IM Florida Report - 11.4.00
by Jim Redmond

I appreciate all the words of support and encouragement for the race unfortunately it all comes down to 1 day- 18 months of training for 1 day, a tough value proposition. In case you did not know, I dropped out of the race at mile 91 on the bike. It was very disappointing and extremely frustrating, especially in light of the fact that I was in incredible shape and prepared to have a fantastic race.

The swim went great. Despite the biggest swim start in the history of Ironman, 1700 people hit the water at the same time, I felt great- very comfortable and relaxed throughout. My time was 1:03 and I think that was something like 225 overall and top 20 in my age group (not just the fat guys). I felt very good coming out of the water, better than I ever have,had a 6 minute transition and was off on the bike.

First 20 miles on the bike seemed to go by very quickly, my legs felt great, I was conserving energy and still able to cover it in only 54 minutes. I was feeling great, pacing myself- despite feeling I could go much harder, and I all of the sudden I vomited. I did not feel bad and I just assumed it was from drinking too fast, too much or it went down the wrong way, etc. I continued to feel fine but nothing would stay down...gatorade, water, gels, pretzels, bananas, etc...whatever I tried to put down came back. This continued for a while, but I was not concerned because I was feeling as good, if not better, than I ever have for a race, my heart rate was low, my legs strong and very comfortable. I tried switching to just water for a while but even that did not work. By mile 56 I am holding steady at 22mph on the bike and still feeling great but I have not had any nutrition since mile 20. I continue hoping it will change because I realize I can only go so long before I start to have trouble- I also have a marathon ahead. By mile 75 I am starting to get a little worried although I still feel fine.

Things soon change, as by mile 80 my mouth is completely dry and I start to get a slight headache. By mile 85 I am slowing down and feel like I am out of fuel. I don't really feel "bad" but I am struggling and seem to be going downhill fast. At the aid station around mile 90 I got off the bike and stopped (I was averaging\par 22mph up to this point eventhough the last 10-15 miles had propably been closer to 17-18). I tried for about 2 hours to get some fluids or food down but I continued to throw up. It was very strange, my legs felt great, even at this point, no cramps only a slight headache, my pulse 1 minute after stopping was 72! The nurse at the aid station is trying to convince me to call the Medic van to take me to the medical tent but I hold out hoping I can get my stomach settled down. After 2 1/2 hours and enough arguing with the nurse and paramedic who are convinced I am going to get violent cramps soon I agree to call it a day. On the van ride in I finally get a coke tostay down, then two cokes, then three. I get to the medical tent and am able to get enough fluids and foods down to avoid an IV. My legs never cramped and by the next morning I felt like I had had the previous day off from exercise!

A truly bizarre experience for me. I cannot tell you how difficult it was to not get on the bike and ride in the final 21-22 miles but after 21/2 hours I decided I would be forced to walk the marathon and I was more proud of my training than that...I also was a little concerned about what may happen if I continued without any fluids for another hour or more. In 6 years of doing triathlons I have never dropped out of a race and to do so in this race weighed heavily on my mind. At the same time, my coach always says to trust your training/condition. On this day, my training and condition had put me in a position to do very, very well and I was not going to compromise that just on the chance that I might finish.

I obviously had a lot going through my head as I sat at the aid station but I will say that I thought long and hard about the Bozeman Motto "Pain is Temporary, Pride is Forever." This is really a powerful statement... perhaps it kept me going as long as I did. In the final analysis, my conclusion was that the temporary pain I would have from not finishing the race would be far less significant than the personal pride I would lose by not doing my best. Trust me when I say I would have given an awful lot to have finished this race but to me it was more important to complete this race to the best of my ability and unfortunately my ability was hindered not by training or the race but by some strange nutrition issue- perhas something in the swim or bacteria in my drink system (I suggest thoroughly cleaning these after each use).Hopefully, this was a crazy thing I will not experience again, but my plans are to take advantage of my condition and compete in either Malaysia, South Africa, or New Zeland. Anyway, I appreciate all of your kind words and encouragement.

Jimbo Redmond - 11.6.00