IM CDA Guest Blog

10:00am Hello friends of Wedgie. This is Ben, Steve, and Robert reporting in from IMCDA. Wedgie is out of the water and on the bike. His approximate time was 1:40 and he was on his bike leaving transition at about 1:47... so much for a 20 minute transition!!! Obviously he has done a good job of setting our expectations awfully low. We were about to sit down and enjoy a little nap in the shade when all of a sudden he was racing out of T1. With the way the course was set up we waited for him to pass by again about 17 miles into the bike. All in all he appears to be doing well and staying slightly ahead of his goal time. See his blog entry Ironplan http://neoprenewedgie.blogspot.com/2008/05/ironplan.html.

P.S. (Ben) Here is a late add to the morning note. I know there had been much talk about the water temp and I can confirm that it did in fact look cold. I can't say it felt cold because there was no way I was going to get near it for fear of falling in or being pushed in, but seeing the look of shock and awe from the athletes was enough to convince me that it was in deed freezing. Then again... I don't know that warm athletes look any more comfortable. After swimming 2.4 miles everyone looks a little like a newborn giraffe when they try and run on the beach.

Also, I would like to add that I take some comfort in knowing that even the pros have a hard time figuring out where they are supposed to go during the race. I have to say almost 50% of the pros opted to not swim towards the giant inflated "Swim Exit" balloon arch with the timing pad underneath it and instead swam for just about any other spot on the beach. Many had to be intercepted in the water and told to swim perpendicular to the beach in order to make a proper swim exit. The rate of age groupers that made this mistake: probably only around 10%.

11:30am Haha... We just ate breakfast at the restaurant in Wedgie's hotel and charged it to his room! That is what he gets for giving us a room key and telling us we can use it as a base camp.

11:50am Here is a photo of Ben and Robert in Wedgie's room.



1:00pm We saw Wedgie on the bike course. We had spotters setup along the way so I (Ben) had lots of time to anticipate his arrival. I stole his phone from his hotel room to take a photo as he went by. He has been very good about being aware of us on the race course and making sure to shout back and pose for photos (not stop and pose, but pose as he runs/rides by). As I yelled he made the keen observation and shouted "Did you steal my phone from my hotel room!" I guess that it is good that even after 70 miles on the bike he is still aware enough to recognize that I was using his phone to take the photo. My goal was to post an action shot of him in the race and this was all I could get.

Stupid iphone.



2:00pm So this is the first Ironman I (Ben) have spectated... in fact this is the first triathlon I have just spectated at and I have to say... I love it. Don't get me wrong, racing is fun and exciting, but lets be honest, it hurts. Being a spectator comes with far less pain, and more how do I say, "on-the-edge-of your-seat-excitement"! IM CDA in particular is well set up for multiple athlete viewing spots along the course so you can hardly go an hour without getting into position to cheer on your friends. And you are always hoping they appear ahead of their goal time and looking strong. And there is a certain training program required for a good day of spectating. We had to learn proper walkie-talkie etiquette in order to communicate from different sports on the course. You have to get good at doing math and anticipate where to stand in order to see your friends the most number of times throughout the day. It also helps to have a handle on the quick and easy food locations so you make sure you are not stuck trying to pay your bill as Wedgie rides by on his bike. I think in the future I will spectate more and race less.

2:30pm All this race watching is making me (Ben) hungry. But Wedgie only keeps a certain kind of food item stocked in his room. So while writing these posts I have racked up a little food debt. Then again, Wedgie might come back and just assume it was he who made the mess.



4:00pm Steve tried his hand at getting an "action shot" of Wedgie and this was what he came up with. Score another point for the delayed iphone picture, but at least Steve was able to keep Wedgie in the frame.



4:15pm (Ben) I was trying not to post much time info since most of you reading this have access to that info at ironmanlive.com already, but I just need to point out that Wedgie's T2 time was 2:31! I don't know if they lured him out of there with a Snickers bar or what but he just could not wait to get on with the run.

4:30pm (Ben and Steve) We saw Wedgie a couple miles into the run and it was in fact still a run, not a walk. He is looking strong and continues to be in high spirits and pose for the camera. If there is one thing about Wedgie he always tries to be ready for the camera. In fact he turned sideways while running by to make sure we only got shots of his 'good side'. I guess that way even if he has a bad race... he will only have great pictures.

7:00pm Wedgie is near the end of his first lap on the run. He appeared in good spirits as he saw us but he seemed to be experiencing some other problems. He insisted on giving a tapped interview and Annie promptly complied. The ensuing conversation went as such:
Wedgie: "I have eaten Cliff Bloks somewhere in the dozens. And now all I want to go is throw up, fart, or have explosive diarrhea."
Support Team: "Don't worry about it, just keep moving, you are doing great!"
Wedgie: "Guy's you don't understand, I am so bloated, I just need some relief."
Steve: "Wedgie, just pull over and stick your finger down your throat. Cause' sticking it up your a** is not going to have the same effect!"

That brought on a bit of laughter from our bloated blogger and form there a conversation about % complete passed about a minute of the run. Somehow I don't think it was a long enough distraction. He is still moving but the long day is certainly wearing on him. Still there was certainly no doubt in his words that he is committed to finishing strong.

7:20pm Rich Triquart, the other Ironbrother here at IMCDA finishes strong. He shattered his stated goal time of 16:59:59 but we all knew that was just a front. His race prep and methodology may have been unorthodox, but he certainly came through in the race.

8:30pm Wedgie has a little time left before coming in for the finish so the rest of us have decided it is DINNER TIME! You all know what that means... Time to ring up another tab for the room.

9:00pm This is what Ben looked like most of the day. Hugging a giant whale.



9:45pm Michael Pajaro! YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!! Congratulations sir, it has been a pleasure training with you and supporting your race. From all your friends here to see you, and I am sure all others who read along, it has been fun to follow in your journey. Congratulations on a great race!



10:00pm So after a great race, Wedgie was eager to get to the recovery. Here he is after a brisk moment in the lake... yes that is the same lake that required a wetsuit and booties earlier in the day but after a race it doubles as an ice bath.



10:30pm In true Ironman fashion, Wedgie decided to race us to the hotel. He seriously broke out in full sprint, I think he was just trying to show off. After getting to the room he moved on to phase 2 of the recovery. Here he is enjoying a cold mountain dew.



11:00pm Well folks, it has been a fun day. The Disney Tri Team has added two new well deserving Ironman members to its ranks. Wedgie and Rich are regaling us with stories from their adventurous day so it is time to sign off. I am sure you will all get to read about the stories soon enough from Wedgie himself. Thanks for reading along, we have been catching him up on all the phone calls, text messages, and comments left here. Good bye from IM CDA.