cream! Enough about ice cream…but damn it was good!

Chris joined us for pizza at Faccia Luna which has a cool vibe and wood fired pizza! Washed it down with The Creamery goodness! Saturday morning brought bike check in and run bag check in. 

This race has 2 transitions which takes an extra step or two but isn’t a big hassle. I got some time to chill in my compression boots and increase my carbs! I heart carb loading day! Then got dinner and hang out time with great friends at their cabin! I love being around other athletes the night before a race. The nervous energy and excitement of the event that’s about to happen is fun to be around! It was fun, but had to leave early as race morning always starts early!

Race day! Alarm was set for 3:20. Chris and I left the hotel at 4:20. Parked at stadium and boarded shuttle bus. It’s about a 30 minute drive to Bald Eagle state park. I’ve found I’m kind of quiet on race mornings (this may surprise people). I’m focused on the job ahead. I’ve trained for months to try and do well at these events. I like listening to others talk about their past events, but I want to be focused on that day’s race. 

 I get transition set up and leave transition area so I’m not staring at and 2nd guessing myself. Chris and I had a meeting spot arranged to hang out until race start. Then we headed to the start corral. 

We talked with some other competitors while we waited to start. Tom Sens found us in line. This guy is always smiling and energetic! At his ripe old age of 162, I mean 62, he inspires me that I can continue these events for a long time! There were late shuttle buses which caused a 10 minute delay. Then the cannon went off and we were on our way!

I believe around 2600 athletes were registered for the race. It took a while to finally get to the start line. I distinctly remember “I’m so excited!” By The Pointer Sisters was on when I was given the signal to start my day. I sang that while I swam a lot! I had counted the seconds most athletes were taking as they ran out in the water and then dove in. I counted 6 seconds of running into water and dove in like an Olympic Champion!! (Probably looked more like a big kid falling into water, but it felt good!”). Water was 75.7 degrees and felt fantastic! I popped up and got right into my groove. Stayed relaxed. Swam to the next buoy. Repeat repeat repeat. Drafted when I could. Slapped some feet. Swam through bubbles. Made sure I didn’t get kicked in the face. Typical triangle swim. Water was smooth. I was smiling. It’s still wild to me that I can go out and do this. I didn’t grow up a swimmer. Now I can swim 1.2 miles in open water with a bunch of amazing athletes without a struggle. We only bunched up once or twice, there was no craziness I saw in the water. 

Once I got out of the water, I ran up to the awaiting STRIPPERS! Beautiful bunch of volunteers ready to rip off my clothes! Oops..wait wait…wetsuit  rip off my wetsuit! Not my clothes  this almost became my Only tri Fans page! 

I had the wetsuit off my shoulders and slid down on my butt and put both legs up! The guy grabbed the wetsuit and ZING! Wetsuit was off! Phenomenal process! If you’ve never had a wetsuit stripped off you, I highly recommend it! ;)

Into transition and shove the wetsuit and swim stuff into bike bag. Bike stuff on. Ready to go! Except one problem…my bike was too tall to get out under the rack! I spent at least 20-30 seconds trying to figure out how to get my bike out from the rack! Had to move the bike next to mine just to create the room. That’s never happened before. It’s a small thing, but the small things and how you react to those small things can have a major impact on your race. I had to stop, take a deep breath and then try again to get the bike out. Almost bent my straw in half to do it, but I was relieved when the bike came off the rack!

The bike course starts with an out and back in the park. Lots of athletes hopping on their bikes and trying to right themselves for a 56 mile ride. The park road was a decent size road that was split down the middle with cones. We went about a mile down and then came right back up. On the way back, I hear Chris say “Hey!”. 

About 1 minute later, I hear, “Nice ass!”  Chris had caught me quick! I saw a photographer and told Chris I hoped the photographer got a pic with me in front of Chris on the bike  because that NEVER HAPPENS!!

Chris passes me and I don’t see him again for a long time! I see Jim Little and say hello and wish him good luck on his ride. I’m trying to get my heart rate down and yet keep a decent speed on the bike. Heart rate is a little higher than my target but decide to go with it. It’s rolling hills on the way out.  Nothing crazy but not free speed either. The course makes you earn every mile. The road conditions were very nice. The spectators were engaged. Then about 35 minutes into the ride, or 22ish miles, the course goes up  it’s a long steady incline. This doesn’t feel that bad early on. But it’s taxing the legs. I’m working a little harder than I want to be, but I go with it. Finally, a down hill! If you’ve never been to Happy Valley, Pennsylvania, let me tell you, it’s hills, all hills. 

There’s one flat spot, but it’s not on the bike or run course! 

After that downhill..you guessed it, a sharp up hill! This isn’t as long, but it’s steep. Our bikes are not going very fast here. I’m feeling this hill. Not even looking at heart rate, just trying to get to the top. Feeling good, but knowing I’m burning matches. Finally crest that steep hill and get to fly down the other side. No surprise, we then start the long slog which is still gaining elevation. It’s nothing crazy, but the long grind is tiring out the legs. 

I started singing, “this is the road that never ends! It goes on and on my friends.” Another athlete said I should sing it for the rest of the ride. I heard him laugh as I started to sing louder! After the super long not flat road, we hit this little town with a big group of people cheering. “Kill the Hill” is the sign I focused on and knew it was game time. It’s about mile 38 where Centre Hall Mountain climb begins. This climb has the bonus of both long and steep! The climb doesn’t even charge you extra for the gross amount of difficulty it presents. There are a lot of cyclists now bunched up crawling up the mountain. I had the same thought that I had in Blue Ridge, “Worst parade of super sweet bikes going ridiculously SLOW!”  People in town were cheering for us, encouraging athletes to just keep pedaling! My legs were not happy. I could feel every foot of elevation I pedaled up. I just kept on pedaling, in the easiest gear I had, slowly climbing. Just keep on climbing. Then I started to hear this group yelling and cheering! I talked about them above. Absolutely giving everything they had to cheer on others! They were fun! They helped immensely! Which was great because one major negative about this race was literally on the other side of this mountain. Usually after you climb a big hill, you get a big downhill speed bomb where you recover heart rate while moving quickly.  

Not at Happy Valley 70.3….Ironman implemented a “Speed Zone” for the downhill. We were told we could not average over 25 mph for this downhill section. If you went over 25, you would be disqualified. They had a timing strip and a camera watching this section. After flying down the Keene descent in Lake Placid, I can’t figure this Speed Zone out. There are some turns but nothing sharp. It’s about a mile or so long and my brakes did NOT like me holding onto them while going downhill. On the Ironman sign, it said, “No Passing Zone”. This is a great idea if everyone is the same on comfort and speed. Triathletes are a wide group who some love the downhill while others do not. It was rather confusing to have both signs. If I want to average 24 mph and the cyclist in front of me is averaging 18, do I not pass and now get stuck going extra slow??? I really didn’t want to be DQ’d, but I didn’t want to lose time due to others going so slow! I finally got to the end of the speed zone and enjoyed the 10 ft left of the descent  before we turned right and continued toward campus. 

There were a few places my tri bike came in helpful as I got some speed but they didn’t last long. There was one left turn at a T intersection where I was coming in hot. I hit the breaks and sat up to make the turn. I believe my front tire made the turn with less than an inch before leaving pavement. I smiled as I knew I cut that close but made it. I knew I was getting close to campus as the number of spectators was increasing. I rode past Snappy’s gas station. I doubt it’s anything special, but they had good signage and I always made a way bigger deal to shout, “Snappy’s!” When I saw it. Then I hit University Dr. You’d think I’d be super happy about this  Gotta be back to campus if I’m on University Dr! But let’s not forget, this is Penn State. So of course, you have to go UP hill on University Dr. After 54 miles and plenty of elevation, you get to climb 2 more miles! Sadistic. Just not right. Challenging!! Taxing! Not fun! Then, BOOM! Huge stadium! Tons of spectators! There’s my beautiful wife! I call out to her. She hears me say how tough that bike course was! Athletes running!! We’re almost off this bike!! Thank goodness that’s over!! Long chute before dismount, and off the bike we go! 

It’s way easier to rack my bike than it was to remove the bike. Much more room when there aren’t bikes blocking all around. Shoes come off. Socks are wet. Decision is made to change socks. Dry socks and running shoes feel much better. Off to the run I go! Pickle juice down the hatch. Feeling great! Let’s crush this run! I see Brittney again and tell her I love her and that I’m feeling great! Go another quarter of a mile and realize I need to chill. Heart rate check, 166! Oh shit! 166 is very high for me. I want to start in zone 2. Closer to 125. So I walk. Breathe Matt. Chill. Get the heart rate down to 130 and start to run. Heart rate spikes again. I walk. Repeat 2 more times and finally I settle in. The spectators and volunteers all around the course are phenomenal! Lots of signs, lots of cheering, lots of cowbells! The course is cool because it’s all on the PSU campus! It goes up and down, in between buildings, on the sidewalk next to their little “downtown” area. It’s a sight seeing tour of PSU that if you missed something the first loop, you  could see it on the 2nd loop!

The course ran past the Nittany Lion statue,

 some really historic buildings, up into the technology building and through this buildings. I made one mistake though, I told Brittney a good place to be to see me. It was very close to The Creamery. She was right where I told her to be when I came by. Then I hit the turn around and expected to see her again. But guess who was in line to get some ice cream while I ran by??? To be fair, it was close to noon. There weren’t many lunch options other than the Creamery, and Brittney doesn’t miss ice cream opportunities!! She had also gotten up early and ran the campus before coming out to cheer and support me. She’s an amazing wife, I’m super lucky to call her mine!

As I ran, I noticed how much I was sweating. It was kind of ridiculous. Humidity had hit Happy Valley and it was making me sweat. I had to keep taking in fluids. I used as much ice as I could to keep body temp down. I set a heart rate limit of 150 now. Let myself work but not get out of control. My pace wasn’t anything fast, but I never cramped and never had a negative mind set. Stayed within my mile, kept moving forward. Found myself back at the intersection close to Creamery and there’s Britt! Such a beautiful sight! Then head down the out and back and Chris is coming towards me! We high five and wish each other luck to the end. I keep on moving. Feels slow, but I’m moving forward. I start down the street where I know there’s a split. Left side is to head to Finish Line! I stay left. I know I’ve made it. I hear a whistle! It’s Jamie Viers! Dude crushed his bike portion then came out to cheer!  It’s time to savor the Finish. I enter the Stadium tunnel with a decent number of security making sure only athletes enter the tunnel. I’m taking it all in. It’s so cool! Then the entrance to the field is bright! It’s my favorite time! I run out and am surrounded by this enormous stadium with 2 huge score boards and fans in the stadium! 

I’m thinking of how many Ohio State games have been fought on this very field! I hit the red carpet and look behind me. No one there! The finish line is all mine!! I wave at the crowd! Put my hand up to my ear! Give me noise crowd! The announcer says, “Matthew Kennard from Dayton,Ohio wants to hear something!” The crowd gets loud! I flex! 

I smile from ear to ear! Absolutely eat up every part of this finish on the 50 yard line!! I cross under the banner and another 70.3 is conquered. I get my super sweet medal and some water. I walk a little and just take in the sights of the stadium. It’s incredible how big it is. 

Almost as cool as The Shoe in Columbus…almost ;)  Then I break down in tears, crying like a baby. It never fails, knowing I was a guy who let himself be overweight and lazy, who has dealt with ups and downs, who has tried to balance being a good husband and father while training for triathlon on top of a full time stressful job…and again being successful in this endurance challenge with the support of my wife, I’m just so blessed and thankful. This challenge always strips me to my core and I have nothing but raw emotion left. Feels good to let it out. I walk out and get a choice of chocolate , strawberry or vanilla Creamery ice cream! I think Brittney would like chocolate the best, so I take a chocolate. Brittney finds me. She shares a little ice cream but let’s me eat most of it. We talk then find the athlete food tent. Ironman did not have good signs out to let athletes know where this was. Ironman did do a great job of having a clearly marked gluten free chicken wrap which was delicious! That was appreciated!! Then Britt got some brisket nachos from a food truck and those were good also. We found the Rogue team hanging out under a tent. It seemed like everyone had a great day. Talked to some other athletes and then the rain started picking up. Got my bags and bike. We almost made it to the car before the rain started dumping on us!! I was very thankful I was able to just throw everything in the car!

I’ve had a few days to think this one over. Would I race it again, absolutely. Am I in a hurry to do it again, no. That bike course kicked my ass. As this race is at the end of June and beginning of July, there’s a decent chance weather gets hot. We were lucky to have overcast and light rain for most of it. (I know the 7-8 hour athletes had to fight the down pours!)

The community embraced the race. Ironman does a great job. But after back to back 70.3 races with stupid hard bike courses, I’m ready to race some without mountains! I hope they remove the Speed Zone from bike course. I pray they keep the Finish Line at the 50 yard line! 

I can’t thank all the volunteers enough! Without them, we don’t get to play triathlon. It was nice seeing friendly faces on the course. 

To Brittney, my beautiful wife and best friend. My biggest supporter. This was a spectacular weekend away and I love you so much!! Thank you for all you do for me and our family!!

IRONDAD’s journey continues in Milwaukee in early August to race USAT Nationals Olympic and Sprint distances!