September 20, 2014 IRONMAN MARYLAND Cambridge, MD

AMAZING! There you have it. Thats the race report. The entire experience, course, people, race, volunteers, food, beer, sherpa, you name it..AMAZING. This is an absolute must-do race for those of you who want to do an Ironman or are looking to add another one to your belt. Fortunately, I was lucky on A LOT of fronts otherwise I dont think I would have had the same glowing report. Since I dont really know where to begin, Ill break down my thoughts into several different categories:!!Cambridge, MD - What a fantastic town! It is conveniently located to the Baltimore / Washington International Airport - about a 90 minute drive. It was founded in 1684 and is one of the oldest colonial settlements in Maryland. Located on the Choptank River, it has an abundance of history and great local flavors - particularly crabs. The people welcomed Ironman with open arms and you could tell they had been preparing feverishly for this race since it was announced in April.!!Ironman Maryland Facebook Page - One of the highlights of the entire experience. Hands down, the best Ironman race page..EVER. A good new friend, Keli Engleson (AKA Yoga Peach) organized the page and it is widely considered now in the IRONMAN circles as one of the very best. The group was entertaining, helpful and we were fortunate that the race directors, Gerry Boyle and Jason Chance engaged the group openly and were very receptive to feedback, both before and after the race. Both of these gentlemen are fist class and did an outstanding job. I was so blessed to have made many new friendships and laughed my rear end off at

Page of 1 6CrazyIvan Pancic (AKA fart bubbles) and !

Keli Engleson (AKA Yoga peach)

September 20, 2014 IRONMAN MARYLAND Cambridge, MD

the banter. The advice and reviews of the course and area were spot on.!!Accommodations - Although the host hotel is quite nice, it is about four miles away from Long Wharf Park, where the finish area and expo were located. My advice to anyone wanting to do this race - DO NOT stay in any hotels. They just arent convenient to where you (or your support crew) want and need to be for the race. airbnb.com was a life saver as I originally had a hotel booked 30 miles away in Salisbury, MD. That was as close as I could get having signed up for the race just 8 weeks prior. I would highly recommend to search this website (or others) regularly to find a home, apartment or room the locals may have rented for the race. I was extremely fortunate to have found an unfurnished 2 bedroom apartment about a half mile from the finish line and about the same distance to the start. Getting a place close to all of the action is an absolute must in my opinion if you are going to do this race.!!RACE DAY!!Swim - The course takes you east from Great Marsh Park towards the finishing area by Long Wharf Park in the Choptank River. I think the river is named Choptank for a reason. Its a brackish body of water which has been known for sea nettlesmost of which were obsessed over by some members of the Facebook page, however; come race day I didnt hear of any nor saw any myself. It is a two loop course and you

file down a boat ramp for a brief swim to the north before you turn and make the long swim to the east. Based on my time from IMFL last year (1:27) I seeded myself at the end of the 1:21 - 1:30 group. BIG mistake. I am just not that fast and last year was really an anomaly with the mass start. I had the crap kicked out of me and decided

about 800 yards into the race that I needed to find clear water. I swam away from the traffic (5-10 yards from the markers) and found

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September 20, 2014 IRONMAN MARYLAND Cambridge, MD

clean water to swim in about 25 yards out. I consciously made the decision to trade time for a less risky swim and being kicked in the face. My Garmin data showed a total distance of 2.52 miles and I did so in 1:42. Initially I was disappointed as I had hoped for about 1:35, however; in retrospect I got the tradeoff I was looking for. A few minutes more time on the swim in order to minimize my risk early and try to set myself up for a good day. After all, what difference would 7 minutes make in my day? It just doesnt matter.!!Bike - After having my wetsuit stripped off, I quickly found my bag and calmly took my time getting my bike gear on. This included putting my GWTC bike shorts over my tri kit bottoms.

This worked out great and I was very comfortable for the ride this way. Overall transition time was about 8 minutes and off on the bike I went. The morning air was cool, humidity was decreasing and for the first 2 1/2 hours or so on the bike there was almost no wind. The course consists of a 45 mile, two loop segment in the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and a 10-11 mile ride out and back to the loop which starts at the local high school. The TOTAL elevation gain according to my trusty Garmin 910XT was 52 feet. Yes, you read that right. 52 feet! Less than 6 inches per mile. To say this course was flat would be an understatement. Some say that makes for an easier day, however; I will say after this race, there is something to be said for having those rollers where at least you can get a rest on the downhills. The course was absolutely beautiful winding through farmland, marshland and back roads. Speaking of roads, I would have to rate them as a solid 8 out of 10. Very few rough spots and well paved on nearly every stretch. The course constantly curved back and forth so there werent any of those monotonous long stretches Ive been used to training for in Tallahassee. What can be tricky on this course though is the wind. I found myself

consistently averaging about 18 until I turned north on the first loop. I then quickly started dropping 20+ splits and then at about mile 50 or so my speed dropped about 3mph to 17. The wind shifted and was coming out of the northwest. Good I thought..Ill get a nice tailwind after I stop and get my bike special needs before I start the second loop. WRONG! As I headed to the southeast the wind was clearly coming right at me. Not evidenced by my slow speed but rather the top of corn stalks and trees. What the heck was going on here? Well, like most things in life we cant control, I couldnt do anything about the weather but I did have control on my attitude.so I

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September 20, 2014 IRONMAN MARYLAND Cambridge, MD

just pedaled on hoping that it would stay this way when I turned north for the final time. Thank goodness it did. The last 30 miles were a blur as I put down some decent splits and brought my steed home to the barn about 15 minutes ahead of last years pace in 6:20. Going into town you briefly see the runners and then head for transition. The atmosphere was electric. I was fortunate to have had ridden the last couple of miles side by side with Jim Ristow.one of the most hilarious guys on the IMMD Facebook Page. We joked and commiserated about our rides before we hit T2.!!Run - I hit T2, found my bag and slowly started making the transition to the run. I was feeling gross from eating nothing but Gu, Waffles and Gatorade for the past 6 1/2 hours. Thankfully, I remembered to take off my bike shorts, put my shoes on.got everything together and was off. That was easy..Until the Yosemite Sam cursing started! I forgot my Galloway Timer! DARN IT!!! I know this doesnt sound like a big deal considering

I already had a watch, however; I brought this timer so when I started making mental deals I had something to keep me accountable and keep my legs moving. I know my 910XT can also do this, however; I was afraid of messing up my race data so I said to myself.just run John. Just run. It just doesnt matter. Like most triathlons my first mile split was my fastest. My legs felt incredibly loose and overall I was in good shape. Just over a mile into the run my feet started feeling numb so I stopped to adjust my socks and shoes. This helped a bit.but didnt really do the trick. One compromise I had to make just before the race was my shoes. My Newtons had lost two lugs on my right foot and Im convinced this contributed to calf problems I was having. I wrote to Newton and to their credit they sent me a brand new pair of shoes two days before I left for the race. I managed to put a few miles on thembut not enough to really break them in. So the compromise was old shoes which were defective or new shoes which worked right. I chose the latter. Other than the shoe adjustment I ran solid for 7

miles without stopping, then things just didnt feel right. I was thirsty and couldnt drink enough water or perform.but at the same time as soon as I drank or ate I felt awful and wanted to puke. Over the next several miles I maintained a steady pace but had to walk a bit. During this time I kept reviewing my nutrition plan which I had followed but neglected to really put the math to it. It was about 9 miles into the marathon I figured out I had screwed up my nutrition plan. Time to regroup and make the best of the remaining 17 miles. As far as the course goes, it was beautiful. It wound through some very scenic neighborhoods along the Choptank River and into residential areas before you hit the turn around on an abandoned road. It was a three loop course and was a pleasure to run. Aid stations were well spaced, volunteers were fantastic and the atmosphere a spectacle. The turn around on the west side of town was in the downtown area where you ran past some of the local eating and drinking establishments. It was here that I found my sherpa, Bill Dillon appropriately hydrating himself and cheering me on. The only

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down part of the run is that you had to run past the finishing chute not once, but twice. As the day wore on I kept passing many of my new found friends. Crazy Ivan Pancic (who did Cedar Point 140.6 two weeks prior), Keli Engleson, Kiley Shipp (AKA Hello Kitty) Ed DeJesus who I

met at dinner and is proof that people do win the Kona lottery. Poor Ed though developed hip issues and couldnt run it the year he hit the lottery. Since then he has had double hip replacement and had a great showing on this day. There was also my friend from dinner Friday night, Hugh Harris who is a member of the DC Tri Club and looked strong all day. Day turned to dusk and things started to cool off. I knew my nutrition was off, I couldnt eat and I was getting tired. Time to reach deep and just gut this one out. The one mental deal I made myself is that I wouldnt look at my watch to see my total time until I hit mile 20. When I did, it was exactly 12:30 since I took to the Choptank River. I started doing the math.a 10 minute mile for the next six miles? I can do that..wait, thats right.youre legs are dead. On most days I can do a 10 minute mile in my sleep. At 12:30 into the race pulling off a 12:00 mile was almost impossible. I kept moving forward until I realized at about mile 23, I wasnt going to break 13:45, my personal record from Ironman Florida. At this moment I knew it was time to go back and revisit my first rule when doing an Ironman - ENJOY THE DAY. I am blessed to be able to do this. Forget the time, stop looking at your watch.and

just soak it all in. Bring it home. The next several miles were dark so I couldnt see those familiar faces anymore, however; I knew Ivan was near at one point when I heard fart bubbles. The PA which had been shouting YOU ARE AN IRONMAN for the past several hours was now getting louder. The lights were getting brighter. The crowd was getting more frenzied. This is itthis is what all of those hard days of training were for. I saw Bill again as I passed by the finishing chute for the last time. He asked, How do you feel? I saidLike dog-doo (except not quite that nice) and before I could say it to him, it just quietly hit me.It just doesnt matter.you are going to be an Ironman. Again. I enjoyed the last time up the cobblestone street to the final turnaround. Instead of turning right again, I made the u turn left and pumped my fist. The crowd went nuts. My legs got under me again and I felt like a million bucks. As I hit the chute I had it all to myself but this time I wasnt going to get a weak four words.I wanted them strong, and loud and clear. I slowed down just before the finish line and pointed at the announcer (although

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I could not see him that well with the lights) in a very animated way. Since Im a white guy with no rhythm, my arms werent quite in sync with his wordsbut for tonight.it just doesnt

matter. With each of those four words I pointed towards him.JOHN HUNT - YOU..ARE..AN IRONMAN!!!. I held up two fingers and crossed the line in 13:52 only 7 minutes off of my P.R. Wait.7 minutes? I guess a decision very early in the race did make a difference.and you know what? IT JUST DOESNT MATTER!!!Lessons learned - There were several of them:!!- With a solid base, you can do an Ironman only 8 weeks after signing up. Long rides on the weekend and increased mileage running and in the pool worked out just fine. I didnt need to sacrifice my

personal life to do so and didnt exactly have a bad showing. If nothing else.I learned I was consistent.!

- I have got to pay much better attention to my nutrition. I just cant feel like Ive got it down. I really need to do the math and know exactly what Im putting in when my body takes it out. After the race my body was a wreck. I got the chills, I couldnt pee without it hurting for a day and I was nauseated for a solid 8 hours after the race. This is not normal and I had no one to blame but myself. !

- Although I traded off time for clear water, and as you saw it did make a difference in my total timewhat it doesnt reflect is what could have happened had I not made this choice. I would still do the same in a heartbeat. Racing an Ironman to me is more about being a good manager of your energy, your mental toughness and mitigating risk as much as possible than it is being an athlete on race day. !

- Race for a cause or for a loved one. My first Ironman was for my dad. This one was for my mom. Having that motivation and thinking of her as she continues to race her own personal Ironman makes a huge difference. She helped get me through some tough parts in the day and made it all worthwhile.!

- Ill do another Ironman..probably even this race again. The entire community, the whole experience, everything about Ironman Maryland was fantastic. I cant say enough good things about this race, new friendships and the entire experience.!!

Sherpa - So, I had to save the best for last. When Bill learned I was going to do Maryland he was quick to volunteer his time and friendship to help out. Originally he was going to drive up with me, however; things changed at work and he ended up flying to Baltimore the day before the race. He was the BEST SHERPA EVER. Bill did a warm-up swim with me on Friday, helped get me set up in transition and even ran back to retrieve my special needs bags which I forgot on race morning. We had a great time together, met some great people and he helped make this experience one of the best possible. Thank you 2X Ironman Bill Dillon. As good of a sherpa that you are, you are an even better friend.

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