Challenge Copenahgen- Iron Distance Tri 2010
By Becky Lynn
An iron distance tri in Copenhagen Denmark
Let me start by saying I have never been to Denmark, don’t speak a word of Danish but I picked this race because the timing was right and I wanted to go to Scandinavia. I am so glad I did. The Danes we met seem to be wonderful people, so friendly and nice and did you know that 40% of people commute to work by bike here? The bike lane is as wide as the car lane.
So, the race. We go the Denmark. My husband puts the bike back together. We found one of the many bike shops in town to give it the once over, make sure it was in working order. And it was. Even the bike computer was working and at every race my bike computer decides not to work for some reason.
The day before the race is bike check in. I had of course looked at the start list throughout this past year to see what other Americans planned to do Copenhagen. Thanks to facebook I had made “friends” with 2 other racers coming from US, an American gal from NYC and a Dane living in Indianapolis. We have never met before but we decide to meet and check in the bikes together the day before the race. Soren, the Dane, gives us all the ins and outs of Copenhagen. I am happy to have someone to chat with about the race. Nice and interesting people. Of course I think they are interesting, they like tri like me! We add a New Zealander to our group as we take to the metro to the start. This will be his 31st iron distance tri! We drop the bikes off and on our way back is a major rainstorm with huge gusts of wind. Groan! This better be gone by tomorrow. The night before the race, Copenhagen had the most rain it has had since 1935!
That night, there is a huge party in our hotel because it is Fashion Week in CPH. This makes for great people watching but it is hard to sleep because of the constant beat of the music 7 floors below! Finally at midnight, I fall asleep.
Race day. I head out to the lagoon we swim in. I have heard there are jellyfish in it from time to time but no jellies today. The swim crosses under three bridges and spectators line up to watch. It is drizzling, but it’s not cold. I check my gear. Bike computer is working. Ready to go. The cannon goes off and the race starts. All the women are in the second wave after the pros. I get in the water. It is salty and cold but ok. I swim. I actually see my husband at about mile 2 of the swim and he recognizes me in the black wetsuit and pink swim cap (I’m not sure how since we all have on the same outfit). He even gets some pictures. I am happily out of the water at 1:08. I run to the transition tent where a blonde 15-year-old kid who speaks no English helps me out of the wetsuit and into the bike gear. It is raining and my glasses are foggy. It is hard to see. I grab the bike and I swear as I am running to mount I look down and the computer works. I get on and start going. Wait now the computer says I am going 0 mph. Shoot! It’s not working! I just go. But now I have no idea how fast I am going or how far I have gone and of course the course is marked in kilometers. The ride travels up the coast then turns inland past farms on curvy little roads with hairpin turns. And to think I was stressed out about not having a tri bike. Now I am happy to have a roadbike. I pass by a woman holding a naked baby. I pass by a family that has moved their kitchen table to their driveway to watch the race. They are eating breakfast out there. They are still there on the second loop, but now for lunch. My goal is and has always been just to finish because I have never done this distance before. I meet my husband at halfway to get my special needs gear and he tells me I am third in my age group and jokingly not to let the German one-minute behind me catch up. Oh no! Now I feel pressure. I ride along looking at everyone’s race number because it has their nationality and name on it. Dominika from Germany passes me. Now mentally I am back to thinking just finish!
I finish the second loop and I am tired. It goes by fast though when you have no idea how much further you have to go. I get to the transition tent for men and women, strip my bike shorts off (none of these Danish guys will ever see me again) and put on my running shorts. I forget to reapply sunscreen or take the electrolytes I had planned to take at this point. Off I go on the 3 loop run and my legs hurt already. I tell myself just keep running, don’t walk, (except at the aid stations) it doesn’t have to be fast. I run. No, let me rephrase that, I jog. I see my husband. He tells me I’m in fourth in my age group. (turns out I was in 5th place off the bike). Oh no! Now I feel pressure again. Just catch up to 136! I see her as we loop around on her way back. There is no way I can speed up. It is all I can do to keep moving forward. So, mentally the pressure is off again. Whew. What happened to all I want to do is finish? Ultimately I ended up 9th in my age group.
I run. I see people walking. I see people puking on the sidelines. I just keep going. Here is what I am thinking, why did I want to do this? I am never doing this again. I am sticking to half the IM. I start to think I see people I recognize. There is Ryan Seacrest (not really) and my friend from college Valerie. My mind is playing tricks on me. As I finish loop one, the crowd goes wild. Clapping, chanting! Then I realize the female front-runner is right behind me about to finish her third run loop to win the race. Hmm, funny, all that cheering wasn’t for me, but it helped me anyway!
I get to third loop, thank goodness. I travel through the city. I know the finish is close. I see it and who knows how but I sprint in. I cross the finish line and I cry! My time was 11:53:48!! Tears of joy. I get my medal and the race shirt, which is a cool bike jersey. I go to find my family. I am tired. I sit down to let them find me. And the world goes fuzzy. I think I am going to pass out. Things are spinning and now I am nauseated. Someone asks me in Danish if I am ok. At least I think that’s what she said. Someone hands me a coke and some juice. I can’t drink. They call the medical team and they come and put me on a stretcher and take me to the medical tent. All I can say is can someone call my husband? (long distance!) . Patrick finds me. I get 2 bags of IV fluids and throw up all over the tent. That actually makes me feel better. No post race meal for me!
We finally take a cab back to the hotel. We can hear the fireworks at the end of the race from the hotel room. What a day. My husband thinks I will surely forget how I felt at the end of the race and want to do another IM next year. I keep telling him no way, but who knows. We will have to see.
Thanks to all who have helped me and trained with me this year. I could not have done it without you. Thank you Joe Company for being an awesome coach. Thanks to Sandi Wulff for all of the long rides you did with me. Thanks to Tom Wulff for being our “white taxi” and picking us up when we needed it. Thanks to Mike Gogel for being an awesome training partner. Thanks to Jewell for being the only person who would ride with me in the 105-degree heat. We probably shouldn’t have been riding that day. Thanks to Karen Wisch for being such a good friend and running partner. Thanks to Mark and Pam at Cycle Depot for all the bike requests and even letting me pick up my bike after hours. Thanks to Rod and Dianna for letting me borrow their race wheels. Thanks to my husband who puts up with all my craziness and constant training. Thanks to my kids Anna and Adam who will now have their mom around a little more because rest and family time is in my foreseeable future. Oh and a little more sightseeing around Copenhagen. 8)