Two weeks ago I decided I was going to drive up to Lake Placid and volunteer for Iron Man, so that I could register for next year, since it is rumored to be the last year there. I asked my friend who I knew wouldn't be able to say no if he would go up with me to volunteer and register. He didn't hesitate to say yes! I then got a friend to agree to front me the money, signed us up for our volunteer slots, and told him it was a go.
Of course it was so last minute there were no rooms left, so the plan was to just sleep in my car. No biggie, since we only going to be there for one night. And then I started to really think about my plan to register. Was it really wise to do this? Would it be smart to borrow that kind of money? Would I physically and/or mentally be able to handle Iron Man Lake Placid in 2012?? If my therapist knew of my plans, would she lock me in a padded room? After much thought, and discussion with my expert triathlon friends I decided that yes, it was crazy to register. But I still wanted to go up, and experience IMLP.
So, Sunday morning we headed out at 2 am to drive the fourish hours to Lake placid for our 7 am shift. We were doing sag wagon. Driving a portion of the bike course, to help riders in need of tubes, small bike fixes, a ride back if they gave up, or a call for medical if they needed more than we could give them. Since we were towards the end of the loop, we decided to go watch the exit from the swim before going to our post. We saw a few of our local friends, then headed to our post. Once we got up there, we parked until we saw the pros and several of the fastest age groupers go past. I have decided that one of my favorite sounds is that of a disc wheel (or a pack of them) whizzing past at wicked fast speeds. I will probably never have a disc wheel, but I am adding it to my wish list just for the sound it makes! We then started driving back and forth on our 15 mile assigned stretch, stopping for any one who needed assistance. As we were stopped for a cyclist who needed a new tire, which we had to call in, another rider yelled to us that there was a hurt cyclist in need of medical assistance. So we called in for bike tech, and headed back up the course.
When we got up there, we saw a guy on the ground, with others trying to help him. The tech car had stopped and called in medical, and a spectator riding his bike up the course in the opposite direction stopped to help, while his partner directed traffic. The poor kid was laying in a pool of blood. We told the techs we would stay until the medics came, so they went on to help the guy waiting for a new tire up the road after assisting the hurt athlete off to a safer part of the side of the road. We offered him water, gatorade, food. My friend fixed his bike, and checked his helmet. But the kid said he knew it was just his shoulder, that had hit the rusty metal guard rail, that took the fall. He kept saying he was on pace to make the goal he set, and checked his watch repeatedly waiting for the medics to just patch him up so he could get going. We knew they weren't going to let him finish just by looking at it every time he pulled the t-shirt the tech guy gave him for compression away.
When the ambulance finally arrived, we helped him cross safely to them. We told the one medic that the athlete wanted to keep racing. His response was "They all do". Unfortunately he wasn't able to. He didn't have a scratch, or a cut, or a tear. He had a gaping hole that tore down to his muscle, that most likely was going to require surgery. That was the worse part of the entire day for me. The look on his face when she said, no, you can not go on. Seeing his eyes well up with tears of disappointment. All that work, all that time, all those goals gone with one wrong turn. Calling in his bib number as a DNF to control sucked. And I will never forget his face, or his name, or his race number. I will look to see if he competes next year. And I will cheer him on if he does.
We had to take two others back to the start who just couldn't go on. Both had finished IMLP at least once before, and seemed ok with their fate. It just wasn't their day. It just was not their race.
After we were done with our sag wagon duties, we watched part of the run, and then I took a nap and my friend went for a bike ride to find his friends out on the run course. We then walked around town, watched some of the finishers, ate great food (sweet potato burritos and quinoa tabouli!) Then we went back to the car to sleep for a few hours before watching the last hour of finishers.
My alarm went off at 11, and I drove as close to finish as I could and parked there. My friend chose to not go watch the finish, because he wanted to get up at four to register. But I was not going to miss it. That hour was the most exciting hour of the entire adventure. The crowd was pumped. Instead of the finishers hearing "You Are An Iron Man!" from just the race announcer, they heard it from hundreds of people as they crossed the finish line. I do believe there were more cheers for the last official 2011 Iron Man Lake Placid finisher than there were for the man who finished first and won the race.
My friend did get up and register. He will get to hear that he is once again an iron man in 2012. I did not, but I will be still be there at the finish line next year. I will volunteer again. And if WTC decides to keep Iron Man in Lake Placid for 2013, I will most definitely hear the announcer say, Caroline, YOU ARE AN IRON MAN!
And, for the record, the entire experience was definitely worth spending basically 36 hours straight in a car, and I would do it all over again if given the chance.
Of course it was so last minute there were no rooms left, so the plan was to just sleep in my car. No biggie, since we only going to be there for one night. And then I started to really think about my plan to register. Was it really wise to do this? Would it be smart to borrow that kind of money? Would I physically and/or mentally be able to handle Iron Man Lake Placid in 2012?? If my therapist knew of my plans, would she lock me in a padded room? After much thought, and discussion with my expert triathlon friends I decided that yes, it was crazy to register. But I still wanted to go up, and experience IMLP.
So, Sunday morning we headed out at 2 am to drive the fourish hours to Lake placid for our 7 am shift. We were doing sag wagon. Driving a portion of the bike course, to help riders in need of tubes, small bike fixes, a ride back if they gave up, or a call for medical if they needed more than we could give them. Since we were towards the end of the loop, we decided to go watch the exit from the swim before going to our post. We saw a few of our local friends, then headed to our post. Once we got up there, we parked until we saw the pros and several of the fastest age groupers go past. I have decided that one of my favorite sounds is that of a disc wheel (or a pack of them) whizzing past at wicked fast speeds. I will probably never have a disc wheel, but I am adding it to my wish list just for the sound it makes! We then started driving back and forth on our 15 mile assigned stretch, stopping for any one who needed assistance. As we were stopped for a cyclist who needed a new tire, which we had to call in, another rider yelled to us that there was a hurt cyclist in need of medical assistance. So we called in for bike tech, and headed back up the course.
When we got up there, we saw a guy on the ground, with others trying to help him. The tech car had stopped and called in medical, and a spectator riding his bike up the course in the opposite direction stopped to help, while his partner directed traffic. The poor kid was laying in a pool of blood. We told the techs we would stay until the medics came, so they went on to help the guy waiting for a new tire up the road after assisting the hurt athlete off to a safer part of the side of the road. We offered him water, gatorade, food. My friend fixed his bike, and checked his helmet. But the kid said he knew it was just his shoulder, that had hit the rusty metal guard rail, that took the fall. He kept saying he was on pace to make the goal he set, and checked his watch repeatedly waiting for the medics to just patch him up so he could get going. We knew they weren't going to let him finish just by looking at it every time he pulled the t-shirt the tech guy gave him for compression away.
When the ambulance finally arrived, we helped him cross safely to them. We told the one medic that the athlete wanted to keep racing. His response was "They all do". Unfortunately he wasn't able to. He didn't have a scratch, or a cut, or a tear. He had a gaping hole that tore down to his muscle, that most likely was going to require surgery. That was the worse part of the entire day for me. The look on his face when she said, no, you can not go on. Seeing his eyes well up with tears of disappointment. All that work, all that time, all those goals gone with one wrong turn. Calling in his bib number as a DNF to control sucked. And I will never forget his face, or his name, or his race number. I will look to see if he competes next year. And I will cheer him on if he does.
We had to take two others back to the start who just couldn't go on. Both had finished IMLP at least once before, and seemed ok with their fate. It just wasn't their day. It just was not their race.
After we were done with our sag wagon duties, we watched part of the run, and then I took a nap and my friend went for a bike ride to find his friends out on the run course. We then walked around town, watched some of the finishers, ate great food (sweet potato burritos and quinoa tabouli!) Then we went back to the car to sleep for a few hours before watching the last hour of finishers.
My alarm went off at 11, and I drove as close to finish as I could and parked there. My friend chose to not go watch the finish, because he wanted to get up at four to register. But I was not going to miss it. That hour was the most exciting hour of the entire adventure. The crowd was pumped. Instead of the finishers hearing "You Are An Iron Man!" from just the race announcer, they heard it from hundreds of people as they crossed the finish line. I do believe there were more cheers for the last official 2011 Iron Man Lake Placid finisher than there were for the man who finished first and won the race.
My friend did get up and register. He will get to hear that he is once again an iron man in 2012. I did not, but I will be still be there at the finish line next year. I will volunteer again. And if WTC decides to keep Iron Man in Lake Placid for 2013, I will most definitely hear the announcer say, Caroline, YOU ARE AN IRON MAN!
And, for the record, the entire experience was definitely worth spending basically 36 hours straight in a car, and I would do it all over again if given the chance.
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