White Lake Half Ironman Race Recap

Back at the end of 2011, I set a goal to complete a half ironman in 2012. On December 5, 2011, I took a step towards that goal and registered for a half ironman that would take place on May 5, 2012. The race, the White Lake Half put on by Setup Events. Once registered, my first step was to find a training plan that would work for me. I found a plan that called for 18-weeks of training leading up to the race. So, to begin 2012, my preparation for the race started with a pool workout at 5:30 am on Monday, January 2. After a couple thousand laps in the pool, hours in the saddle, and pounding the pavement for miles, on May 5, 2012 at 2:09:11 PM, I became an official half ironman finisher!

Taking a moment before the race to enjoy the sunrise over White Lake.

As race week arrived, I began to check the weather forecast. The predictions were for hot conditions, and they were right (more on that later). With the heat in the forecast, that meant nutrition and hydration would be even more important than normal. I began to drink 6-8, 16-oz bottles of water daily for the week leading up to the race. I was also in taper mode with my training as I did just a couple of swims and one run in the week leading up to the race. I wanted to be as fresh as I possibly could.

Since White Lake was just shy of 2 hours away, I decided that I would head down early race morning instead of finding a place to stay overnight. My good friend Jon offered to go with me and drive for me so I could rest on the ride. At first I thought that was not necessary, but looking back at that now, I am glad Jon drove. Friday evening I gathered all the gear and essentials for the race and began to pack so I could get to bed early for some rest. Ended up going to bed at 8:30 pm and set the alarm for a 2:00 am wake-up call. Yes, you read that right, I said a 2:00 am wake-up call. Surprisingly, I got a good night’s sleep. I got ready, finished packing the car and headed to Jon’s house. We were on the road by 2:30 am and arrived at the race site at 4:30 am.

Once arriving at the race site, it was time to get the transition area setup. I located my position (race number 260), placed my bike on the rack and then headed over to packet pickup. The activity at this point was just starting to pickup at the FFA Center. Packet pickup began at 5:00 am. After getting my swim cap, race numbers and goody bag, it was time to get the timing chip and body marking. Headed back to the transition area since I had my race numbers to complete the setup process. I knew this was a big time triathlon when I saw the USA Triathlon officials walking through the transition area. One came by me to check my bike and make sure I had end caps on my handlebars (I did, by the way). One item that was left out of the transition area was my wet suit. With the high temps, the lake water temperature was hovering right around the USA Triathlon legal limit of 78 degrees and all of us did not know if the race would be wet suit legal. After having everything setup, I stayed around the lakefront taking in the atmosphere and enjoying the awesome sunrise over the lake. Soon we all heard over the PA, “Now for the news everyone has been waiting for. The race will be wet suit legal.” It is safe to say that we were all pleasantly surprised.

I was competing in the 35-39 age group and we were the second wave going off wearing the white caps. That meant a 7:05 am start. With 25 minutes until the start, I got into my

Swim Start

wet suit and made my way to the end of the dock for the in water start. Jon and I prayed before I made my way into the water. Next thing you know the national anthem was playing. The butterflies were flying a little faster at this moment. Just about time now to start and over the PA I hear, “15 seconds white caps”. No turning back now…3…2…1 and we are off. Immediately those butterflies are gone.

The first 700 m of the swim out to the turn buoy was, lets just say, interesting. I was having to slow up several times, got hit with arms and even had a couple of people swim right over me. I was prepared for that to occur, so not a big deal. Once I did make the first right-hand turn, I was able to find some open water and get into a decent rhythm. Overall swim time for the 1.2 miles was 39:15. It was a long 300 yd run from the exit of the swim to T1, but it was a good transition for getting out of my wet suit and into the biking gear.

The bike course at White Lake is a 56-mile flat loop. I was feeling really good for the first 25 miles. I was able to get into the aero-position and was averaging 19-20 mph. One thing about the road surface was all of the black pavement seal lines that were about every 20 feet. each time you crossed over one, it was a mini-bump. Over time, that jarring took its toll. I have a road bike and not one of those tri-bikes. Many times when I was going 20 mph, I was getting passed like I was standing still. No worries though, I anticipated that happening. My nutrition plan for the bike was to have 5 peanut butter flavored GU’s, 2 bottles of accelerate and the water available at the 3 on-course aid stations. That plan seemed to work well for me.With 30 miles to go in the bike, we made a right-hand turn onto Hwy 53 to make our way back to White Lake. That is where the tide changed for me. We rode those final 30 miles into a headwind. I could not get comfortable in the areo. That headwind took a lot out of me and I could not wait to get back to transition and get off the bike. Arrived back in transition fatigue, but happy with a 3:17 split. I took a little longer in transition on purpose to get ready for the run. Tired and fatigued, I headed out of transition, grabbed a cup of water and saw Jon as I am leaving.

Approaching the finish line of the White Lake Half

The run course was a flat, out and back loop that went around the lake. The most difficult part of the run was dealing with the 90 degree heat. It was miserable! Since I was fatigued from the bike, I could never get my legs going. I knew within the first 200 yards of the run, it was going to be long and tough 13.1 miles. To the point where I decided walk/run was the game plan. At each aid station there were cold towels (which felt great), water, Heed, cola, salty snacks and orange slices. Looking at the othercompetitors, I knew the heat was not only affecting me. It was causing problems for just about everyone out there. I remained positive throughout the run course and had 5 competitors come up to me to simply say thanks for having Isaiah 40:31 on the back of my Second Wind shirt which says “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint”. Nothing better than to have the word of God be an encouragement to those on the course. A couple of those competitors told me that is their favorite verse. The best that I felt for the entire run was the final half mile. I am sure it was all due to the adrenaline that was kicking in. As I made the turn into the FFA Center, I started to get emotional as I could hear the PA announcer and then there it was…..the finish line! As my wife would say to me “Go Feet”. C’mon feet, just a few more steps to that finish line.

7 hrs 4 minutes and 11 seconds after the starting horn, I successfully completed my first half ironman!

I would be remiss if I did not thank all of the staff at Setup Events for a great event. Well done! Thank you to all of the volunteers helping to make this an amazing experience. Every volunteer was so positive and encouraging and that means the world to all of the competitors. I remember one volunteer in particular on the bike course at the turn onto Hwy 53 with about 30 miles to go. She looked right at me, pointed and said “you are my hero”. That may sound corny to you, but that gave me a huge lift at that moment. Thanks to all of the residents of White Lake for your support, as well as the freinds and family members of the competitors who came out to cheer us on. Finally, thanks to my friend Jon for driving for me and supporting me throughout this race. I cannot tell you how much I appreciated that.

Looking back, what an experience. Pushing your body to the limits for a total of 70.3 miles in just over 7 hours…..wow!