My 2009 IronGirl Observations

IronGirl is always an inspirational race for me. For many women, this is the first race they’ve ever done. Others haven’t attempted something athletic for years. Women of all shapes and sizes come out for this event. Some are fast and others a little slower. But no matter fast – everyone eventually does 21.4 miles! Below are my observations from this years race:

• Duck poop smells really bad… and tastes even worse. Note to all IronGirl participants – not all open water is as icky as Centennial Lake!
• Seven minutes between waves means you tread water for quite a while.
• The first woman out of the water this year was really, really, really fast!
• I am pretty sure the swim was longer this year than last year.
• Breaststroke and backstroke is acceptable if it gets you through the 0.62 miles of the swim. Congratulations to everyone, who before IronGirl, never would have imagined swimming that far.
• Secure goggles are a must – particularly if you are in a really big wave. My wave had no less than 175 participants!
• Buoys provide a perfect place to stop and catch your breath if needed. I apologize to anyone I hit with my wide stroke as I turned the buoys.
• Mountain bikes far outnumber tri bikes at this race. The speed at which some of these women move on their mountain bikes is inspirational.
• Riding four across the road is not uncommon. Perhaps we should review blocking at the next Luna Bike Clinic!
• I saw more people drafting cars than other cyclists… or maybe they were just waiting to pass?
• I did not see any women walking their bikes up the hills…and there were some tough hills! Way to gut it out!
• There is one really hard hill on the run. And you have to do it twice! Congratulations to everyone who ran up this hill. Of course, I think I ran slower than some walked!
• IronGirl has one of the longest finishing chutes. It is great to have so many people cheering you into the finish.
• The cold duck sponge at the finish… AWESOME!

2009 Calleva 10 Hour Adventure Race - Sharing it with a Friend

I competed in my first adventure race last May (2008), and ever since I have gently tried to convince some of my “outdoorsy” friends to try one with me. I’d do so by sending an occasional e-mail with a link to an upcoming race or I would casually work the topic into a conversation while having an evening beer with my neighbors. I found that people fell into one of two camps – a.) they were not interested in the competition aspect of the race or b.) they were concerned that they were not in good enough shape. In my mind, I will not convince someone who is not motivated by competition – but it is a relatively easy to get into shape. Besides, as I explained to my friends I was happy to go at any pace, just to share the experience. Nonetheless, my emails and conversational suggestions continued to be rebuffed.

So I was pleasantly surprised when my neighbor Bob responded that he was interested in being my teammate for the 2nd Annual Calleva 10 Hour Adventure Race. This race has two categories: Expert and Sport, for the less experienced teams. Bob and I signed up for the Sport category and named our team “4th Street”. Clearly, Bob and I are not the most creative when it comes to names!

After several gear checks and re-packing of our Camelbacks, we were ready for the race start at 9AM yesterday morning. It took us roughly 7½ hours to complete the race and we hit many of the optional check points.

We bush wacked through briars and poison ivy. We rode up hills and through single track. We walked and occasionally ran through a long trek. We paddled across the Potomac. We - or more accurately – Bob did several adventure challenges and nailed them. First, he walked the high wire, twenty feet above ground and then the balance beam – also twenty feet up. When we got to the third challenge, the idea was for me to actually contribute – but in the end it was Bob who hoisted me up into the pendulum swing. As the volunteer at the balance beam said (with a British accent) “Bob, you were brilliant!”

We saw a black snake and a bunch of tiny toads. We picked up trash (a bonus minute for each piece we picked up!). We scratched up our legs on the briars and probably have poison ivy. We sweated – A LOT! We looked like we did an adventure race.

We met some fun people and had a great experience. Bob tells me he is ready for the next race… anyone else?