{"id":774,"date":"2012-10-07T21:55:03","date_gmt":"2012-10-08T01:55:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irondad.fr\/?page_id=774"},"modified":"2012-10-08T21:15:22","modified_gmt":"2012-10-09T01:15:22","slug":"ironman-new-york-city-august-11th-2012","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/irondad.fr\/?page_id=774","title":{"rendered":"Ironman New-York City – August 11th, 2012"},"content":{"rendered":"

Swim: 45mn
\nBike: 5hr 24mn
\nRun: 3h 50mn
\nTotal: 10h 07mn
\nRank: 95th overall
\nhttp:\/\/athlinks.com\/result\/167352\/311977\/113894380\/124435482<\/a>
\n <\/p>\n

This race had been a rumor for a few years, but in August 2011, was
\nofficially announced ! The inaugural IronMan NYC would take place in
\n2012 !!!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

After signing up in 5 minutes (the race sold out in 9 minutes) to end up
\n$800 lighter, I put that as my second main race for 2012, after IM Hawaii
\n70.3<\/p>\n

Wednesday, August 8th, 2012<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Packet pick-up at the expo. Lots of free goodies (sunglassses !), nice
\nbooths, fun gear for sale (we ended up buying a “healthy sorbet”
\nmachine…), I am positively surprised, because of the years, IM and
\nMarathon expos tend to be more and more lame. I also get more familiar with
\nthe logistics, since the transition area is more or less only accessible by
\nferry only. More on that later.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Friday, August 10th 2012<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Pick and gear drop off. I take the afternoon off, given that youy have to
\nride with your bike to the pier on 42nd street, take a ferry, drop bike and
\nrun gear as well (not the time to forget something) and a heavy rain storm
\nis expected… Well, it is actuyally quite fun to take the boat and get a
\nnice view from the midtown skyline. I make sure my gear bags are “doubled”
\nto make them “rain proof”, the last thing you want is a pair of soaked
\nruynning socks\/shoes. The transition area is full of water, but it is quite
\nfun to be below the GW Bridge, I manage to catch the “one before last” boat
\nand get my morning stuff ready before going to sleep at 8.30pm…<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Saturday, August 11th 2012<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

4am, waking up to catch a cab to get the 4.30am ferry… WTF ! I managed to
\nget a ride with some friends. We have until 6am to get ready (and wait for
\nthe bathrooms…) Before catching a second ferry to reach the “start barge”
\n2.4 miles north on the river.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I lose my French buddies but end up on the ferry with all the Terriers. We
\nwill be ferry number 2 for the start, starting around 5 minutes after the
\nfirst one – it is a time trial start.<\/p>\n

Water is ugly, but the time trial start prevents us from being thrown in
\nthe usual “washing machine” that a mass start represents when you have
\n2,000 triathletes. Current is picking up quite fast, at some point I
\nmis-identified a small harbor as the exit and think I am going to swim in
\n40′ !!! It is not the case, but with the time trial start it is quite easy
\nto swim, despite the murky water (especially when you’ve swam with tropical
\nfish and turtles a few months before in Hawaii…). Anyway I exit in 49′
\nand a friend of mine volunteering at the swim exit is my veryu efficient
\n“wetsuit peeler”. Good transition (4 minutes) and I start the bike leg to
\nis going to be hot… It is summer in NYC afterall…<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

After a few kilometers uphill to go from the shore to the highway, we are
\nriding on a New Jersey interstate, which as some smooth sections and some
\nvery bumpy ones. We are going to ride two loops, and I want to pace myself
\nin 5h 20mn to be able to get a good run afterwards. There are some very
\nfast splits, some others ok, I try not to overdo it but it is actually more
\nhily than I thought (Florida where are you !!!) and I end up riding harder
\nthan I want. I finish the first loop pretty much in the front of the race
\n(starting first + good swim + good bike), I allow myself the pleasure to
\ngrab my sandwich in my “special needs bag” – given to me by a buddy ! Good
\nkarma. I feel very good, I start the 2nd loop alone ansd try to catch up
\nwith a rider to get some proper pacing, and even 7 meters behind, it
\nhelps… And I get a red card from the referee ! WTF. No time to argue, I
\nhonestly rode hard alone but it is what it is, so I don’t take any chance
\nanymore and get a least 50 meters away from any rider in front \/ behind me.
\nI know I am going to loose 4 minutes at the penalty tent, so I ride harder
\n(and also because I am p*ssed off), forget to eat or drink for one hour and
\nthen get back into my race. The second part of the second loop is quite
\ndemanding, with a few long uphill sections, but until km140 I do well. I
\nget my 4mnb penalty, discuss with the volunteers there, share some jokes
\nwith the pro female joining me, stretch my quads, and off we go for 3 miles
\ndownhill to reach transition. 5:24 on the bike, could have been better but
\nlife is life…<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Transition is quite empty (picture above is from T1), a volunteer takes my bike as soon as I dismount
\n(I love that, I hate finding my spot in the transition area) and off we go,
\nin the blazing sun, with scorching temperature, for a marathon.<\/p>\n

Immediately we have 2kms of steep uphill sections, to reach the Palisades
\npark in New Jerdey, which is a famous training spot due to its hills… We
\nare going to run more than 21km there, it is is going to hurt. It is
\nclearly the most challenging part of the race, and I immedialtely do
\neverything possible to cool off at each aid stations. Aid stations are
\nstill fully stocked, and I get super good care from the volunteers eager to
\nhelp, with ice in my cap every mile, coke at each statio, and m numerous
\nsponges to top it off. I know I can do under 10 hours if I manage to stay
\nregular in my splits… But the 10k loop on the Palisades under the heat is
\nvery demanding and as I start my 2nd loop, I know it is going to be tough.<\/p>\n

On the 2nd loop, there are now more runners and I need to be focused in
\norder to maintain my pace as most of them are “slower” athletes, and you
\ntend to mimick the pace of other athletes around you. I get to see lots of
\nfriends, that’s pretty cool, also everybody struggles with the head.<\/p>\n

I finish the 2nd loop and can now “go through” at the turn-around point to
\nget to the bridge, leave New Jersey and reach Manhattan. The two miles up
\nare definitely the toughest, as there is no shade and it is really steep. I
\ndon’t manage to head anymore and stock up on water and ice before climbing
\nthe stairs (!!!) at the bottom of the bridge. They have lots of volunteers
\non these stairs, fearing athletes might fall.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

At this point, I am pretty much alone, with one runner maybe 400m in front
\nof me, and one behind at pretty much the same distance. I feel almost alone
\non the bridge, which is compounded by the fact that there is no spectator
\nallowed there.<\/p>\n

No shade, no station, the bridge is tough, even flat ! I lost precious
\nminutes on the climb and know it is going to be tough to break 10 hours.
\nBut I also believe I can power up through Manhattan which is flat along the
\nriver, with – I hope – plenty of spectators.<\/p>\n

Down the bridge, lots of cheering, and 1 km downhill, I pass a pro who is
\nobviously suffering with the heat. I reach Riverside park, with New Yorkers
\ncasually strolling along the river. Some are even barbecueing ! But I can’t
\nreally eat, so I triy not to slow down…<\/p>\n

Aid stations are like oasis. Volunteers haven’t seen a lot of runners, so
\nthe “service” is top-notch. I allow myself to walk at each of them,
\ndrinking as much Coke as I can. But I need to get moving and I struggle to
\nkeep my target pace, I lose ground at each mile. I know I can’t make it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Across the highway, I see Cecile and Thibault, which means the end is near,
\nfour out-and-backs on Riverside where I’ll see them several time, and where
\nthe tent of my club is set-up. Lots of people are sitting at cafes or on
\nbenches, it is really nice, I manage to pick-up the pace. I pass twice
\n“through” the Terrier tent where the is some real cheering happening (Billy
\npassed there first, and will end up qualifying for Kona).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Then it is almost a home streth, no stopping along the water, I see
\nChristine and Dominique with Timi, we take picture (the 10-hour and the
\nqualif are long gone anyway) and I get from Nike Reilly my “Benjamin
\nKieffer, you are an Ironman” !<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

10h07.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Overall the race was tough because of the heat (but what could we expect
\nwith August in NYC, the tough run being not really offset by the swim when
\nyou look at pro times). The course was critized a lot, but the GE Bridge
\nwas really iconic and a challenge, and while there were not plenty of
\nspectators, the volunteers were awesome and also – WE RACED AN IRONMAN In
\nNEW-YORK CITY !!!<\/p>\n

Obviously the logistics were a pain in the neck (I got my bike and my gear
\nin a plastic bag the next day, with an odor you don’t want to know about),
\nI think the main problem was that spectators could not go to the transition
\nand the swim start (unless being stuck there), but living in the City, I
\nwill always be glad I ran it !<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Swim: 45mn Bike: 5hr 24mn Run: 3h 50mn Total: 10h 07mn Rank: 95th overall http:\/\/athlinks.com\/result\/167352\/311977\/113894380\/124435482   This race had been […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":636,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/irondad.fr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/774"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/irondad.fr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/irondad.fr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/irondad.fr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/irondad.fr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=774"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/irondad.fr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/774\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":863,"href":"https:\/\/irondad.fr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/774\/revisions\/863"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/irondad.fr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/irondad.fr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}