Yes the was Mudman this year. My bike did her job well this year…no issues. A non bike ride ask me what made my bike so much better than others and why did I not have issues with my chain? I said it was just luck why I didn’t have issues. It was not my time to have issues on this race. There will be another race that I will have a flat or a broken chain or another mechanical.
Iceman this year was a mess. Wet, muddy, and just pure old cold – just a mess to be out in it. When it was done (which seems like it took ever!) I wanted to be done and get out of my wet clothes – no pictures, no waiting on anyone, no beer, nothing I wanted just warmth and dryness now!!!
Before the race I had to mentally talk myself into racing. My husband had already said he didnot want to ride and half way thru race stopped to help someone and bailed out of race.
However, within 2 or 3 miles into the race I warmed up and thought the mud was fun. I was just worred my chain was not going to make it. I had 1.9″ wide tires on and thought they were not going to be good in the mud. But I don’t think any tire width was good. There were fat tires wiping all around me. The conditions were slippery for everyone. I was use to riding on those tires and felt good-I just set back and went hard.
Once I reached the logging road it was a deep mud pit (I started in wave 19). I crashed at the top of road – got wet and got passed by about 7 guys which made me see how slow I was going! I guess they were glad I moved out of their way.
The roads seemed so slow with the mud and wet sand. We road the trail Oct 17 and it was so much faster. During race I never got into my big gear not due to chain but tired, heavy legs. My legs could not handle the load they were burning on fire with pain from the load. I could not put the big gear felt like I was going so slow. When I saw that I still had 10 kilos to go and reach my time from last year – I was sick. Really had to get my head around! I had eaten everything I had on me and everthing they handed me at the aid stations (that included all the sand and mud from my gloves) I didn’ t have any energy.
Crossing the finish line on October 10th marked the finish of a very big accomplishment for me. I was down in Virginia competing at the USA Ultra Tri race. The event was the Quadruple Ironman distance. I was successful in the completion of 4 Iron distance triathlons in 4 days. (2.4mile swim, 112mile bike, 26.2mile run x 4) It was great training for RAAM 2015 and my return to the 3,000 race across the U.S. The pictures are of me at the start of the swim and the finish of the race. When you finish you get the pleasure of striking an anvil the number of times of completing the ironman distance.
Doing these ultra distances races validates the importance of family, support and how crucial they are to the success of the athletes. If I didn’t feel the support of those around me, I would not be able to bring myself to the level of physical and emotional challenge needed to continue. There is a symbiotic relationship that drives the athletes to keep going when things get really tough. An example of this occurred during the last 4th day of racing. A fellow competitor tripped and fell in front of me from exhaustion. I ran to help assist him and he said “Go ahead I am alright”. I replied with a smile, “No man gets left behind” and stayed to help him and wait for medical. Any of us out there would have done the same thing.
I never figured myself to be the type of guy to do an obstacle course but it is also rare for me to turn down requests from friends either. I was recently asked by a family friend to compete in the BattleFrog Pittsburgh OCR. What is BattleFrog? Well, this is direct from their site “To challenge even the most rigorous obstacle course / mud races in the market today, former Navy SEALs have launched BattleFrog , the most adventure-packed, 15K, 5K or 1K obstacle course race (OCR) series in the history of the sport. The race raises money for the Navy SEAL Foundation, the Navy SEAL Museum and Memorial and the Trident House, underscoring BattleFrogs commitment to memory, legacy and family. The obstacle course challenges are inspired by BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL) Training.” So, for my first ever OCR, I decided to go BIG and tackle the BattleFrog Pittsburgh 15k!
BattleFrog Pittsburgh was held at Mines and Meadows in Wampum, PA on Sept 27th. The Pittsburgh event was the first time that a mine was included in the OCR series! Tim Castleberry, Chris Gillette and I did the event as a team as part of a birthday adventure for Tim. The course was 9 miles of over 20-plus obstacles with plenty of hills and switchbacks that kept us out there for hours (just under 4). We could not have asked for a better weekend….road trip with lots of laughs, beer and a very challenging obstacle course!
Our wave went out at 8:30 a.m. but it was the events leading up to the start that really put the event into perspective. A ceremony honoring fallen SEALS really made an impression and, for me personally, made me thankful to have people willing to put their lives on the line to protect the freedoms we enjoy in our GREAT country! I am truly in awe of the feats that our armed forces men and women are able to accomplish and I was proud to honor them in a small way through the event (and challenge myself at the same time).
After a mini boot camp of jumping jacks and push-up’s complete with unison counts (or having to start the push-ups again) we were given the command to scale the wooden fence to the starting corral and prepare for the start. The race director made it clear that the goal in the open division was to work as a team and help out the fellow racers (unlike the Elite racers who had left the chutes before us). Being part of a team is something that puts me at ease so I was able to get my mind and nerves settled and really enjoy the start!
Two explosions marked the start of the race and the herd of runners maneuvered down a bed of rocks and into a field to hurdle a 4 foot wall, followed by another wooden wall with a picture window opening and finally into our first of many mud pits. Runners began losing shoes and I was thankful our team from Battle Creek had made it through without any issues. The next phase was onto a creek bed run. The water was just over my toes so my feet were numb pretty quickly into the run. The creek run was fun as it forced you to constantly evaluate the terrain, scanning for rocks, roots and anything that was going to have you face planted.
Beginning of race – Creek Bed
One of my fears going into the event was how I would handle the climbing obstacles. Coming out of the creek bed, we hit the first wall built of 2×6 boards, forcing the participants to climb up one side flip the legs up over the top and climb back down. Thankfully, I did not have time to think and I was able to get up and over without issue. The next set of hurdle walls I had to rely on my teammates for boosts to get up and over but I was determined to get through as many obstacles as I could! I really felt a sense of accomplishment as I was able to scale all of the cargo net obstacles and the A-frame climbing obstacle without hesitation or assistance. When I bellowed my first Hoorah! After the A-frame obstacle I heard a man behind me say “I am glad to see that there are civilians out hear that get the meaning behind Hoorah!”. Turns out that man was a former Navy SEAL who had broken his back and was told he would never walk again. What an inspiration! The man still had little strength in his left arm but there was absolutely no quit in the man. After seeing and talking to the man on the course, I had no issue attempting the 12 ft. wall climb. I still cannot believe that I got myself up and over that thing!
When we reached the mines portion of the event we were roughly 3 miles in. I thought it was so cool when they started handing everyone a head lamp to enter. The temperature immediately dropped when we got into the mine and I just tilted the head lamp down toward the ground and started jogging. We had one climbing wall to traverse but the rest was just natural rolling hills and terrain….until we hit the water. All participants were told to grab an intertube and hit the water. Someone said the water was 49 degrees and I don’t think they were lying. Once I hit the water, I remember telling myself to breathe as the shock just made people lose their breath. We were able to wade through the water for a bit but it eventually dropped off to over 8 ft. so it was time to get on the tube and start paddling for the other side. The picture below is me post water turning in my tube.
Coming out of 49 degree water!
I only bypassed 2-3 obstacles on the course which was better than I thought I would do given the short amount of time we had put into training. I had some comical dismounts throughout the day, falling backwards off a cargo net, slamming my head off the backside of an inverted wall and getting my leg caught in a wire robe ladder that are still being joked about by my team. The event really made me push myself, both mentally and physically. I did things I never really thought I would/could do and it also really hammered home the power of working as a team. Below are a few more photos from the event. This event taught me so much about respect…for our military, for myself and for my team. I just can’t say enough great things about BattleFrog!
This past weekend I returned to Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH to compete in the Rev3 Half Aquabike event, Clydesdale division (220 pounds and over). This also happened to be the US National Triathlon National Aquabike Championships, which was also pretty cool. This was also my big event to raise money for the Children’s Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation (CNCF) as part of Pedaling With a Purpose. Inspired by Christi Thomas, a sweet little girl who lost her battle against the disease at the age of 9, Cedar Point was one of her favorite places and we spent many afternoons riding rides, eating elephant ears and having fun. Plus, September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, so even though my race is over, I’m leaving my donation page up through the end of the month and with any luck, I’ll be able to exceed my $1,000 fundraising goal (so spread the word!).
While most have heard of the term “triathlon,” which consists of a swim, bike and run, an aquabike event eliminates the run part and just athletes swim and bike. It’s a great opportunity to compete in a multi-discipline sporting event, yet avoid running (which seems to be what takes most athletes out of comission). I hurt my knee earlier this year training and was not up for the 13.1 mile run, but wanted to still compete in this great event. The funny part is, when I say I’m doing the aquabike, visions of a “bike riding on the water” spring to mind. However, with the rolling waves in Lake Erie at start (3-5 foot swells), there’s no way I’d even consider riding a bike on those waves (heck, swimming was hard enough).
A Swim Like No Other
Doesn’t look like much, but the waves got a lot bigger when you were in the water!
Our wave was the first to head off at 8:20 am and many of the full distance Rev3 racers were in the process of finishing their 2.4 mile swim (they went off much earlier). Heading into the water the get used to the temp I realized very quickly that this was going to be a swim like no other. I’ve played in waves this big before, but never swam in them, let alone tried to race. Good thing for the wetsuit, as the buoyancy was surely going to be a Godsend and keep me from becoming fish food for the Lake Erie inhabitants.
Start time arrived and we were off. Swimmers were “dolphin jumping” over the waves, as the sandy bottom reached pretty far out into the water. Once we got past the point of touching the ground, it became an immediate challenge just to spot the sighting buoys to keep on track and swimming straight, having to time my breathing with the roll of the waves. For racers that had done a lot of open water swimming this may not have been a big issue, but for me I have to admit to being just a “little freaked out” at what was ahead of me. I kept saying to myself “just keep swimming forward, even if that meant breast-stroke and doggie paddle to get this over (which happened more than I care to admit, unfortunately).
Happy to be back on land, headed to for the bike now!
Once I made the turn (which seemed like it took forever to get there) and started swimming parallel to shore, it got a bit easier. I breathe on the right, so when I turned my head I was facing away from the oncoming waves, but there were times when I went to stroke with my left arm and I could feel it never even coming out of the water with my timing coinciding with another oncoming wave. “Just keep swimming” I said to myself and make the turn to that final buoy to make the swim back to shore. One of the cool parts about racing in Lake Erie is at this point when I took a breath, I could see Cedar Point (assuming I was not at the bottom of a wave and looking at water, that is).
As land got a little closer with every stroke I was elated that very soon I’d be back on the ground and soon would be tossing a leg over my bike and headed off for my ride. Coming out of the water, my buddy (and WSI Cycling teammate) Shayne was there to cheer me on and he said afterwards that I looked totally spent – he was right. I can honestly say I’ve never been so glad to be back on land after a swim in my life. But the good news was I was headed off to get on the bike and then the fun would begin.
Let’s Go For a Ride
After getting “stripped” of my wetsuit (yae) by a couple of the volunteers, I entered the transition area. Knowing that I was not going to have to continue with a run afterwards, I skipped the socks and just tossed on my shoes, grabbed my helmet and glasses and was off for the remaining 56 miles. Due to my horrible swim time, I knew if I wanted to make up any positions I’d have to put the hammer down.
Love the bikes with roller coasters in the background.
It was so nice not to be sucking in water and praying for land like on the swim just a few minutes ago and I was able to keep a fast pace for most of the bike leg. Passing riders one after another, you can tell which division they are in thanks to the markings on the racers’ calves. “H” meant they were also competing in the Half Rev event, everyone also had their age, but I was looking for that extra “AB,” which stood for the aquabike. Those were the people I was after and needed to pass as many of them as I could.
I passed a lot of people out there, but it wasn’t until about the first 15 miles, I started to see some of my fellow AB-ers and was able to pass by them with ease. It was pretty obvious which of the disciplines was my strongest and I kept thinking about how nice it was going to be not to have to put on the running shoes and finish with those 13.1 miles at the end. Don’t get me wrong, I love being able to do all three legs of a triathlon (and a little part of me did miss being able to do the full event), but it always ended up with me passing a ton of people on the bike, only to be passed by them again on the run, which meant they ended up finishing before me in the overall event. Well this year that was going to change and I just ride.
The only “potential incident” (that was luckily avoided) was coming out of one of the small towns that we pass through. There were people lined up along the streets yelling, rattling their cowbells and cheering us on. I was coming up on the right of a woman to pass her and ahead was a 90-degree left hand turn to take us back out into the country. Not even thinking that she would go the wrong direction, I was surprised (and quickly applying my brakes) when she turned to the right, directly in front of me. It looked like she was really out of it and obviously was not paying attention, but fortunately I avoided a crash, which would have ended my day on a sour note (and some road rash).
At about mile 40 I could tell that I had been riding at red-line for most of the race as one of my legs began to cramp. I ate one of my energy gels, grabbed a drink and dialed it back a bit so I would not blow up. Heck, I still had 16 miles to go and wanted to make sure that I was able to finish strong. Fortunately, I got the cramping under control and was starting to see more AB racers. Being in the Clydesdale division, when I saw a “big guy” with an AB, that got me even more excited.
Coming into the last five miles, I basically took the gas pedal and stepped on it, all the way to the floor. While many of the triathletes on the course were starting to dial it back a bit in preparation for the run (which I would have been doing if 13.1 miles awaited me), I was blowing by people like a man on a mission. Making the final right-hand turn in to the big Cedar Point lot, I could see the aquabike finish banner in the distance and sprinted across it, leaving “nothing in the tank.”
This makes four Rev3 finisher medals!
Coasting into the transition area was much different than years past. I would have been hurrying to get to my rack, ditch the bike, scurry around swapping my cycling shoes for my running shoes, messing with my number belt and then heading off to run the streets of downtown Sandusky. Not this year. My event was done and I coasted in, took my time, sat down and leisurely put on my socks and shoes to go out and then run through the finish chute and claim my medal and get a few cheers from the crowd.
I hopped up and exited the transition area. Volunteers were handing out water and Gatorade, which I would have normally taken as I started the final 13.1 miles of the day, but I decided to leave it for the runners and made my way to the final turn, headed back into the finishing area. Shayne was there and could see he was headed back to try and get a photo of me, so I just took my time and even waited at the end of the final straightaway for him. The announcer, who is a bit of a card himself, even called me out on it saying something like “looks like we’ve got another finisher taking some extra time to make sure he’s got a nice Kodak moment – here comes Eric Cook from Battle Creek, MI.”
Unfortunately, Shayne’s iPhone froze on him (hmm… maybe he should get an Android – ha ha) so I don’t have any photographic evidence of my finish, but I came across in 3:34:12, which was good enough for 2nd place in the Clydesdale division. Overall I finished 78 out of 141 and considering the horrific swim time, I was happy with my result. Not sure I could have done either the swim or the bike any faster, which is what my goal was.
Two-Time Champion
Celebrating Shayne’s finish.
The day before my race, Shayne raced in the Sprint triathlon, which was the second year for the Saturday event. He won the Clydesdale division last year, and since it was the first time for that race, we were telling people he was the “world record” holder for the Rev3 Cedar Point Clydesdale Sprint Triathlon. May be a bit of an embellishment, but it was true (technically speaking). Good news is that he retained his crown and again won the Clydesdale division. In true Shayne fashion, I caught him “hamming it up” a bit coming into the finish line (and yes, I’ve got an Android phone that did not freeze up!).
Just Being Kids
Front row (again). Did you know you’re not supposed to take photos on the rides? Oops!
One of the best parts about this race is spending time at Cedar Point with Shayne and just being “big” kids. We went in Saturday and Sunday and rode just about every ride we wanted. As mentioned earlier, it’s a special place for me given the memories of Christi. Angela, Shayne’s wife, and Shayla, their daughter, came up Sunday as well and I got to take Shayla on a lot of the rides her sister and I used to ride together. Of course, Christi was seven or eight years old and Shayla is now a sophomore in high school, but it was nice to carry on the tradition.
With any luck I’ll be back agai next year for the “regular” half (70.3) triathlon and will have some time to get a bit of running in. While I’d like to continue competing in the Clydesdale divison, it would be nice to also come in next year under 220 lbs. I have a feeling the run would be a little less painful if that were the case, so we’ll see how it goes.
Thanks again to those that have donated to support the CNCF and supporting me along the way (and it’s still not too late to donate). While the ability to compete is certainly a blessing, being able to tie it to something that can does good for others is just an added bonus.
It has taken me a month to write this. Trust me, that is a good thing. It has allowed me to condense my emotions about this experience and NOT bore readers with a novel. To make a long story short, I chose the Cereal City Triathlon to be my fundraising event through Pedaling with a Purpose. I’m a runner, I’ve enjoyed cycling for the last year and well, swimming, let’s just say it wasn’t/isn’t my cup of tea.
Photo by Stephanie Parshall PhotographyI have had a fear of open water for quite some time. Many of you followed my personal blog and Facebook page and were able to see the weekly posts about horrible swim sessions, crying every time I got into a lake, etc. You get the point. But I still did it, and trained, and trained well for the event. I was still having panic attacks near and in water up to five days before the event.
On race day I was a wreck. Tears were flowing all the way up until the horn sounded to start the swim. Amazingly, once my head went underwater I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders and I did what I had trained for. I took the swim SLOW, knowing if I sped up too much I would freak myself out….besides, what is that saying about the turtle and the hare? I was fortunate to have a great volunteer next to me the whole time on his SUP helping to ease my anxiety as well. I came out of the water to one of the biggest cheering sections at the race: complete with posters and cowbells. Did I mention I was the 2nd to last out of the water?
After about a mile on the bike I was finally able to clear my mind and focus on what was ahead. I powered through the bike course making up a great amount of time. The bike course was an out and back and I was able to see and cheer on several WSI riders on bikes as well.
The run was as expected. The course was nice, non-hilly, and with it only being a mile from my home, it was familiar territory. Upon reentering the park I had several friends and family run alongside me up to the finish. I finished.
I finished. That was my accomplishment. I overcame my fear of water and that had been my goal all along. Imagine my surprise when my name was called for 2nd in my age group!
I did it AND survived the murky waters! I was a nervous wreck with lots of tears beforehand but the minute my head went underwater I felt this amazing weight lift off my shoulders. As I showered afterward I looked down to see a few pieces of seaweed stuck to my hip as a reminder of what I had just done. It made me smile.
I finished my first triathlon. I overcame my fear of open water. I earned 2nd in my age group. As if that wasn’t enough, through the support of my friends and family I raised OVER $1,000 for the Angelcheeks Foundation in honor of my friends’ son, Evan!!!
I’m overwhelmed at the amount of support I had near and far, thankful that each and every one of you (too many to name) had your place in my journey as supporters, encouragers, prayer warriors, coaches and more.
One down, no promises on more to go, although I do have a 1 second challenge to beat next year, right Chris Gillette?
Yes the was Mudman this year. My bike did her job well this year…no issues. A non bike ride ask me what made my bike so much better than others and why did I not have issues with my chain? I said it was just luck why I didn’t have issues. It was not my time to have issues on this race. There will be another race that I will have a flat or a broken chain or another mechanical.
Once I reached the logging road it was a deep mud pit (I started in wave 19). I crashed at the top of road – got wet and got passed by about 7 guys which made me see how slow I was going! I guess they were glad I moved out of their way.
I did it AND survived the murky waters! I was a nervous wreck with lots of tears beforehand but the minute my head went underwater I felt this amazing weight lift off my shoulders. As I showered afterward I looked down to see a few pieces of seaweed stuck to my hip as a reminder of what I had just done. It made me smile.