Ironman Muskoka 70.3 Race Recap

[Slow Triathlete]

Just got back from Northern Canada.

Muskoka Race Recap

I must warn everyone here at the beginning. There is excessive use of the word “mucous” in this recap.

For those of you who don’t know, the race was held in Huntsville, Ontario which is about 3 hours north of Toronto. What’s it like 3 hours north of Toronto you ask. Well, there’s not much up there except lakes, mountains, and trees. I did see a lot of chipmunks however. It is truly beautiful up there and the weather was cool the whole time we were there. The leaves were already turning on the trees.

Well before I left NC, I started to have some sinus issues and sore throats from the mucous drippage. After getting to Canada it turned into a full on sinus and lung infection. I laid on the couch and in bed for the first few days that we were up there. Two days before the race I decided that I was in no condition to do the race. I let everyone up there know that I wasn’t going to do it. I had turned from a racer to a cheerleader.

That night my fever actually broke and I started to feel better. Mucous was coming out of everywhere but I felt like it was actually breaking up and I would feel better on race morning. I rested and rehydrated as best I could the day before the race.

Race morning we woke up to find that it was raining. Now when I say raining I mean absolutely pouring out of the sky. Oh well, the race must go on.

My swim went well except for the fact that when I laid down in the water all of the mucous that had gathered in the bottom of my lung now started to spread out and because I was actually exerting myself it made the coughing worse. Water temp was around 65 and wasn’t too bad once you got moving.

Out of the swim and you had to run about ¼ of a mile up a steep hill to the transition area. I was lightheaded by the time I got to my bike and had to sit down for a minute. I couldn’t stop coughing and it would continue for the rest of the day.

Out on the bike course, the first 8 Km was straight downhill which would have been great if the roads were dry. Most of these down hills I got up to around 45 mph but there was usually a sharp turn at the bottom and I had to slam on the brakes. I actually saw 3 guys eat it going around corners. One guy just slid straight into the woods and disappeared. We heard him shout “I’m okay” as we were going by. The bike course was relentless. There were no flat areas at all. You were either going up or down for 58 miles. Yes, 58 miles. They added two extra miles to the course. It rained the entire bike also. Sometimes it was a light sprinkle and then towards the end it was a full on downpour again. Lucky me!! I actually came close to pulling out in the first 10 miles because of how I was feeling at that time.

Now everyone out on the bike and from what I had read told me to save my legs for the last 8 Km. It is the same as the first 8 Km except that we were going up all of those previous down hills. My belief was how much worse could it get based on what I had been through already. Well my belief was wrong. It was worse, a lot worse. Overall, this bike course was harder than any course I’ve ridden so far. It was harder than New Zealand and harder than the 90 miles that I covered in Kona. Everyone that I talked to after the race said that they would not do it again. They loved that they finished but it was an extremely difficult course.

Now the part that made my bike ride hard. Because I had been sick prior to the race I was extremely constipated. It continued into race morning. Well all of my hydrating efforts kicked in while I was on the bike. I had to stop and go “#2” four times while on the bike and only one time was in a porta-potty. The other times were in the woods on the sides of mountains in Canada. My wife must have passed me on one of these “nature hikes” because she beat me back to transition. I’m sure the bears in the area are wondering what violated their countryside.

By the time I got to the run my legs were absolutely done. I just vowed to myself to try finishing this thing. The run course was just as bad as the bike course. Up and down with very little in the way of flatlands. My strategy was now to run the down hills and flats and walk the up hills. I stuck to that for the most part. The last 5 Km were on a golf course and it was the hilliest golf course that I have ever seen. Oh, it was still raining at this point.

I finished with the horrible time of 84:40. I’m not upset or mad about that time. Considering the circumstances I was just happy to be able to get out there. My wife had a great time and is now pumped to enter her first Ironman event next year in Arizona.

One of the last nights we were out there I was sitting around a campfire with my dad and father-in-law smoking cigars and pipes. It was a full moon and we came to a lull in conversation. At that moment a pack of wolves or coyotes started howling at the moon. It was haunting and really cool all at the same time. I'll never forget it.

Here's a link to my race photos:

http://www.asiorders.com/view_user_e...126&S=230&PWD=

[tx_tuff]

Scott its amazing to me what you do brother. But its not amazing that you finshed the race. Because I know how big a heart you have and the kind of will power you have! Way to go brother!!!

A lot of members where not around when we all learned here on Cigar Live what kind of man Scott is! If you are ever feeling down because of whatever or think you have it hard, you should think of this guy. Hey is a guy who has had lung transplants because of Cystic Fibrosis and instaed of sitting around and feeling sorry for himself he is out there doing Ironmans!!! There is much more to his story then just that. Try to dig up some old threads by him.

Scott hope your ok with me bringing that up but i think everybody should know we have an hero among us.

[Slow Triathlete]

Don't mind at all Frank. Thanks for the kind words.

[foolwithnohair]

Huntsville is in Northern Canada? oflmao:oflmao:oflmao:

Huntsville is cottage country!

I'm fairly familiar with the area - every spring we fix the roads and run a rally there - and you are INSANE to do a triathalon there. But then again, you know the terrain now. Up, down, up, down. In the rain it would be unimaginably difficult with all the additional drag of Muskoka mud.

However, because there was rain, you didn't get bugs. Be very, very thankful for that!!!

Congratulations on finishing! I am in awe.

[maduro4me-cl]

Congratulations on finishing. I can not even imagine trying to swim/bike/run on of these races.