September 20, 2014 IRONMAN MARYLAND Cambridge, MD

AMAZING! There you have it. Thats the race report. The entire experience, course, people,
race, volunteers, food, beer, sherpa, you name it..AMAZING. This is an absolute must-do
race for those of you who want to do an Ironman or are looking to add another one to your belt.
Fortunately, I was lucky on A LOT of fronts otherwise I dont think I would have had the same
glowing report. Since I dont really know where to begin, Ill break down my thoughts into several
different categories:

Cambridge, MD - What a fantastic town! It is conveniently located to the Baltimore /
Washington
International Airport -
about a 90 minute
drive. It was founded
in 1684 and is one of
the oldest colonial
settlements in
Maryland. Located
on the Choptank
River, it has an
abundance of history
and great local
avors - particularly
crabs. The people
welcomed Ironman
with open arms and
you could tell they
had been preparing
feverishly for this
race since it was
announced in April.

Ironman Maryland Facebook Page - One of the highlights of the entire experience. Hands
down, the best Ironman race page..EVER. A good new friend, Keli Engleson (AKA Yoga
Peach) organized the page and
it is widely considered now in
the IRONMAN circles as one of
the very best. The group was
entertaining, helpful and we
were fortunate that the race
directors, Gerry Boyle and
Jason Chance engaged the
group openly and were very
receptive to feedback, both
before and after the race. Both
of these gentlemen are st
class and did an outstanding
job. I was so blessed to have
made many new friendships
and laughed my rear end off at
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CrazyIvan Pancic (AKA fart bubbles) and
Keli Engleson (AKA Yoga peach)
September 20, 2014 IRONMAN MARYLAND Cambridge, MD
the banter. The advice and reviews of the course and area were spot on.

Accommodations - Although the host hotel is quite
nice, it is about four miles away from Long Wharf
Park, where the nish area and expo were located.
My advice to anyone wanting to do this race - DO
NOT stay in any hotels. They just arent convenient to
where you (or your support crew) want and need to be
for the race. airbnb.com was a life saver as I originally
had a hotel booked 30 miles away in Salisbury, MD.
That was as close as I could get having signed up for
the race just 8 weeks prior. I would highly recommend
to search this website (or others) regularly to nd a
home, apartment or room the locals may have rented
for the race. I was extremely fortunate to have found
an unfurnished 2 bedroom apartment about a half
mile from the nish line and about the same distance
to the start. Getting a place close to all of the action is
an absolute must in my opinion if you are going to do
this race.

RACE DAY

Swim - The course takes you east from Great Marsh
Park towards the nishing area by Long Wharf Park in the Choptank River. I think the river is
named Choptank for a reason. Its a brackish body of water which has been known for sea
nettlesmost of which were obsessed over by some members of the Facebook page,
however; come race day I didnt hear of any nor saw any myself. It is a two loop course and you
le down a boat ramp for a brief swim to the north
before you turn and make the long swim to the east.
Based on my
time from IMFL
last year (1:27) I
seeded myself
at the end of the
1:21 - 1:30
group. BIG
mistake. I am
just not that fast
and last year
was really an
anomaly with
the mass start. I
had the crap
kicked out of me
and decided
about 800 yards
into the race that I needed to nd clear water. I swam away
from the trafc (5-10 yards from the markers) and found
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September 20, 2014 IRONMAN MARYLAND Cambridge, MD
clean water to swim in about 25 yards out. I consciously made the decision to trade time for a
less risky swim and being kicked in the face. My Garmin data showed a total distance of 2.52
miles and I did so in 1:42. Initially I was disappointed as I had hoped for about 1:35, however; in
retrospect I got the tradeoff I was looking for. A few minutes more time on the swim in order to
minimize my risk early and try to set myself up for a good day. After all, what difference would 7
minutes make in my day? It just doesnt matter.

Bike - After having my wetsuit stripped off, I quickly found my bag and calmly took my time
getting my bike gear on. This included putting my GWTC bike shorts over my tri kit bottoms.
This worked out great and I was very comfortable for the
ride this way. Overall transition time was about 8 minutes
and off on the bike I went. The morning air was cool,
humidity was decreasing and for the rst 2 1/2 hours or so
on the bike there was almost no wind. The course consists
of a 45 mile, two loop segment in the Blackwater National
Wildlife Refuge and a 10-11 mile ride out and back to the
loop which starts at the local high school. The TOTAL
elevation gain according to my trusty Garmin 910XT was
52 feet. Yes, you read that right. 52 feet! Less than 6
inches per mile. To say this course was at would be an
understatement. Some say that makes for an easier day,
however; I will say after this race, there is something to be
said for having those rollers where at least you can get a
rest on the downhills. The course was absolutely beautiful
winding through farmland, marshland and back roads.
Speaking of roads, I would have to rate them as a solid 8
out of 10. Very few rough spots and well paved on nearly
every stretch. The course constantly curved back and forth
so there werent any of those monotonous long stretches
Ive been used to training for in Tallahassee. What can be
tricky on this course though is the wind. I found myself
consistently averaging about 18 until I turned north on the rst loop. I then quickly started
dropping 20+ splits and then at
about mile 50 or so my speed
dropped about 3mph to 17. The
wind shifted and was coming out of
the northwest. Good I thought..Ill
get a nice tailwind after I stop and
get my bike special needs before I
start the second loop. WRONG! As I
headed to the southeast the wind
was clearly coming right at me. Not
evidenced by my slow speed but
rather the top of corn stalks and
trees. What the heck was going on
here? Well, like most things in life
we cant control, I couldnt do
anything about the weather but I did
have control on my attitude.so I
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September 20, 2014 IRONMAN MARYLAND Cambridge, MD
just pedaled on hoping that it would stay this way when I turned north for the nal time. Thank
goodness it did. The last 30 miles were a blur as I put down some decent splits and brought my
steed home to the barn about 15 minutes ahead of last years pace in 6:20. Going into town you
briey see the runners and then head for transition. The atmosphere was electric. I was
fortunate to have had ridden the last couple of miles side by side with Jim Ristow.one of the
most hilarious guys on the IMMD Facebook Page. We joked and commiserated about our rides
before we hit T2.

Run - I hit T2, found my bag and slowly started making the transition to the run. I was feeling
gross from eating nothing but Gu, Wafes and Gatorade for the past 6
1/2 hours. Thankfully, I remembered to take off my bike shorts, put my
shoes on.got everything together and was off. That was
easy..Until the Yosemite Sam cursing started! I forgot my Galloway
Timer! DARN IT!!! I know this doesnt sound like a big deal considering
I already had a watch, however; I
brought this timer so when I
started making mental deals I
had something to keep me
accountable and keep my legs
moving. I know my 910XT can
also do this, however; I was
afraid of messing up my race data so I said to
myself.just run John. Just run. It just doesnt matter.
Like most triathlons my rst mile split was my fastest. My
legs felt incredibly loose and overall I was in good shape.
Just over a mile into the run my feet started feeling numb
so I stopped to adjust my socks and shoes. This helped a
bit.but didnt really do the trick. One compromise I had
to make just before the race was my shoes. My Newtons
had lost two lugs on my right foot and Im convinced this
contributed to calf problems I was having. I wrote to
Newton and to their credit they sent me a brand new pair
of shoes two days before I left for the race. I managed to
put a few miles on thembut not enough to really break
them in. So the compromise was old shoes which were
defective or new shoes which worked right. I chose the
latter. Other than the shoe adjustment I ran solid for 7
miles without stopping, then things just didnt feel right. I was thirsty and couldnt drink enough
water or perform.but at the same time as soon as I drank or ate I felt awful and wanted to
puke. Over the next several miles I maintained a steady pace but had to walk a bit. During this
time I kept reviewing my nutrition plan which I had followed but neglected to really put the math
to it. It was about 9 miles into the marathon I gured out I had screwed up my nutrition plan.
Time to regroup and make the best of the remaining 17 miles. As far as the course goes, it was
beautiful. It wound through some very scenic neighborhoods along the Choptank River and into
residential areas before you hit the turn around on an abandoned road. It was a three loop
course and was a pleasure to run. Aid stations were well spaced, volunteers were fantastic and
the atmosphere a spectacle. The turn around on the west side of town was in the downtown
area where you ran past some of the local eating and drinking establishments. It was here that I
found my sherpa, Bill Dillon appropriately hydrating himself and cheering me on. The only
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September 20, 2014 IRONMAN MARYLAND Cambridge, MD
down part of the run is that you had to run past the nishing chute not once, but twice. As the
day wore on I kept passing many of my new found friends. Crazy Ivan Pancic (who did Cedar
Point 140.6 two weeks prior), Keli Engleson, Kiley Shipp (AKA Hello Kitty) Ed DeJesus who I
met at dinner and is proof that people do win the Kona
lottery. Poor Ed though developed hip issues and
couldnt run it the year he hit the lottery. Since then he
has had double hip replacement and had a great
showing on this day. There was also my friend from
dinner Friday night, Hugh Harris who is a member of the
DC Tri Club and looked strong all day. Day turned to
dusk and things started to cool off. I knew my nutrition
was off, I couldnt eat and I was getting tired. Time to
reach deep and just gut this one out. The one mental
deal I made myself is that I wouldnt look at my watch to
see my total time until I hit mile 20. When I did, it was
exactly 12:30 since I took to the Choptank River. I started
doing the math.a 10 minute mile for the next six miles?
I can do that..wait, thats right.youre legs are dead.
On most days I can do a 10 minute mile in my sleep. At
12:30 into the race pulling off a 12:00 mile was almost
impossible. I kept moving forward until I realized at about
mile 23, I wasnt going to break 13:45, my personal
record from Ironman Florida. At this moment I knew it
was time to go back and revisit my rst rule when doing
an Ironman - ENJOY THE DAY. I am blessed to be able
to do this. Forget the time, stop looking at your
watch.and
just soak it all in. Bring it home. The next several
miles were dark so I couldnt see those familiar faces
anymore, however; I knew Ivan was near at one point
when I heard fart bubbles. The PA which had been
shouting YOU ARE AN IRONMAN for the past
several hours was now getting louder. The lights were
getting brighter. The crowd was getting more frenzied.
This is itthis is what all of those hard days of
training were for. I saw Bill again as I passed by the
nishing chute for the last time. He asked, How do
you feel? I saidLike dog-doo (except not quite
that nice) and before I could say it to him, it just
quietly hit me.It just doesnt matter.you are
going to be an Ironman. Again. I enjoyed the last time
up the cobblestone street to the nal turnaround.
Instead of turning right again, I made the u turn left
and pumped my st. The crowd went nuts. My legs
got under me again and I felt like a million bucks. As I
hit the chute I had it all to myself but this time I wasnt
going to get a weak four words.I wanted them
strong, and loud and clear. I slowed down just before
the nish line and pointed at the announcer (although
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September 20, 2014 IRONMAN MARYLAND Cambridge, MD
I could not see him that well with the lights) in a very animated way. Since Im a white guy with
no rhythm, my arms werent quite in sync with his wordsbut for tonight.it just doesnt
matter. With each of those four words I pointed
towards him.JOHN HUNT - YOU..ARE..AN
IRONMAN!!!. I held up two ngers and crossed the
line in 13:52 only 7 minutes off of my P.R. Wait.7
minutes? I guess a decision very early in the race did
make a difference.and you know what? IT JUST
DOESNT MATTER!

Lessons learned - There were several of them:

-
With a solid base, you can do an Ironman only 8
weeks after signing up. Long rides on the weekend
and increased mileage running and in the pool
worked out just ne. I didnt need to sacrice my
personal life to do so and didnt exactly have a bad
showing. If nothing else.I learned I was consistent.
-
I have got to pay much better attention to my nutrition. I just cant feel like Ive got it down. I
really need to do the math and know exactly what Im putting in when my body takes it out.
After the race my body was a wreck. I got the chills, I couldnt pee without it hurting for a day
and I was nauseated for a solid 8 hours after the race. This is not normal and I had no one to
blame but myself.
-
Although I traded off time for clear water, and as you saw it did make a difference in my total
timewhat it doesnt reect is what could have happened had I not made this choice. I would
still do the same in a heartbeat. Racing an Ironman to me is more about being a good
manager of your energy, your mental toughness and mitigating risk as much as possible than
it is being an athlete on race day.
-
Race for a cause or for a loved one. My rst Ironman was for my dad. This one was for my
mom. Having that motivation and thinking of her as she continues to race her own personal
Ironman makes a huge difference. She helped get me through some tough parts in the day
and made it all worthwhile.
-
Ill do another Ironman..probably even this race again. The entire community, the whole
experience, everything about Ironman Maryland was fantastic. I cant say enough good things
about this race, new friendships and the entire experience.

Sherpa - So, I had to save the best for last. When Bill learned I
was going to do Maryland he was quick to volunteer his time
and friendship to help out. Originally he was going to drive up
with me, however; things changed at work and he ended up
ying to Baltimore the day before the race. He was the BEST
SHERPA EVER. Bill did a warm-up swim with me on Friday,
helped get me set up in transition and even ran back to
retrieve my special needs bags which I forgot on race morning.
We had a great time together, met some great people and he
helped make this experience one of the best possible. Thank
you 2X Ironman Bill Dillon. As good of a sherpa that you are,
you are an even better friend.
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