Ruben Barajas' 1998 Ironman Report
October 21, 1998

(Ruben is a graduate of Chris Kostman's indoor cycling instructor training program.)

Dear Friends:

Thank you for your interest in my participation the Ironman earlier this month. I've had an opportunity to respond to some of your individual e-mails but thought I'd send out another more detalied letter in order to cover all bases. Again, thanks for your support in this dream of mine. I know it might sound a little silly for a grown man to call a race a dream but it really was all that and more. In ten years of racing triathlons I can safetly say that The Ironman was definitely the most special race I've ever been a part of.

A word of warning. If you're in a hurry right now you might want to read this later because the following race account is a little lengthy. First off, the energy in Kona the week of the race was incredible. Everyone is swimming, cycling and running all over the place all day long; it's like of parade of fitness. The race day conditions were interesting to say the least: rough water, heat, humididty, 40+mph winds (and even stronger gusts) on the bike course that would push you over into the opposing lane; just another casual Saturday workout ;) In any case, I felt great.

I completed the 2.4 mile swim in 59 minutes and felt great. Even though the water was choppy, it was nice & warm and a beautiful shade of deep blue. Throughout the swim I felt like I was snorkeling because the visibilty was excellent and I'd see coral and colorful fish everywhere. Once on the bike I got ready for a 112 mile ride. Again I felt great but suffered a little bit of a setback when I got tagged by a race course marshall for a drafting penalty (which means I got within the three bike lengths of another rider) and was made to pull over at which time a marshall marked my race number. In all the years I've been racing I've never gotten tagged for drafting. The penalty made me feel a bit deflated as I got going on the bike once again since I had temporarily lost my momentum and would have to serve three minutes in a penalty box once I finished the bike ride. Also, a second penalty would result in a disqualification, and I kept telling myself, "You didn't come all the way out here to get disqualified. So race smart."

The remainder of the bike ride was incredibly windy and needless to say I raced a little conseravtively because the race marshalls were out in force and definitely looking to tag more riders. Once I shook off that little annoyance I got refocussed and told myself that I was here to finish strong and have a great time. The heat and humidity reflecting off the black lava fields in Kona was as relentless as the wind. At the end of the 112 mile bike ride it was time to serve my penalty and start the run :( Nevertheless, I still felt great. I was so gald that my legs didn't feel wiped-out. The ride took me 6:12.

I put on my running shoes, grabbed some food and a bottle of gatorade and started the 26.2 mile run. The very first part of the run course included a super steep hill followed by a descent into a road affectionaltely referred to as "The Pit"; an out & back dead-end road that goes downhill and at the bottom you have to turn around and run back up the same hill (nasty). At this point a lot of the runners around me were looking pretty exhausted. My strategy was to run consistently and smoothly in order to avoid blowing-up. And that's just the first mile. The remaining 25 miles include more of the same but back out in the lava fields. All I can say is thank God for those great volunteers who provided us with water, gatorade, ice, wet sponges and food.

The race finish back into the town of Kailua-Kona was unbelievable. The specatators were full of energy and support. The really cool thing is that out-of-nowhere a stranger would shout out my name saying "Go Ruben. Lookin' strong!" A lot of the specatators had race programs that listed our race numbers and names. I can't tell you just how good it felt to hear my name called during this race. Each time someone did that it seemed to re-enregize me and make me smile, despite the pain. Back to the finish. That last mile back into town to the finish line felt like running on air. Despite the 139 miles I'd already raced that last stretch felt like I was in slow motion. People were cheering, the announcer was calling out my name and stats, music blarred over the p.a. system and the finish chute was full of bright colors, banners, flowers and screaming friends & family of the competitors.

Crossing the finish line felt exhilerating. I was so proud. My run time was 4:12. I turned to hear Martha screaming and cheering. A volunteer put a lei around my neck asked if I was feeling OK and escorted me to the family reunion area to see Martha, collect my finishers medal, take a photo, get cleaned-up and get a massage. What an incredible day!

I hope all of you have an opportunity at some point to experience an event like this. I know I'll never forget it. I hope to return to Kona next year and do it again. Again thanks for your interest and support.

Take care,
Ruben

More Indoor Cycling