There was talk of the course being cut short due to
the extreme heat predicted. But instead, the course was changed to a
double-loop that stayed above the deep ravine where temperatures are
10° hotter. So instead of climbing the "Dam Rd" 700 ft up from the
river canyon floor, the running would remain higher up near Maidu Rd.
4:50am wakeup. Eat oatmeal. The troops are up!
David & Michelle Ridder; Jami Andrews & Sherwick Min (Team JaS); and
Tana Jackson are getting prepared. They stayed at our house last
night despite our broken air conditioner and the resulting high
temperatures. We all ride down to T1 at Folsom Lake, Rattlesnake
Bar. At 5:45am it's already getting warm! The ride is fun. David
and I joke while we ride.
We
set up and meet more friends in transition. Dan Miller, from Boulder,
Colorado, riding a borrowed bike, is doing the Olympic distance race.
Rochelle Zolna is doing the full and always a joy to race together
with. Tom Werner from MVM seems to be at every race! Marco
Campagna's brother, Vic, is also here doing the Olympic distance, and
so is Dave Campbell, Steve Chavez (wife Carrie doing half), Rich
Alesci and Leonie Wynhoven. My chiropractor, Dr. Vince Hoffart is
right across from us. Robin is here volunteering for the first part
of the race and therefore is allowed to park the van near transition.
She will take our swim gear for us, too.
To warm up I speed walk around the parking lot. I
finally get to the water only minutes before the start. Swim to the
line, pray, and set my watch - doh! I accidentally erased all my
splits from my last race, Angel's Camp Triathlon.
Go!
The 1st buoy is an easy leg. But the 2nd is obscured by the sun. Very
difficult. The 3rd is WAY FAR away! I can't believe it. I keep
wondering if it's not even a buoy, but a marker on some shore
somewhere. I stop a lot to sight but still can't determine for sure.
Finally I get there, round the buoy and head almost straight back –
almost on a crash course with the other swimmers. I make a hard push
for the final 200 yds in. 37 minutes instead of 31. The course was
long and I was slow. It's painful jogging / limping up the ramp.
David's bike is gone. Wow, I didn't expect that. I can't tell if
Sherwick's bike is gone. Another bike blocks my view.
The ride out of the park is steep and hard for the
get-go. I see Robin directing traffic at the first tight turn. The
bike course is hard. Remember: breathe, form. I don't feel strong.
Make up for it with smarts. No speedometer today. I get to Maidu Rd
in 26 minutes – a benchmark Sherwick has set for a good ride. It's
already getting quite warm. Feeling the home course advantage.
Climb, climb. Finally, Bowman Rd, things get a little easier now.
Back & forth with another guy. Trying to go much faster than the easy
ride I did here 3 days ago. I'm surprised that I'm only 5 min faster
at the 20 mi mark!
Not
many riders are around now. See the leader, Steve Larsen, flying
back! Get to the Bear River loop. No sign of David. Fly down the
technical descent to the campgrounds. See 3 riders at an intersection
figuring out where to go. "Straight Ahead!" I shout and whiz by. The
hardest hill of the day. I pray that God gives me comfort, strength,
rhythm up the hill – and He does!! Climb goes well. Even catch a guy
that passed me. At the top, I pass Tana and tell her, "You did it,
hard part is over!" Then I wished I asked her if she'd seen Sherwick
and David. I take the corners well down Placer Hills Rd. See a guy
that wiped out on one of the corners. He's ok, but out of the race.
Onto Canyon Dr and ready for a nice long descent. See paramedics and
a car in the road. Oh no. I don't think much about it and focus on
racing through the gap they left. Then I see Carrie Chavez and
Michelle Ridder still going up towards the injury site. Michelle
said, "Have you seen David?" but I couldn't hear her and just told
her, "good job!".
At 45mi I get real tired on the out-n-back.
Struggling to push the pedals. Seat is sore, too. No sign of
Sherwick or David. Final hard climb. Now back through Auburn.
Trying to beat 3:10. But I clock in at 3:13 – same as last year.
T2: Socks, shoes, hat, gels. Forgot my
sunscreen. I grab a water bottle and start walking down the trail. I
feel terrible! Legs hurt, foot hurts, stiff, tired! Going to be a
long day. I drink the whole water bottle.
Mile
1: I try a little jog after the 1st mile. The course along the NID
waterway is nice. Many are passing me. It's neat to be on my home
course. The rushing water alongside the run is great. I'm sure
someone will jump in the water before the day's over. A dog is
already playing in the water. The 1.5 mile aid station is run my
American River Rehab (where I'll spend the next 4 weeks). I walk the
hot steep stretch up Maidu. I see the leader turn towards Mile 9!
Wow, 7 miles ahead of me! I say Hi to Diana Hassel as she goes by me.
Mile 2: Stop in the Porta Potty. I speed walk
around Skyridge school – the fitness trail is cool (made by race
director, Brad Kearns). Almost out of the school and Tana passes me
on a steep section in great spirits (as usual). I soak my hat at the
2.5 mile aid station (good support out here!). Would love to run down
Maidu Rd but it hurts my foot to land hard so I speed walk it. See
Dr. Hoffart and Rochelle coming up. It's a nice course with this long
down hill which I always love in training. The 3.5 mile aid station
is hopping! Sponsored by Sac Tri Club. Leonie & Rich's friend, Katie
is there. I get lots of water, take Hammer Gel & cool off.
Mile 4: It's hot! 97° But I'm taking a lot of
water and not going fast so it really isn't bad. Out-n-back. We
don't go down far which is nice.
Mile 5: Get sunscreen at aid station – now I can
be out here all day. Tough climb up to T2 area to finish the
first loop.
Mile 6: See Leonie, Rich, Todd Allington and Robin
cheering and supporting. But Robin runs over and tells me David's in
the hospital after getting hit by a car on the course! This makes me
sad, mad. I pray a lot and ask God to let me run this 2nd loop so I
can go quickly to the hospital to see him. I start jogging, using my
rt. leg more & being tender with the left. I'm mad at stupid cars.
Asking god why this happens to David.
Mile 7: Rochelle went by. I tripped and almost
fall. Go back for my dropped water bottle. I'm running a lot now –
using all strength to force my right leg to "come through" faster to
help the left. Speed walk up Maidu.
Mile 8: Run around school. Passing people. Soak
hat at aid station. Run down Maidu.
Mile 9: Run the "extra loop" trail. This is close
to our house and my favorite part. It goes by a couple abandoned
mining caves which we sometimes check out during evening walks. On
the NID ditch. There's no one around me. The footing is treacherous
here. But it's familiar to me. There's Rochelle!
Mile 10: We run together down Maidu Rd and towards
the turn-around. Tana is coming up. Then Sherwick.
Mile 11: I tell Rochelle to "come on" on an
incline but she's "pacing herself" and then my foot hurts for the
first time and I fall behind.. never to catch her again. I should've
"paced myself" with her I guess. The final turn-around!
Go,go,go!
Mile 12: Run all the way to mile 13 and then speed
walk the last steep section. A guy I was pacing with tries to run it
but my walk is almost as fast. His effort tires and I'm able to walk
past him into the final flat stretch to the finish.
Finish!
I see Tana. She has Robin's phone. Robin sends Leonie & Rich back
with the van to get Tana & I. We drop Leonie and Rich at their car
and continue to the hospital. David is in a neck brace with deep cuts
all over him but he has a smile, and he has a calmness and peace that
helps all of us. But it is sad he has to go through this. Although
from God's vantage point, it is something that is necessary and
beneficial for all of us in the long run. We are definitely happy
that he is not paralyzed which was a likely outcome in such a forceful
head-on crash. Thank you, Lord, for answered prayers.
The race director, Brad Kearns, said this in his
post-race letter to the athletes:
Top Athletes Many great athletes deserve
congratulations (race winners, etc.), but no one more so than David
Ridder for his incredibly positive attitude. David was seriously
injured in a car accident near the top of the course where a motorist
made a reckless U-turn on the race course. David will miss some weeks
of training but return to challenge the best athletes in his age
division in the future.
