Hey guys,
So, this past weekend I did the volunteer Ironman. We helped take down expo and set up T2 the night before the race, as well as volunteer from 4am race morning to 12:30am the next day, as the last finisher crossed the line. But, this is a big tribute to my mom, who completed her second Half-Ironman at B2B last weekend. She PR'd by about half an hour, despite a very hard bike and a long run! It was a very special day for both of us, because this would be my first year volunteering without her, as we have done for the past 5 years. But regardless, I love her and was very proud of her. On the right here, I body marked her. This was my first volunteer station of the day.
Caussin was also able to come up with us, and we were volunteering at the same places all day long. This is a group shot of all of us at T1, on a very chilly morning! Athletes were coming to us for body marking and we were wearing full wetsuits just to try to stay warm, it was ridiculous. Some athletes even refused to let us mark them, they were so cold! I was even skeptical that athletes were going to enter the water, due to the frigid temperatures. But apparently, the water was about 35 degrees warmer than the air at around 5:30, so they were absolutely fine once they started the swim.
After body marking, Caussin and I moved to the Bike Out portion of the race. Caussin was assigned to keeping track of the racers who left T1, and I worked the bike mount area. This year, we did not have a specific bike mount line, athletes could mount their bikes anywhere on the street, it was all fair game. This did create a few traffic jams, but everyone was OK, with no crashes or tipping over. The big problem with the bike mount was that athletes had to descend a curb to get on the street. Many of the athletes did not account for this, and a lot of bottles were ejecting from rear hydration carriers, which could have created nutrition problems down the road. But luckily for them, I take my job as a professional volunteer very seriously, and I grabbed every bottle that fell out and replaced it in the rear bottle cages for the athletes, saving them time and a big headache during the bike portion of the race. My mom came through in good time, and she looked strong. As she mounted and started on her 56 mile ride, I yelled out "Good luck, mom! I love you!" and a big group of spectators gave a collective "awww", which I found funny.
After all 2,160 athletes made it out across my bike mount "line", Caussin and I were good to go. We left T1, and drove down to the finish line. At this point, the first Half-Ironman had finished, and others were following. Caussin and I jumped onto the finish line chute and were responsible for taking off the chips from the athletes legs. We worked there for around a hour, and then got moved to the first run turnaround of the race. This turnaround was crucial for volunteers to be there, because many athletes were very confused at what to do, and without our help, would not have known where to go. This was a lot of fun for us, and we got a lot of very energetic replies from the athletes. This turnaround was only about a mile into the run, so athletes would joke with us about being halfway there already.
My mom came through looking strong, although when she got off the bike, she did not look good. The bike passed by where the runners were turning around, so I was able to see her come in, and she looked like she was deep in the pain cave. But she was happy when she got to us, and looked like she was having fun. Now, this volunteer station was in the sun, and we were in the heat of the day. Confusingly enough, I got sunburned from spending 3 hours there! I thought I was going to freeze in the morning, but then I'm roasting in the afternoon. I don't get it.
After we got relieved from that volunteer station, we started our way back to the finish line area. We got stopped by a large family looking for the finish line, and so we gave them the grand tour of the area. We walked them down to the finish line arch, and then went on our own to the refreshment/medical tent. This is where I have the most experience, more than any other volunteer at the race. I've worked in refreshments every year since inauguration, and I know it well. I helped the medical tent get set up by providing some ladles for chicken broth and hot cocoa, and set up a system for different types of pizzas to keep them organized and our volunteer services efficient. I taught some volunteers how to cut the oranges and bananas and how to keep the bins of soda and water fresh, as well as where the ice was to keep the beverages cold. I love working refreshments. Once I got my tent under control and working well, my watch said mother should be finishing soon. Caussin and I worked our way to the finish arch, and waited about 10 minutes, and, right on pace, mom came through! She finished in 7:27:34, which she was happy about. She told us all about her race, and then went to get a massage the race provides for free to athletes. Afterwards, we walked her to the hotel she was staying at, and left her to a shower and a nap. Caussin and I, pro volunteers, returned to refreshments.
At around 11:00, some of our friends who were volunteer coordinators and race directors, offered us the chance to go in the VIP hospitality tent. We definitely accepted, and while we were in there, I was able to chat with my friend Matt Wisthoff, a pro triathlete who got 2nd overall in the half, and who lives down in Wilmington. He's a really cool guy, check out his blog at wistystriblog.blogspot.com/. He's a great guy. But, we didn't stay in VIP hospitality for long, because I had a refreshment tent to keep up and running! We got back to the tent and continued to serve the athletes until the clock struck 17:00:00, the cutoff for the full Ironman. Caussin and I took in all the experiences and atmosphere, and then walked back to our hotel where mom was asleep, and passed out. It was an amazing weekend.
If you guys are looking for inspiration or motivation, and have not volunteered at a triathlon, you have to do so! It really is one of the greatest experiences for those purposes, ever. So go help out with a triathlon, and inspire yourself!
Happy training guys!
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