1.2 mi swim/ 56 mi bike/ 13.1 mi run   (2k swim/ 90k bike/ 21k run)    This report is available on the Internet at http://www.side8.com/wood  I finished!!  I ended up raising $1124 for the Challenged Athletes Foundation.  I wish I could show you all the great things that this foundation does.  There were many amputees and wheel chair athletes who did the entire race. I feel like a wimp next to these amazing people. Everyone who sponsored me deserves special thanks. You can know that your donation went to a great cause. The people this foundation helps are going on and doing amazing things.  Ironman, bike racing, wheel chair racing, swimming, races across America, Ultra-Distance running (60+ miles), Olympics.  Things you and I would not even consider and we have both legs and arms.  People who the Challenged Athletes Foundation has helped include:  Jim MacLaren, an amputee athlete who was hit by a car in a 1993 bike race.  He was diagnosed as a quadriplegic.  He took his first steps 4 months later.  The foundation helped him with hospital bills, transportation, wheelchairs and moral support. He says "Everybody has to deal with different limitations; life is a gift and challenge for each of us."  Jim has turned his attention to inspiring others. He has become a leading motivational and inspirational speaker.  He can be reached at 303-417-1074  Allison Pittman, paralympic amputee swimmer.  American record holder in the women's 100-meter freestyle (and world record holder) in 4x100 medley relay.  Her grant was used for swim coaching, entry fees to competitions and travel expenses to national competitions.  Shawn Brown, at the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta won gold and surpassed the best throw he had made as a two-legged high school qualifier.  Carolyn Dolen, now a top-notch cyclist and amateur triathlete after overcoming many massive injuries suffered in a car accident. Her grant was used to purchase a specially fitted racing bicycle.  Torrey Pines Kiwanis Adaptive Ski Scholarship, Each year Challenged Athletes awards one grant to this great cause. It covers the cost of one person for a ski scholarship.  All expenses paid trips to Durango/Purgatory ski resorts.  Under careful direction, Adaptive Sports Assoc. ski instructors, teach these people how to ski.
		I raised a total of $1124 for the Challenged Athletes Foundation.

There are many more people I could list, but do not have the room.  I have brochures on the Foundation that are truely inspiring.  Just ask and I will share these with you.

Challenged Athletes raised $145,000 for these athletes.  Their goal was to raise $125,000.  The winner of the Hawaii Ironman slot for the most money raised brought in $17,000.  The other Hawaii slot went to the fastest Swim-Run time.

I would like to thank the following companies for supporting the Challenged Athletes Foundation and my participation in this event. This is in no specific order. Probably close to the order I collected the funds?
 
 

VITAMIST Spray Vitamins. This is good stuff. Spray vitamins work better because they have better absorption.  ( http://www.webspawner.com /users/VITAMINSPRAYS/ )	Restor Physical Therapy   Fountain Valley  714-754-7268  Thanks for keeping me healthy.	Juices Flowin   at Los Caballeros  Fountain Valley
Law Offices Of Lawrence H. Nemirow   General Law Practice  Los Alamitos,  562-799-1379	Perfect Image Uniforms   619-341-9558	Dillon-Net  Bringing the Internet to Dillon, Montana.  http://www.bmt.net/~dillonet/
Side-Eight Software  This is my company.   Software for students and teachers.  http://www.side8.com	Keiko Manufacturing   Machine Parts Manufacturer  Long Beach  562-426-9667	Saygen Technology   714-258-4400
Travel Travel  http://www.tvltvlint.com  Cerritos  310-865-8447	Advanced Communications   Get your cell phone and pager here!  4284 Katella Ave, Los Alamitos  888-223-8235	AIM Mail Center Cypress   10073 Valley View St.  714-220-0121
Charles D. Rosenberg, M.D. Ph.D.     Dermatology   Los Alamitos and Huntington Beach   He is the best!   714-842-7796	Sun Microsystems  Many people from the local Sun office helped me out with this charity.  http://www.sun.com  Sun is the best computer company in the world!	George Fenton Photography   8811 Katella  Anaheim  714-995-2431
Cypress Chamber of Commerce   For letting me come to their monthly mixer to raise money.	El Torrito Cypress   Corner of Katella and Valley View	Ramp Networks  They make the best and fastest personal connections to the Internet.  http://www.rampnet.com
Challenged Athletes Foundation   P.O. Box 421052  San Diego, CA 92142  619-689-8930	Edindale Cleaners  15958 Springdale St  Huntington Beach  894-6561	ProOptibol Recovery Drink   No more sore muscles the day after a tough workout.  This stuff works and it doesn't taste bad.
Dr. Wesley M. Kobayashi, D.P.M   Podiatric Physician   Huntington Beach, 714-841-1963  For helping cure the staff infection in my foot less than two weeks before the race.  He also fixed a chronic problem I have been having with my foot because of running.	Ironman Triathlon Wetsuits   They make the best wetsuits. I love my wetsuit and it makes me a lot faster in the water.  Best of all, it doesn't give you a wetsuit rash.  Special thanks to Whitney who got my wetsuit here in time for the big race. bsimmons@erols.net	Cypress Aquatics   This is the local team that I train with.  Thanks to all the swimmers, coaches and parents. They swim at Cypress College 5-7pm weeknights.  714-527-7529

 Extra Special Thanks

Results

I finished the 1.2 mile swim in 22:30 (unofficially).  I was within 100 yards of the winner. I was 12th out of the water. There were a lot of relay teams in this event.  Relay teams have people who can swim without thinking about having enough energy for the rest of the day. Collette said I was in the first pack behind two people who had pulled slightly ahead of our pack.

The bike course was HILLY!  I think I hit every street light. Especially the ones at the bottom of the down hills I could barely stop for.  Nothing like wasting good energy.  The bike took 3:07.

I finished the run in around 2 hours. The hills about killed me.

Pre-race

We spent the night at a local hotel.  I got to the start of the race early and setup my transition area. Found Larry, Jane, Elle, Garret and Chad.

Just before the race, all the participants gathered on the beach while the race director took a group photo.

Swim

Bike

Another few miles and we went down another monster hill.  About 2 miles of excessive speed so fast I couldn't pedal fast enough in my highest gear (top speed 64k/hr or 39.7mph)!  Again, I'm thinking that we have to go back up this hill at the end of the bike.  Chad's chain fell off about 15 miles out.  He didn't catch me again for about 5 miles.  I was starting to get worried.  Collette was waiting at the side of the road about 23 miles out.  I grabbed more water and fluid replacement drink (Cytomax).  Larry was with her and jumped on the bike while Chad filled up his water bottle and said he would catch up with us.

This was probably the best part of the race.  A long winding down hill through the woods surrounding a bunch of fancy ranch houses.  I assume there were ranch houses, I could only see the gates, fences and orchards.  Life is rough.  We passed La Costa resort and I tried to get Larry to let me turn in.

On one of the busier roads, there was a 2 inch lip between the pavement (pavement was higher) and the gutter.  I rode into the gutter and had a heck of a time getting out.  Then within 100 yards Larry rode in and came pretty close to going down. Whew. The bike loop headed back to La Jolly at Carlsbad.  Still no sign of Chad.  We figured he got in the car with Collette?

Collette was waiting again at the 40 mile mark and I got some more water.  No sign of Chad!  Within a few minutes of seeing Collette, Chad caught up with us.  He said he was within 10 yards of us twice and hit traffic lights.  I gave him one of my water bottles I didn't think I would need so I wouldn't have to carry it.  Then, the monster hill was upon us.  Larry talked me up the whole hill.  My legs were burning.  I grunted and groaned for 2 miles up that thing. At the top of the hill, we saw our first water station for the run.  At this point I was worried that we would have to go down and up that same hill on the run?

The hill down into La Jolla was a lot more fun going down than going up.  Then the last hill into the transition area was a steep downhill on a cobble stone road.  That will take a few years off a bike.  I'm going to have to tighten every bolt.  When we got home, my back tire was flat. I think it was caused by this bumpy road.  I only saw about a dozen runners out on the run course as we came back in.

Run

A quick stop in the restroom at the transition area.  Mind over body is the key to triathlon, but mind over bladder doesn't work.  After a 56 mile bike, your legs feel like bloody stumps.  I've been sure to run at least short distances off my long training rides.  It seems to have helped, because my legs didn't feel as bad as they usually do in shorter races.  But they still don't feel like running.

Collette was going to ride her bike on the run with me and carry water.  I blew it and didn't allow enough time from our second water stop to get back to the start of the run. Luckily, I grabbed one PowerGel from a volunteer leaving the transition area.  I should have grabbed two.

The first thing on the run (within 100 yards of the run start) was going back up the steep cobble stone road.  We are talking steep.  This would have been a black diamond at a ski resort. I was thinking of Tom Tindle who taught me while hiking not to stop and rest, just take smaller steps.  I didn't stop running, but I wasn't going very fast.  I wish Tom was still around. Up the hill and down the other side.

I missed a turn on the run but it didn't seem to hurt me any.  I was just following the other bicycles coming in.  I figured it out when I got to the first water stop at the 3 mile mark.  I could see people coming up another road. The problem with the water stop is that there were two 13 year old kids running it and they had 1, yes I said 1 smaller than a dixie cup of water on the table. This water stop was sitting at the bottom of the big hill.  I downed the water and headed up the hill.  My lower back was getting very sore going up the hill.  Not as steep as the cobble stone road, but your car would notice it for sure.  About 1.5 miles of this steep hill and I reached the top feeling inspired that I didn't let my body stop running.

A long slightly rolling road allowed me to recover from the hill. I ran with another guy for about two miles to the second water stop and he had to take a break with the mind over bladder problem.  The weather for the run was perfect.  It was nice and cool even though the sun was out.  I passed the third water table and  knowing that that other monster hill was coming up.  Doing the math in my head I didn't think we would have to do it because we were already at mile 6. I was feeling good about that.  Chad and Larry were waiting at the turn around.  The turn around was at the top of the monster hill we did on the bike. Whew. A few volunteers were there writing down race numbers. I ate the PowerGel at the first water stop after the turn around.

I was doing 10 minute miles at one point I measured, that included some of the first big hill, so I was sure I was doing a little better pace than that.  I know I was slowing Chad and Larry down a lot, but they really pushed me.  Thanks to them, I only remember getting passed by 2 people on the way back.  One in the last 100 yards of the race.  One of the three water tables was out of water on the way back.  All they had was Coke.  I haven't had a coke in over a year.  I was worried about drinking it, but didn't have any choice. It didn't seem to hurt me any.

At mile 10, I told Larry that I was getting really tired.  I needed another Power Gel, but didn't have the water or the Gel.  I knew we had one more up hill to get up and over into La Jolla Cove.  At the start of the last mile, we started up.  I went up a curb and my body stopped on the side walk.  I said "Oh no, I can't stop!"  Larry and Chad both turned around in alarm. I was able to get my feet going again.  Weird how sometimes the body just takes over and your mind has to tell it who is boss.  The hill was in three parts.  I made the first one, turned a corner for the second part, turned the third corner and could see the highest point about 1/4 mile up up up.  I kept saying "I can't stop, I can't stop."  It was my mantra.  I made it without stopping!  I yelled when I reached the top of that hill, the race was almost over. Down the hill into the finish.  I made it.  Without stopping for 13.1 miles (except for water).
 
 

 
 

Post Race My body hurts! Stiff stiff legs.  I drank about a gallon of Gatorade and ate anything in site.  Started to feel sick because I was too full, then I was hungry 5 minutes later.  Life could be worse than eating everything in site and not having to worry about it.  Challenged Athletes put on a great post race barbecue.  I was awarded a Heart Rate Monitor (a great tool for training) for being one of only 7 people to raise more than $1000.  One person raised between $3000-4000 and received a new bike.  Two people raised over $4000 and each received an even better bike. Then, they both donated it back to the foundation for an upcoming charity silent auction.  We should all take lessons.  These people were awesome.  The youngest racer was 12, the oldest was 74.  This course was the toughest course I have ever attempted.  None of the other courses even come close.  I hurt. I said that the Lake Perris race was hilly.  Ha. It was a walk in the park compared to this.  I'm looking forward to doing this race again next year. Maybe I'll even raise enough money to get a bike? I could sure use it.    Lessons Learned The same thing I write in all my race reports.  I need to work on my run.  This winter I'm going to be a runner.    Back to Race Reports
		This is the only picture that was taken. It is immediately following the race. The swim took place directly behind me and the finish is to the right of the picture.

  © 1997 W. Wood Harter - All Rights Reserved