IRON MAN CHATTANOOGA 70.3 2023

We arrived in Chattanooga a few days before the race, got settled into the hotel and oriented to the city. Lori had been here before, raced previously and was anxiously awaiting the arrival of members of her team (Big Sexy Racing). Our hotel was about eight blocks from the river and we walked everywhere we went for the entire weekend. Chattanooga is a lovely city. The downtown area has obviously seen a substantial amount of rehabilitation and seemed welcoming to the athletes and accompanying friends and families. Reasonable walks from the hotel took us to good food, interesting sights, rolling hills, curated gardens, waterfalls bursting from nowhere, the Aquarium, the art museum and miles of walking paths along the river.

As I was not competing in this race, and I realized that I would be out on the race course for a considerable amount of time with the camera while my wife was racing, I thought I would share a little bit about triathlon, why people are nuts enough to participate and this race in particular. To begin with, there are race distance to suit nearly everyone. For those who are just getting started or who would like to scream along the course at top speed for a short distance, there is the sprint distance. It consists of a half mile swim, a 12.4-15 mile ride and a 3.1 mile run. Then there is an Olympic distance and the then the 70.3. If you choose the 70.3, then you get to swim 1.2 miles, ride 56 miles and finish with a 13.1 mile run. The 140.6 distance has a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile ride and a 26.2 mile run. Distances may vary slightly according to terrain and available waterways and roadways. None of these endeavors should be taken lightly, but training for the 70.3 distances and above is intense. 70.3 finish times for average athletes can range from 5 hours and 45 minutes to 6 hours 45 minutes. That is a long day of constant strenuous exercise and it is not to be taken lightly.

So, one might ask, why in the world do people take on these challenges? Well, there are as many reasons as there are people who race, but let me address a couple. When I retired, I needed a mountain to climb. I needed a challenge. I missed the SWAT team I had been a part of, the narcotics team I had been a part of, I missed the goals, the challenges and people around me who were driven to achieve them. I found that in triathlon. And, I found that within myself training and competing (competing with myself-I was never “competitive” in the sport). Some do triathlon because others said they could not. Some do it because they experienced near death or life altering experiences and are fighting back, and a challenging, self paced sport is a useful milestone. Each athlete has a story. And each story is compelling.

It is my hope that in telling the story of Iron Man Chattanooga 2023 70.3, it will inspire some to take up the sport or at least begin to pursue healthy lifestyles if you aren’t doing so now.

Iron Man is a logistics machine. This year, Chattanooga reportedly had approximately 3,000 registered athletes supported by 1,000 volunteers. They arrive a couple of days before the race and begin to take over sections of the city the race takes place in. The photos above show the village and transition area the day before the race as bike check in commences.

Sunday morning athletes and spectators were up early. Transition opens some two hours before the race and athletes want to make certain that their equipment is just right and that they have everything. I made it to the transition area at about 6:15am so that I could be there for the 6:33am sunrise. The image in the upper left below is 3,000 athletes waiting for shuttles to take them to the race start upriver in the light provided by Iron Man generators.

At dawn the professional women and disabled athletes hit the water for the first leg of the race. I had wedged myself into the near perfect spot to catch them coming up the hill from the river to transition.

I failed to consider one thing when selecting my “near perfect” spot to catch the athletes on their way to Transition One (T1)…my bladder. By the time Lori hit the water for the start, I had to leave my spot and was not able to return to it. However, I was able to get some splendid views and pictures from my secondary spot of the swim exit and wet suit strippers. For those readers who may not be familiar, in some wet suit legal (where water temperature is low enough to warrant/allow the wearing of wet suits) races, some races have volunteers who help “strip” the wet suits from the athletes. Blech. Bless the hearts of the volunteers it cannot be a fun job.

With the swim finished, Lori set out on the bike. One of Lori’s teammates very graciously loaned me a bag chair and I parked myself strategically near the bike finish and relaxed in the shade. Even at 16-18 miles per hour (her average speeds in the hills and wind) it takes a while to finish 56 miles. So I waited, watch and chatted with other spectators and tracked her on the Iron Man Tracker. Lori wears a pink helmet and shoes. Prior to this, I had no clue how many athletes wore pink helmets and shoes, but I am now keenly aware that a great many do. I am also aware that the more athletes got on the course that day, the more lag it appeared the tracker had. I got a couple of nice pictures of other athletes in pink helmets on their bikes approaching T2 who were not Lori. Eventually, the tracker said she was two miles away. In an abundance of caution, I packed up my loaned chair and camera bag and as another spectator commented on yet another woman in pink going by…I realized I had missed Lori. So, picture below is not Lori, but a talented athlete arriving at T2 in a pink helmet and shoes.

Leaving T2, athletes head out on a run and head uphill. By this time the temperature had gotten up to around 80 and it was clear and breezy.

Finishing a race like this fills an athlete with a mixture of emotions. Relief. Pride. Gratitude. Sense of accomplishment. I miss racing. I hope that I am able to get back to it someday. I am proud of my wife, her teammates and the other athletes who rocked it Sunday.