As it is more than a month since the race and it was a VERY busy, long day, this post will sadly include a lot less than if I had done it in a more timely (and less rushed) manner.
I woke up very early to get a parking spot in one of the 3 official lots. They all were served by shuttle buses to the transition area.
The amount of energy and excitement at an Ironman is hard to describe. It is not just the racers but also their families (who understand the huge number of hours and money the athletes spent in preparation).
I got off the Shuttle Bus behind the Olympic Center by 5:30 but taking a few photos and running into some BTC racers made me hurry to get the tent in time for the pro start at 6:20.
After a decent number of swimmers were done I grabbed a large coffee and headed to a great spot to cheer on the people starting hike route with a steep downhill. I watched and cheered for an hour or so and then it was time to head to my 10-2 volunteer shift.
I pet as many dogs as possible as I missed Fifa.
There was a big shortage of volunteers this year and huge lack of communication from a temporary volunteer coordinator in place of usual woman on maternity leave. It made me glad I had signed up for 3 shifts but we only had 3 people for our sidewalk group when it should have been 4 + a group leader.
The six bikers who was each assigned to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd male or female. They followed the person so that on second loop when they mixed with age groupers they could be kept track of for TV coverage, etc.
Our team was supposed to be relieved at 2pm but …. No one showed up and by then the fast age groupers were starting to finish while the slow bikers still just starting so we had to watch for runners leaving and arriving and stop people in crosswalk … luckily the volunteer coordinator did answer my desperate text and 2 more people showed up before 3pm and I left. I grabbed a shuttle bus back to grab a quick nap in Scrat.
I “napped” for just 90 minutes, really just rested and listened to music. Then I caught shuttle back to race area and walked to the tent. The runners were going back and forth there and I figured out when to look for a Buffalo athlete based on when they reached 10 or 23 miles.
When a BTC racer was not nearby I relaxed in my zero gravity chair with some beer and chips …. When it started to get dark I visited the volunteer tent and had a Subway sub and headed to my next assignment.
Sitting at a table and checking wristbands at the VIP viewing area at finish line was my easiest assignment. I drank diet cokes and was fairly lax as a doorman. Any woman or child who asked to use the VIP porta potties I let in. I also let in the female winner and her coach and a few others with good reasons. Son of a deaf athlete who wanted to be close to see Dad finish, a guy who spent 4 minutes explaining his connection to the lieutenant Governor, etc.
I was also well positioned when I got the tracker alert that a Buffalo athlete was a mile from finish to get a good photo.
It is really inspiring to be at the finish after 11pm as people who have been racing for over 16 hours are cheered by large crowds!
It was pretty cool being on the bus with these age group legends and their wives. I was hyped on adrenal and caffeine and had a one hour nap but doubt that in 15 years I will be staying up past midnight, much less racing 140.6 miles!
Below chart there is link to statistics for the race. 12% of starters did not finish. That is about the norm for the last 5 years but it was 16% last year when about 5 def
https://www.endurance-data.com/en/statistics/884-ironman-lake-placid/