Twenty minutes before the race start, dark clouds rolled in as the skies opened up pelting our field of racers with a downpour of rain and popcorn kernel size hail. It was the start of the Virginia Duathlon (5k run, 23 mile bike, 5k run) this Sunday March 30, 2008 in Surry, Virginia, a ferry boat ride across the James river from Williamsburg. The weather report an hour earlier made no mention of precipitation, low 40 degree temps or moderate/strong winds, but the race started anyway.
The gun went off at 9am for the first 5k leg of the race. My buddy, Alex, led the pack of 200 plus racers with me in a close 2nd/3rd placing going into the bike transition. The rain and hail was relentlessly.
Soaking wet from head to toe and 5 miles into the 23 mile bike leg, I started to feel a little cold. The hail melted the second it hit the soaked pavement and the course was flat and fast. In aero position, I was averaging 22mph. I am weak on the bike and was passed by a few Georgetown and James Madison University race team studs! Ten miles in, I started to feel even colder as my fingers were losing feeling, my eyes were tearing, and it was hard to stay aero.
About 25 minutes later at mile 18, my speed faded to 16 mph. My body was uncontrollably trembling from the cold and wet conditions and all motor skills were gone as I was barely able to shift gears or apply brakes. My exposed skin was reddish purple and I was losing vision. I had to pull to the side of the road. I was in the middle of nowhere with nothing but farmland in site. Still straddling my bike, I could not swing my frozen leg over to dismount. A few racers passed asking if I was ok. I responded with ‘Sure, I am just fine’. However, I knew I could not continue!
A few minutes later, one of the race committee motorcycle escorts approached with two riders on the bike. I flagged them down and they immediately saw I was in trouble. The passenger got off and suggested I get on in his place so they could take me back to the race start. The passenger would radio to the race committee tent for transportation of my bike back to the start/finish.
Frozen stiff, I could barely move. They had to lift me onto the motorcycle. Giving the driver a bear hug as I sat on the motorcycle, I hunkered down behind him, my snot covered face pressed up against his nice black leather jacket. I am sure i left a deposit behind . We soon arrived at the start/finish line, and with race fans watching, they lifted me off the bike and got me to a nice warm vehicle where the heat had been running for a while. I was placed into the driver seat and wrapped in trash bags (for additional warmth, I guess).
After a few minutes, I looked around the vehicle to find another suffering racer in the passenger seat eyes closed. Then looked over my shoulder to see my buddy Alex in the back seat practically passed out! The three of us continued to shiver uncontrollably with probable low grade hypothermia. Twenty minutes later, three ambulances arrived.
Freezing, trembling racers came out of the woodwork toward the ambulances! We piled in and had our vitals read by the EMT’s. I later learned there were 40 DNF’s (Did Not Finish) from a field of 200 racers. Ten people missed turns on the bike course and the rest of the racers who didn’t finish suffered from the cold, wind, rain and hail.
Thirty minutes later the shivering decreased to step out of the ambulance with my tail between my legs. I headed back to the parked car. Alex was already out of his ambulance. We both continued to shiver for about quite some time as we drive home.
Well, next stop is Boston marathon April 21st. Remember last years weather (2007), a downpour of rain and high winds. At least I will know what to expect and have learned how NOT to dress??? Then the week after is Duathlon Short Course Nationals in Richmond. I should have a post for each hopefully without mention of an ambulance.
