Ironman Coeur d'Alene (Idaho)June 22, 2008
2.4 Mile Swim, 112 Mile Bike, 26.2 Mile Run
Sean Cleary - 10:54:47 211 overall 17 age group
Elisabeth (ET) Tutsch – 11:24:04 354 overall 15 age group (3:40 marathon)
JoDee Peterson – 13:14:47 1091 overall 20 age group
What an experience of a life time! I’ll never forget it. The best part of the day was seeing the finish line. Thousands of people were cheering for you and little kids held out their hands to high five you as you went by. As I crossed the line the announcer said “JoDee Peterson first time finisher, you are an Ironman”. They held out the tape so it was like I had won the race. It was really awesome! We took our trailer over and stayed at an RV park just across the river from the race finish and you could hear the announcer all night long say "You are an Ironman!"
The worst part of the day was leaving the trailer. The nerves set in and I knew it was a matter of time I would be in the cold water with 2,000 others. The water temp was 56 degrees that morning and it had rained the night before. Sean Cleary had given me some good advice on where to line up for the swim so I got in the back on the far right hand side. It wasn’t too bad of a start but as you got close to the first turn it was crazy. Something I had never experienced before. It reminded me of the titanic with arms and legs flying all around you. I tried to keep calm and stay as wide as possible but it felt like I was getting sandwiched in. The second loop I thought I was going to freeze to death. I had thoughts of not finishing. My left hand and feet started to go numb. I decide to count my stokes and focus on my form and somehow I made it through. As you got out of the water they had volunteers to help you get out of your wetsuit. Wetsuit pullers is what they were called. Wow that was amazing and fast! The changing tents had heaters in them and hot tubs were just outside the men’s tent. It took me awhile to warm up and I put on every stitch of clothing I had with me for the bike ride. As soon as I was ready to head out of the tent the sun came out! :-)
The bike ride went well. I kept my heart rate at the low end of where I was supposed to be and let everyone pass me and just tried to keep an easy pace. I ate gels every 30 min like I was supposed to and drank plenty of fluids. Matter of fact I drank so much Gatorade and water I had to stop and pee like 7 times. Guess I win the award for staying hydrated! The last 10 miles into town we had a strong head wind and I was feeling wonderful. I picked up the pace and found myself passing others all the way in. I knew I was ready for the run. The first half of the run I felt really good. Although at mile 6 I felt like I was getting a blister so I stopped at the medic tent to get some band aids. It took the gal awhile to find them and time was ticking away but I knew if I didn’t take the time now it could cost me a lot more later on. Half way through the run I was surprised to see my time and I thought I was going to finish under 13 hrs. Everything was going as planned. I was worried about mile 18 and how I would feel. It seemed forever to get there but finally I was there and it wasn’t as bad as I thought. I was still running right? :-) I knew at this point I was going to finish even though my pace was getting slower and I was taking more time at the aid stations. I decided to break up the run. It was only 3 miles out to the turnaround then 3 miles back and then just 2 to the finish. The last five miles were dreadfully slow. Crowds of people were everywhere cheering you on. Parties, bands, loud music, lots of encouragement all throughout the race. I kept going and ran the entire run! I’m still in shock that I ran a marathon after all that.
That night I didn’t get to sleep until after midnight and I woke up at 4:30 am. I asked Tucker if he was awake? He said no not really… so I tried to go back to sleep but couldn’t. After 30 min or so I said “can we get up and eat breakfast?” What a trooper he is. No complaining ever. Couldn’t ask for a better husband. He supported me all though out my training and he was there for me all day long on race day. He even said I can do it again next year! I placed 1092 overall and 20th out of 72 in my age division. What fun!JoDee Peterson
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