Muncie 1/2 Iron Man

Transition

First, I did not compete in this 1/2IM. I volunteered. I decided when I signed up for the Pocono's 1/2IM that I should check one out first. Volunteering for one seemed like a great way to do that. When you volunteer for an IM you can check in what capacity you want to work. I signed up for body marking (numbers on both arms and age or P for pro on the calf)! Yes, you have to be there super early, 4:15am, but you're done when transition closes at 6:30am, allowing you to watch the race. AND, you get to talk to the athletes before things get crazy! Also, let's face it, you're in close proximity to some extremely hot men! (I did not get any numbers, but it was fun.)

Since the weather had been hot and humid over the past week and Saturday was going to be the same the race directors decided to move the start time from 7am to 6:30am. They also shortened the race. A 1 mile swim instead of 1.2. The bike went from 56 miles to 30. And, the run was 6.2 miles instead of the 13.1 that it is normally.

Body marking was fun and I got to joke with the athletes and find out why some were racing. The answers ranged from, "why not?" to "for my dad," or "my friend with cancer." A lot of the job was answering questions about the course, where to find water, and generally calming fears. I did learn several things. A) sharpie comes off with sunscreen and won't write on sweaty or sunscreened bodies. B) Some people will wait to the absolute last moment to set up their transition. C) A great pick up line is "Are you racing Pro?" Admittedly, this only works in limited situations.

After I finished I watched some of the swim starts.

Swim finishes.

Random Cheerleader!

Bike start, where I learned not to try a new bike mount and to keep my water bottles in front on the bike, rather than behind the seat. People with bottles behind the seat lost more bottles while mounting than those with them in front. Bottles were flying everywhere from those types. Also, some people tried to get on bikes using the Flying Squirrel (youtube it) and others got on with shoes already attached to the pedals. I rarely saw a Flying Squirrel mount that did not result in a stumble or crash. Those with shoes attached had issues with the shoes scraping the road and getting their feet in them. Their feet were usually dirty with grass on them, which I think would bug me and cause blistering.

While watching some of the bike start the Pros were actually heading out on their run portion. The Pros finished the race in around 2 hours! Even with the shorter race it would still take me about 4 hours to finish. I stayed to watch the Pros come in and then left. It had already been a long day.

Greg Bennett

Men
1. Greg Bennett, USA 2:00:24
2. Joshua Amberger, AUS 2:01:37
3. Joe Umphenour, USA 2:02:44










Women
1. Kelly Williamson, USA 2:10:53
2. Jodie Swallow, GBR 2:14:55

Kelly Williamson (?)

3. Mirinda Carfrae, USA 2:15:33