On August 29th, 2010 I competed in my first Ironman in
Louisville Kentucky. A perfect race for a first timer, it was a beautiful venue, fantastic course and the spectators, volunteers and organizers were incredible.
The swim start is quite different from other Ironman races. It is a time trial rather then mass start. Competitors began to line–up quite early, and I suspect some had family and friends sleeping there the night before. I dropped some items at the transition area at 5am and headed straight to the start, a ¾ of a mile walk. Already I was well back in the line. While the race organizers allow a full 2 hours and 20 minutes to finish the swim after the last competitor has entered the water, to be considered an Ironman you have to be across the finish line by midnight. So, if you think you need the full swim time and the full 17 hours to finish the course, then lining up early is a good idea.
The swim itself starts with a jump off of one of two docks and a 1km swim up river. After turning around and heading back downriver you do catch a bit of a current. It was nothing I ever felt (except when I was swimming against it) but my swim time reflects the slight “push”. There were a lot of people on the internet before the race concerned about encountering dead bloated fish or floating debris in the water but I never felt uncomfortable or grossed out. There was very little visibility in the water itself but I prefer that.
After exiting the water and a short run uphill and into transition it was off on the bike. All the reading I did about the course said it consisted of mostly rolling hills. But what is that…small rollers, large hills repeated over and over? Nope, it was rolling hills. Only two were very big but even they only took a couple minutes to climb. Most of the course consisted of constantly shifting gears as you were either going up or down. I took it very easy (sorry – paced myself) during the ride and this paid off in the long run. However, there were many people laid out on the side of the road, in the shade, in the last quarter of the course. If you weren’t careful it was easy to overextend yourself on these (many) short climbs.
The bike course itself was made up of a 10 mile flat section leading you out of town with one of the lengthier climbs followed by rollers, the out and back (with the second lengthy climb) and then two loops. At kilometre 63 and 112 the course took you through the small town of
LaGrange where they hold a festival for the spectators. It was wonderful to ride through the town and have so many people cheering for us, as well as to see my family. From my families perspective it was less then ideal, however. With two small kids to entertain, the town was very busy and trying to get lunch was difficult. After the second loop the course heads back into town and it is all downhill or flat for the last 10 miles.
Overall, I really enjoyed the bike course. The roads were mostly in great condition, there were only two sharp turns at the bottom of hills but both were well marked and had lots of volunteers ensuring you slowed down, the scenery was nice and LaGrange was a wonderful break from the monotony.
Once back in Louisville and after a quick transition it is out onto the road for the marathon. There is a quick out and back on the bridge near the transition area and then it is through the city and out into the suburbs and past Churchill Downs and other notable landmarks. Although I ran by Churchill Downs 4 times and never noticed it! The course does two loops before heading down the finish chute. At the end of the first loop you come within 100 metres of the finish line – an aspect of the race people either love or hate. Many people complain that it is hard to see the finish line and then have to do another 18km but I found it to be very motivating. I was there to finish, I wanted to see that line again and another 18km wasn’t going to stop me. Louisville has a very unique finish line (4th Street Live! is a street full of restaurants and bars and covered by a glass ceiling three stores up) and it was wonderful to see what awaited me in two short hours well.
For me, the race went far better then expected. I was able to battle the heat and ran the entire marathon. Judging by the amount of people I passed on this portion of the race, I was one of the very few actually running. The heat was incredible, a balmy 34 degrees! But thanks to a lot of long hours of smart training (thanks Coach JJ, Focus in Training), proper pacing and nailing my nutrition I felt great all day and finished 25 minutes faster then my most ambitious goal.
As I said before, it is a well run race with amazing volunteers, a beautiful course and incredibly nice locals. Completing my first Ironman is something I will never forget, it is an indescribable feeling. I don’t know that I will ever go back to Louisville to do another, as there are just too many Ironman’s in other destinations that I want to try, but I highly recommend it. Thanks Louisville for an amazing experience.
Congratulations Nicole!
Way to hammer it out in that heat!