IRONMAN 24 hrs of Glen helen

In the spirit of Jody article about Vet racing, it brough me back to my last race- the 24 Hrs of GH IronMan Class;

Im 38 yrs old with a wife and 3 kids, and a few years ago on more of a dare or a bet from some buddies I did this race! Actually I did the entire series as some sort of death wish with most of it lined in comedy than competition. On the 6 hr, I was around mid pack when the dust settled as muscle cramps took over and I didnt train at all, but the bike made it ok and so did I.

On the 12 hr I did far worse, as work was just too heavy during the months leading up to it do I didnt prepare at all, and I still couldnt figure out the muscle cramp part after about 6 hours into it. It was a very hot day too and I think i only made it about 9 hours before total rigamortos set in haha. So on the 24 hr it seemed more like a joke really to even think about finishing after my dismal 12 hr race, but I made a commitment to myself and the pressure of my "dare" and my competitive nature was starting to take over so I decided to really take this race seriously. Very seriously.

I had a team of friends and family there to help, each had a seperate task and of the 14 peeps in my pits most of them were there to drink beer and laugh at my misery. I also read some book "Marathon Man" about this psysco named Dean Karnazes who ran 50 marathons in 50 back to back days in a row! WTF?! Dude is a monster and everyone should read that book. He has a full blown eating plan to do these races that go on for 100-200 miles (yes running) and I took that plan very seriously if I had any chance on making it 24 hrs on my bike. I put in 6-8 hr non stop motos at Comp Edge in the weeks leading up to that race and really focused on how to keep my body moving and eliminate the cramps and how to eat crap fatty foods and not throw them up. I literally trained my body to take in fatty food and use it as real fuel. I was 5'10" and weighed about 205 lbs (a good 30 lbs over weight from my college days). Bottom line, I felt I had it mentally there but getting past the physical failures of cramping was key so I thought....

So on race day- I ate very fatty foods every hour of the race (peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, doughnuts, pizza, even chewed on coffee beans like Dean did in that book), and I took these anti cramping tablets from some mountain bike store. My pit crew (friends and family) that thought I was insane, really helped feed me and keep me moving, as they swaped helmets and goggles for me every few laps as I threw up in them a few different times. Plan was to go all out and take 3rd place. A massive goal considering the peeps that showed up. (the winner of the 24 hr is a freaking machine and I dont even want to consider him a human being as he is a sure thing every year) Goolsby is his name and domination is his game..dude is like Dean Karnazes of moto.

Words cannot express how tough this race is. Mentally and Physically. There was a moment at around 3:45 AM when most of my crew was sleeping in the trailer that I was hallucinating while riding on some silt single track uphill. I was literally on auto piolet riding that silt section from "memory" of what was there for the last 17 hours of racing. I also honestly thought a white wolf was running with me up Mt St helens at 4:45 am. The cramps never came so now was the test of the mental part.

What made this race incredible for me was I was actually in a battle with a dude for 3rd place overall for over 16 hrs of this race. If it was not for this fight and my crew keeping me posted when and were he was each lap I dont think I could have made the whole thing. My beer drinking buddies actually really started getting into this race and getting 3rd seemed like a possibility if I could just keep the pace.... I will never forget going over to this dudes trailer who I was racing at 9 am (after 23 hrs of hell) when we had 1 more hour to go and I was 1 full lap ahead of him in the race and basically begging him to stop!! haha....I told him, "brother every time you go out my crew just tells me to go again so if you stop I will stop!" and he agreed. (so I thought haha). SOB.. well that dude mounted up and went out there again!!... which was really a mind EFF because I was starting to shut down at my trailer in thankfullness....haha ! So of course I did go out of sheer will power ONE MORE TIME, bloody hands, rashed feet and ankles, and a clapped out bike, and absoluetly sick to my stomach trying not to throw up... and that was the last lap of the last race I have done in over 2 years. I swore to never do it again as it was hell on earth (not to mention the bike is basically cooked).

Well here I am, 2 years later and damn If im saying I want to do it again...Its sorta like Baja In a way, the memories and the stories and the challenge and the pain and the joy all come together. Like some dude said in that movie "Dust to Glory", life seems easy after you do a race like that, if only for a few weeks the pain does not take off the permanent smile on your face when you think about it.

Thanks Jody for your article and thanks Dave and Friends and family for bringing me into the best sport on earth. Like VetX t-shirt says "Life Begins When the Gate Drops", 2012 will be back out there! See you at Glen Helen with Doughnuts and Pizza guys...haha