Recently in Sports Category

At the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour last night, we saw the following video, The Red Helmet, winner of the Nissan Outdoor Games. Please take the five minutes to view the fantastic film below:

After that, it makes you wonder: what's your red helmet?

Mine was a simple quote my brother said to me. I've likely said it before here, but I have to say it again. He said to me, "There will always be a first." So true, no matter what you do, you have to do it a first time. Your first swim, first kiss, first jump from a plane, first job interview, first triathlon, and so on.

So, what's your red helmet?

I've always guesstimated that swimming was about one-quarter the speed of running. I was a bit bored, so I compared the world records of the long course meter freestyle records to that of the outdoor track records. (The conditions used for Olympic Games.)

Here are the men:

And the Women:

Sources: Swimming | Track

It's interesting that the women are faster runners in the shorter distances (100, 200,) than the men, but men are faster in the longer distances (800, 1500). The 400 is just about a dead heat. The first reason that comes to mind for the difference is the upper body strength of women. Sprinting in swimming requires significant arm and shoulder strength. Perhaps men are more evenly built between the upper and lower parts of their body?

I'm a little late in getting to this, so I apologize if you've seen this. The Washington Post is looking into reason why we compete and what drives us to do so. The first article is about the Barkleys marathon, a 5 loop, 20 mile course that has a 60 hour time limit. Oh, and the race director is a bit sadistic. Here's the article's introduction:

"Alone, running and hiking in the mountains for almost 50 hours, Brian Robinson's mind had slowly unraveled. He had run through two sleepless nights, through fog and sideways rain, through thornbushes and over rattlesnake dens. Now, with 80 miles finished and 20 left in the world's toughest footrace, Robinson no longer could differentiate between real and imaginary. Around each corner, he thought he heard picnickers laughing at him. At midnight. In the remote woodlands of Tennessee.

Robinson stumbled into the Barkley Marathons' final aid station at 8 a.m., with black hollows surrounding his eyes. His hands trembled, a result of the five caffeine pills he had swallowed. Dozens of scratches covered his arms and legs. His dry-fit shirt was dingy and frayed. The slightest gust of wind knocked Robinson from side to side, so he leaned against a tree.

A half-dozen friends and fellow runners -- all of whom had quit long ago -- rushed to prepare Robinson for the final section of the race. Two people changed his shoes. One person sponged his forehead. His friend, Wendell Doman, started cooking six eggs as Robinson eyed his watch.

"I need to get back out there now," Robinson said. "I don't think we're going to be able to cook those, Wendell."

"I know," Doman said. "But you need the protein."

"Just put them in a bowl," Robinson said. "I'll drink them raw."

Read the rest of the article

The Boise State Broncos (from the field better known as "Smurf Turf") went undefeated on the college football season and ended ranked #8. They struggled to gain respect throughout the entire season, but remained out of the title game because of the lack of competitive opponents. They did earn the right to play Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. Everyone, including the non-experts, thought the Broncos would fight, but ultimately fail.

Fast forward to the game...the Broncos are up 28 to 10 at half time. Whoa. Oklahoma fights back to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. And then Boise State throws an interception which Oklahoma promptly runs back for a touchdown. Now down by seven, the Broncos mount one final drive to tie the game. With a final gasp, the Broncos call a "hook and lateral" and score a touchdown and tie the game, sending it to overtime.

Oklahoma scores on the first play of their possession and convert the point after. Now it's Boise State's turn. The Broncos do indeed score, but instead of attempting a PAT, they go all in and decide to attempt a two-point conversion. Fail to convert, and they are chumps. Convert, and they are heroes among mortals.

By now, I'm sure you've heard the outcome (or even watched it). The Broncos called a statue of liberty and converted the two points to win the game. Watch the final play on YouTube.

And to top it all off, in a perfect cliché, Running back Ian Johnson proposed to his girlfriend Chrissy (a cheerleader). Of course, she said yes.

Now that's a Fiesta!

Imagine the following:

You have traveled more than 200 miles to participate in your first Ironman competition. You swim 2.4 miles through chilly, choppy water. You bicycle 112 miles through wind and rain.

The final leg, a grueling 26.2-mile run, is next. All around you, people are ditching their bikes and grabbing the bags that hold their running shoes. But not you.

You can't find your running shoes.

They have vanished, and the clock is ticking.

Continue reading...

Race reports from 2006 Ironman Wisconsin as told by various triathlon bloggers:

XT4: Race

RunBubbaRun: Race

Pharmie (formally SLS): Pre-Race | Race | Addendum

TriSaraTops: Pre-Race 1 | Pre-Race 2 | Swim | Bike | Run & Finish

IronWil: Preface | Swim | Bike Preface | Bike | Bike-to-Run (T2) | Run

Congrats to everyone! To quote Nick, a finisher that ran the entire marathon in a tuxedo: "It's not about the time you go, it's about the time you had."

Sunday dawned with what was forecast for Saturday: cool and wet. It wasn't raining for the start, but the clouds weren't friendly and the wind that brought them was even less kind. I spent the hour before the start separating the athletes from the spectators on the ramp (aka "helix") and make sure the aisle was clear for the athletes to run back up.

After the start, I made my way to the bottom. The waves on the lake were topping with whitecaps at times. The wind from the north east directly conflicted with the back straightaway on the swim course and pounded the swimmers as they fought through them. Several athletes passed through the peeling zone we briefed the peelers on their duties. This was within fifteen minutes of the start.

The pros left 10 minutes before the main field, but the conditions slowed them a bit. Andrea Fisher and Hilary Biscay arrived to our area first after 53 minutes, followed after a big gap by the rest of the pros. The main field arrived after 1:10 and everyone in the peeling area was busy for the next twenty minutes. Waves and waves of folks streamed out of the water. I stayed at the front and urged the athletes to continue all the way though the chute to get peeled. I saw several bloody eye sockets from kicks to the face. One peeler was asked if a collarbone looked broke.

After two hours and twenty minutes, the swim course closed. But that didn't stop the swimmers. The peeling volunteers began to break down our area, but there were several swimmers declining the ride into the shore and finishing the course. One woman that missed the cutoff kept her wetsuit around her waist, and shivered in the cold while she waited for all the other swimmers to come out of the water. As each one did, she walked over and congratulated them. Another competitor came out late, got hugs from his family and said, "I gotta do this," and took off running up the helix by himself with his wetsuit still on.

Art came out of the water, took of his wetsuit top down and wandered around. He had no support in town and because the area was shutting down, no idea where to go. My wife saw his lost expression and offered help. She put her arm around his exposed shoulders and guided up the ramp. Her comfort warmed his body. His goose bumps "were beyond hard" and he was shivering considerably. As they walked pondered the idea of another year of his life to give to training, "All of that biking and running for nothing." She got him in the transition area, found him some warm clothes. We saw him again on our way out, his hooded sweatshirt closed tight around his head, transition bags in hand. He asked about if his hotel shuttle would come pick him up. We assured they would and hoped he made it home.

The final swimmer to come out under his own power was a half-hour late. Because everyone was cheering his effort and determinedness, he thought he'd made the cutoff, and continued to ask as he ran towards the helix. When they took his timing chip, he finally realized it wasn't meant to be. The most serious case was the woman dragged in by kayak and was suffering from hypothermia, the first of many on the day.

Our peeling duties over, we stopped by the house for warmer clothes and rain protection and made our way out to the bike course. We planted ourselves at the top of Mid Town Rd. and yelled to the entire rider contingent from 11:30 to 4. We saw lots of under prepared athletes, without arm warmers or long sleeves. The garbage bag was a popular option, but I imagine it was tough with a spinnaker sail on your back. Smiles were few and far between, but when we saw one, we made sure to cheer that much louder. We got to see all athletes we were tracking, some twice. It rained the entire time we were there.

Another stop at the house for dinner and a final dry set of clothes and up to the run course with a final stop at the finish line. The run course was wet. Really wet. The debate continued as to which conditions would be worse: hot and windy (last year) or cold, wet and windy (this year). (I maintain that the cold, wet conditions are worse. It's easier to get cool on a hot day than to get warm on a cold, wet day.) We stomped in the rain and yelled to everyone to keep moving. Lots of long faces just looking to put an end the misery. Number 2181 ran by pleading for a set of gloves. My wife, ever the saint, dug her extra throw-away knit pair from her bag. I ran across the road to her and handed them off. She ended up finishing 928 overall in a respectable 12:58. I hope the gloves were a small bit of help.

We made our way to the finish line, ready for our final volunteer shift to hand out finisher's medals. It was still raining, but we were more than eager to have the wonderful opportunity to hand out the most deserved medal in sports. We had the magical hours from 9 to midnight, when the truly inspirational athletes finish. I got to hand out medals to all types of people from all over the world. Like my finish last year, many faces came alive and the biggest smiles grew bigger upon seeing it and getting it placed around their necks. It still was raining, but it didn't dampen the crowd's spirits and enthusiasm. It was never quiet. The energy was so high at times it didn't feel like it was raining. I gave medals to many of the athletes we saw on both the bike and run courses, and many to friends that we'd been tracking. But, as seventeen hours ticked by, I still had one that I wanted to give out. Unfortunately for her, it just wasn't meant to be. Next year for sure.

Monday, we made it to the volunteer appreciation dinner where IM North America made some impressive announcements. Because of the weather, the local organizations in Verona that rely on the proceeds made during their festival didn't sell too many cold glasses of beer and brats. To make up for the loss in revenue, IMNA donated $500 to each organization. Also, instead of picking one best aide station and award that one station an additional amount, IMNA awarded each aide station and additional $500 to be donated to a non-profit of their choice. It was a nice touch that wasn't necessary. Also, they did share that the directors did have a short meeting to discuss the impacts of the weather to the race. They checked with the run course director, who in turn checked with each run station. All reported that they were good to go and would remain until the course closed. That kind of support made the decision easy for the directors.

Overall, it was a tough day for everyone. Both athletes and spectators rallied around each other, sharing a collective energy. It was a special day for 2140 athletes and 2700 volunteers. This is why the race sells out in 45 minutes. It's something beyond the number and types of pros that show up. It's the opportunity to challenge the heart, mind and body for every athlete, volunteer and spectator.

Scott tells his story of racing Ironman Germany. One of the better gut-wrenching stories of determination & broken dreams:

No HR monitor - check. No Powermeter - check. I have now stood in the rain for an hour and it didn't cross my mind to eat or drink. Nutrition plan out the window - check. Goals are history - check. Once my brain thawed and processed all this the day basically just became an event to get finished.

I just switched my registration for the Mad-City Marathon from the full distance to the 10K. Although this may seem bad, it's for the best.

It seems that everything is happening to us in May. We started by closing on the house on May 4th. Two days later, we toured the bars on State Street with 40 friends, starting a mere two hours after getting the house keys. Through all this, I continued to train, despite tightness in my iliotibular band (ITB). Eventually, it got too painful to run, cutting off a shorter mid-week run because the pain was too much. The next day, I saw the awesome staff in the Sports Medicine Department at DeanCare. Doc told me things were sore, but not too bad. He thought I could just delay my long run (~18 mi) scheduled for that weekend and then stretch, rest and ice the area. Then we started to get the house ready for us to move in.

The original plan was to clean, paint, and construct new basement stairs on Sunday. Needless to say, we were a bit, umm.... shall we say...tired the the day after The Tour and thus got a late start. (We did get some shopping done, stopping at Home Depot, Sears, and Menards, all regular stops on the Road of Home Ownership. Many more repeat visits are to come., I'm sure.) We cleaned, vacuumed, and barely got started on the stairs that first day, a little dissappointed we didn't get more done. Now this is where life really gets in the way. A business trip to Detroit, bad weather, and a minor redesign of the stairs has pushed our backs up against the wall. Workouts have been minimal. A swim Monday morning and a run Wednesday morning is all I could fit. A three plus hour long run was out of the question, not only because of the lack of time, but also the soreness in the knee.

A quick look of the weeks to come before the marathon revealed not too much more time available to run. Thus, the decision to scale back right now, concentrate on the house and maintence training and think about a fall marathon. It isn't all bad. By not doing the marathon, I'll be able to compete in a sprint tri in Lake Mills with Tim & Nicole DeBoom (rumored to be there.)

Of course, the goal of the summer is to return to Racine and see if the weather cooperates this year.