Athlete Interview: Brooks Cowan - Rookie Pro Triathlete, Bar Tender, Couch Surfer, & (Nearly) Sub 9 Hour Ironman

Athlete Interview #1 : Brooks Cowan

This is the first of (hopefully) a handful of Borger Endurance athlete interviews. People often wonder what the life of pro triathlete is like, and hopefully this interview sheds a bit of light on the topic.  As you will read, the life of many top pros who make a fine living in the sport is very different from the life of many rookie pros trying to make a name for themselves in the sport - sometimes struggling to get by financially while they pursue their dreams in sport. A highlight of being relatively new to the sport, such as in the case of 1st year pro Brooks Cowan, is the excitement that lies in the unknown.  Athletes relatively new to the sport may have no clue what their potential is, since they haven't tested themselves across all distances yet. Cowan  had never raced an Ironman, much less even a half iron distance triathlon. He had never trained for one either, but that didn't stop him for his random decision to see how far his body could take him, after a friendly discussion among friends turned into a bet. Brooks shared some thoughts on his 9:00:06 finish at the Rev3 Cedar Point iron distance triathlon, which landed him a 6th place finish and a (much needed) $2750 paycheck.

Borger Endurance: Can you give me a quick bio & tell me a bit about your athletic background

Brooks Cowan: I’m 24 years old and grew up swimming for Anderson Barracudas in Ohio and Mach 3 Flyers in Minnesota.  Becky Lavelle and I were on the same team at one point, small world right?  I Played soccer as well and quit swimming in 7^th grade to focus on that.  I walked on to Miami (Ohio) University Track & Cross Country team, mainly as an 800 runner, but I had a bunch of injuries and started swimming again to cross train when I was 19.  I hopped into a club meet and went 55.5 in the 100 fly and 51.0 in the 100 free so I thought once my legs get healthy, I should get into triathlon.  Unfortunately, by the end of junior year I had had 4 stress fractures and Achilles tendonitis.  I decided to walk on to Miami’s swim team as a 100-200 butterflyer my senior year, enjoy being on a team and competing for my school, and give my legs a break.  I’ve had a few blips here and there but since summer 2009, I’ve been fairly consistent and healthy and have seen a steady progression in my triathlon performances.

BE: You previously were training in Boulder, Colorado then recently moved away from the mecca of triathlon. Why did you decide to leave, and where are your living now?

Cowan: What brought me out to Colorado was a forestry crew job doing beetle kill removal, trail maintenance, and other odd jobs for Colorado State Parks.  Once that ended in December I started working in bars during the night while spending my days training.  I spent so much time driving from Denver to Boulder that I decided to move there and really make an effort to become a great triathlete. I spent a year training with the best in the world by day and working in bars and t-shirt stores by night, in order to be able to afford it.  My [usual] work schedule changed while I was away at a race, and I got fired for missing a shift.  They often give employees a strike and second chances, but I was told I was showing up too tired from training to do a good job as a busser/barback .  My lease was up in a month and the idea of finding a new job, new apartment, security deposit, and trying to make it to races was too daunting. So, I packed up and left.

I learned that living in Boulder doesn’t make people fast, but rather out-hustling the competition does.  Most top triathletes were fast before they moved to Boulder, and I can train hard anywhere.  Traveling to races from Colorado was very expensive as well.  Leaving Colorado allowed me to race the Evergreen Triathlon on my way home to Troy, Michigan as well as placed me within a 4 hour drive of the Columbus Triathlon, the Chicago Tri, and Rev 3 Cedar Point.  I was able to carpool to Chicago with friends and thankfully didn’t have to pay for gas or housing, which was a help.

BE: Explain how your life has been as a first-year/rookie pro this year?

Cowan: Tiring but fun.  I really enjoy spending my weekends racing and trying to go as fast as possible.  I often catch myself complaining about the cost of the sport and have to remind myself what a privilege it is to race in the elite wave and the chance to try and chase down the best in the world.  It’s a great way to see new places, meet new people, and challenge myself to do the best I can.  I love racing and am trying to learn as much as possible.  I feel like I have a better understanding about what I’m up against and what I need to do this fall and winter going into my second year as an elite.  Only a handful of American triathletes are truly competitive at age 24, especially at non-drafting. So, although Matt Reed, Andy Potts, and Greg Bennett have been kicking my butt by 10 minutes, it’s a great life experience.  Trying to become a pro triathlete will give you a lot of life-reps which builds strong character.


BE: A few weeks ago after the Chicago Triathlon you told me you were headed home, going to look for a "real" business job, as opposed to working in restaurants and bars as you have the past few years. Is this still the plan? If so, how will this fit with your triathlon training? After hearing that, I got the feeling you were sick of living the poor man's life, working late hours at restaurants while trying to train a lot during the day, and thinking of moving on from the sport. Is this true, or was I wrong? After going 9 flat in the Ironman at your first run at it, seems like it would be hard to stop now, right?

Cowan: Working in bars meant that I made most of my money on weekends, so leaving town for a race was a big opportunity cost.  I was 12^th at Escape from Alcatraz, 1:30 behind the final money spot, and I got home Monday night with 67 cents to my name.  My next shift wasn’t until 5pm Tuesday so all I had to eat was 10 eggs and a jar of salsa between the time. 

I would like to prevent situations like that, which is why I have been applying for business jobs.  I’ve worked 30-50 hours a week in restaurants getting home between 2-4 am so a 9am-5pm job seems pretty nice to me.  That way I could afford triathlon equipment, not have to borrow everything, and have weekends off to go to races.  I’m not moving on from triathlon, I would just like to make the bulk of my income on weekdays so I can travel on weekends. 

That 9 flat Ironman and the paycheck with it has been quite a teaser.  9:00 doesn’t pay the bills but based on my preparation and knowledge of the event, it makes me wonder how much faster I can be.  Racing fast takes patience and hard work and this sport isn’t cheap so I need to find a way to pay for it.  The idea of being a couch surfing triathlete is always lingering in the back of my head though.

BE: You recently decided to hop in the Rev3 Cedar Point Iron distance race two weeks ago, and surprised a few people with a 9:00 & 6th place finish. What made you sign up for that race after racing strictly Olympic distance races this season, and much less only training for the Olympic distance? Did you do any half iron distance races, or skip that distance and go right into the full?

Cowan: Since I returned to Michigan, my high school 4x800m teammates and I have gotten together every Tuesday night for beers.  We all competed in college and still do races so it’s been fun to catch up.  The Tuesday before the Chicago Triathlon we were speculating how fast I could do an Ironman.  I said that if I had a great day, I could go 50-5:00-3:00 [sub 9 hours] but they didn’t believe me.  The more I talked about it the more I believed I could.  I also had two broken bikes of my own, one borrowed bike that was broken, and was currently borrowing Mike Luginbill’s bike, one of the friends I was debating this with.  Looking at the Rev 3 prize purse I thought I might as well go for it, I’ve got nothing to lose and any cash prize would help me get my bikes fixed.  So I signed up without having done a 70.3 or even a marathon before.  $2750 is a nice reward and I am in the process of getting my own bikes fixed up.


BE: What was your training like leading into the race? Did you get in any longer workouts? You can't really just 'wing-it' going out fast in an Ironman and not blow up completely, or can you?

Cowan: I signed up a couple days after the Chicago Triathlon.  I went out to Stoney Creek MetroPark three times and did acceleration rides around the 10k loop with each lap getting faster.  48 miles on Aug 31st, 60 miles on Sept 4, and 48 miles again on Sept 7.  I did a good job of locking into my goal Ironman pace because I basically hit the same pace during the race.

BE: Describe how the race went, and what you were thinking throughout it?

Cowan: I read somewhere that Paula Newby Fraser described the Ironman as “crisis management” which could also be an accurate description of my day-to-day life.  What was interesting about the Ironman race was the internal debate going on in my mind.  For 7 of the 9 hours, I had the option of speeding up, slowing down, or maintaining, and kept having to decide…over and over.  My mentality going in was “get after it.”  140 miles is going to hurt no matter what so I figured going harder than what felt comfortable, chasing the guys ahead of me, and trying to hold off the guys behind me would get my adrenaline going and make the race go by faster. 

I crashed so hard the last 13 miles though, it was brutal.  It was a 2 lap run and my 1^st lap was a 1:30 [1/2 marathon].  After that I had to stop a bunch because my legs were locking up from cramps.  I kept repeating to myself, “Cramp & Rally Baby!”  I brought it home in a 1:44 2^nd lap, good enough for a 3:14 marathon.  This was also the first time I had ever run more than 16 miles so I think with better pacing, nutrition, and focused training I can do much better.

BE: Pretty impressive on Olympic distance training, I must say. What was your race day nutrition plan?


Cowan: I wanted to grab a Gatorade and a GU at every aid station, but I knew I might be in trouble when I wasn’t seeing any GU at the aid stations.  I only taped 4 GUs to my bike and was able to grab 2 more on the bike course but I will definitely have more than 6 next time.  I had 7 Gatorades and 2x Red Bulls on the bike as well, which I think was a mistake.  Next time I will have a lot more Gatorade and Gels on the bike and then save the red bull for my special needs bag on the run so the Sugar crash/caffeine crash doesn’t hit me in the middle of the run, that was really rough.


BE: Had you been working with a coach at all this year? If so, were they supportive of this jump into the Ironman distance race without perhaps, ideal Ironman training?

Cowan: I worked with Grant Holicky and Neal Henderson at Apex Coaching from April to mid July.  I’ve just been coaching myself since leaving Colorado.  They are awesome coaches who really helped me out and I enjoyed training with that group.  I used to work 5pm to 2am, get up at 7:30am and then do a swim-bike- run workout with them from 8am to almost 1pm so I figured if I could get through that, I could get through an Ironman, especially after those computrainer days ;)  Since then I’ve been on the wake-up and make something up plan.


BE: Is it true you raced on a borrowed bike, and stayed up til past midnight the night before watching TV with your homestay? 

Cowan: That was actually my 3^rd borrowed bike of the year.  The only semi-functional bike of mine is a beaten up 9 speed 2005 trek 1500 (Discovery edition!).  I would borrow Doug Maclean’s backup 2006 Felt B2 for races, and then I borrowed his road bike for an ITU race.  The steer tube on his Felt B2 cracked and is past the 5 year warranty so I was able to get a Felt B16 loaner 4 weeks ago from Mike Luginbill.  Huge thanks to these guys, without them I’d just be doing aquathlons…which wouldn’t be too bad.  Getting a position locked in while having to borrow bikes gets frustrating though, I was making adjustments all the way up to Wednesday before the Ironman.  I can never fall asleep before midnight anyways and did you see that Michigan vs. Notre Dame game?  No way I was going to bed.


BE: What's next for you?

Cowan: Not sure, I really just need to make up my mind.  Putting in a solid 8 week block dedicated to going fast at Ironman Arizona would be interesting.  It would probably be a bad decision but trying to make good decisions never really works out for me.


BE: How can people's keep tabs on your in the future? Do you have a website, blog, or Twitter account?

Cowan: Yes, my blog is http://BrooksCowan.Blogspot.com and Twitter name is @TBrooksCowan

BE: Thanks for your time Brooks. I'm tempted to place some bets and get you hyped up to prove some more folks wrong in your next one, perhaps Ironman Arizona?? Thanks for sharing your thoughts, funny stories, and your 'don't try this at home' approach to Ironman racing.  Good luck with everything.

Borger Endurance Multisport Coaching: Now taking on additional athletes

I've got 4 additional spots open for athletes seeking a coach. It's the perfect time to start up, with the 2010 season winding down & your dreams for a bigger, better, and most importantly faster 2011. If interested, shoot me and email to ryanborger@gmail.com or give me a ring (303-929-8722). I'll explain more about my coaching services and how it all works. Also, keep your eyes open for a new updated & much more interactive website coming your way. I will be combining my website & blog into one site, with articles, race recaps, featured athlete bios, and other listings frequently being added and updated. Stay tuned...

Weekend Recap: Guiding blind athlete Aaron Scheidies & Lookout Mt Tri

What a weekend. I now have 6 runs under my belt with zero knee pain, including 2 training races, which is a huge encouragement. I finally figured out the cause of my injury, which was switching shoes in January after wearing the Brooks Adrenaline for 8 years with no problems. I switched to a very similar Brooks shoe, the Ravenna 2, which feels better as it's a bit lighter, though the minor change was enough to slowly build up bursitis in the knee over 12 weeks. It started with off and on pain and gradually worsened. I'm now back training normally as of last week, and eager to get my run fitness back. Part of this journey back to fitness meant hopping into 2 races this weekend for hard training sessions. Saturday I raced the Lookout Mountain Sprint Triathlon, which consisted of a unique and rare 525 yard pool swim, a 10 mile very hilly bike course, and a 5k hilly run which mostly was on dirt trails. I finished 3rd behind Aussie pro Tim Reed and my good friend and local pro Dan McIntosh. I had the fastest swim of the day, a first for me (thought it really wasn't advantageous in the short pool swim :) ). The 3 of us rode swapping the top 3 places frequently until about 2/3 into the bike leg, where the two got away from me on a fast downhill on their TT bikes, as I was maxed out with my gears spinning at 120RPMs after choosing to ride my road bike in place of the TT bike this race. I felt far from superior but that was to be expected, and overall got in a good workout.
Today was the highlight of the weekend. I had planned on racing the Denver Triathlon the following day as a training race as well as an opportunity to win a local race, assuming my knee pain continued to stay away. A few days ago I was asked if I would guide Aaron Scheidies, the world record holder for the visually impaired in both the Olympic distance and Ironman 70.3 distances. Knowing it would be a very cool and rare opportunity, I agreed to guide Aaron, and I had a great time. Despite a sore throat and not feeling 100%, Aaron pushed himself to finish 5th overall, racing his 3rd fastest Olympic distance time ever (1:59:04). We exited the water in around 8th place, rode up to about 4th place, and held on the 10k run with a 39 minute split. My role as a guide was to race with him, alongside him the entire way, directing him around the course. I swam and ran with him at his pace, and tried to hammer the bike leg on our tandem bike with Aaron, as it was where we knew we could make up the most ground. Thanks to Ryan Stedeford at Kompetitive Edge for giving our tandem a last second tune up before the start. He's hands down the best bike mechanic in Denver (no, that's not an exaggeration). We started on the right side of the swim beach start in the first wave, with the elite amateur wave. Overall navigation went pretty well. Aaron swam on my right, which meant me hugging the left hand turn buoys and staying a bit wide on the right hand turns. We had a smooth transition and rode hard. Everything went well on the bike for the most part. The only close call was nearly hitting some cones due to some sprint course athletes taking a wide turn alongside us. We practiced on the tandem for about 10 minutes the day before in a parking lot; it's a bit different - much heavier and a longer wheel base obviously, which makes turning and braking a bit interesting. We pushed a big gear and averaged mid 26-something mph on the 40k course. It was very cool to see over 10 visually impaired triathletes compete today, as the race benefited the C Different Foundation, which many of these athletes are a part of. Race director Chris Laskey and Matt Miller, who runs the C Different Foundation, put on a great inaugural race. It was a lot of fun racing with a different mindset than usual, simply there to help another achieve their best race as opposed to my own goals, whether that meant encouragement along the way to keep pushing hard, handing water cups on the run, or hammering it on the bike leg. Aaron was very much equally or more-so an encouragement to me along the way for sure. I'd love to team up with him again in the future and go for that world record for him!

The unfortunate update: Bursitis & IT band syndrome

I've been a bit absent from the blogging world the past month. There's not too much to report, unfortunately. I've been hit with bad IT band syndrome leading to what I believe is bursitis of the knee and have been working hard to get the injury in my left knee healed. Unfortunately, the day before my flight was supposed to take of for the Washington DC Triathlon a few weeks ago, I had to cancel the trip after hobbling off the track in a workout the day before. I've had the pain off and on since coming back from my heal injury in April, but it was never bad enough to cut a run short until the week of the DC race, where I hobbled back to the car after 3 consecutive runs. The past 5 weeks I've been able to maintain my swim and bike fitness, with a few longer rides than usual, but have been forced to cut back on my runs, taking about 2 full weeks off of running and then getting in a few 30-35 minute runs hear and there. I still plan on entering the Denver Triathlon a week from Sunday assuming the pain lessens, as a workout in the build toward August races like the Chicago Triathlon. It will be a chance for a strong swim and bike, and a great chance to get in a hard run for the first time in weeks, assuming I'm able.
In addition to the DC race, I had to cancel my trips to Utah for the Dinoland Triathlon as well as the Boulder Peak Triathlon, which was the biggest blow as it was one of the only chances for family to see me race at a local event, as well as one of my favorite races.
Every season has highs and lows. I'm in a low right now, but learning how to put one step in front of the other and get back on a high note.
Special thanks to Dr. Carlton Laursen at Denver Physical Therapy (Castle Rock location) who has generously offered to help me get this thing healed. He's offered several sessions to me including trigger point dry needing work, ART, stretching and other treatment.
As discouraging as this can be, it's important to keep looking forward. Putting one foot in front of the other.
Ryan

Come Race the Denver Triathlon!

Many big cities across the US host a major Olympic distance triathlon each year - Chicago, LA, Dallas, Austin, Philadelphia, Washington DC... and Denver has always been missing from that list, until this year. Borger Endurance is proud to be a race ambassador for the 2011 Denver Triathlon, which takes place at Sloans Lake on July 24. Sign up now HERE. The race features an Olympic distance, sprint distance, and kids duathlon, and benefits the C Different Foundation, which creates the opportunity for visually impaired athletes to take place in events like triathlon.

The CapTex Tri Debacle & Race Report...Warning: It's a LONG one :)

Yesterday I raced the CapTex Triathlon in Austin, TX, the 2nd race in the Lifetime Fitness Series which offered $50k in prize money to pros, paying the top 10 men & women. If you follow triathlon, you may have already heard about the debacle that happened during the pro men's swim, which affected many pro's - like Hunter Kemper who may have lost $6,250 because of it. I'll explain what went down in a bit, but first share a bit about the events leading up to it.

Now, I must first say I am very thankful to race in the pro division. It's fun, fast, competitive, and I get to race head to head with the best in the world. I jumped off the dock yesterday next to 4 Olympians, a 70.3 World Champion, and a bunch of other big names. That, to me, is exciting - as I’ve dreamed of racing these guys for a long time though never thought it would happen. I hope to earn some decent money in the sport some day soon, but I currently don't make much like these guys. I got to thinking to myself, is it a right or a privilege to be a top pro triathlete making a lot of cash in the sport from prize money? Well, I think it’s a privilege, like most good jobs are. Having a job that pays (though our government aid programs may tell us what Americans think, or at least those in charge) is not a right, but a big blessing. However, should pro triathletes racing for income have the right to race fairly, under the same rules as one another, and deserve a professionally-run event? I think so, not necessary because it’s a right of theirs, but rather because they have a business partnership with race directors and race organizations. The pros are ambassadors for the sport, and for the races. The races do pay pros, however, the race’s success would likely not be the same without the pros. The pros often make the event what it is and hype it up, and hype up the sport in general. Would Ironman Kona be the same without the pros? No way. They attract participants and media, and put the race under a spotlight, which race directors love and profit from as it brings them more paying entrants as well as corporate sponsors.

How can pro triathletes show gratefulness for the opportunity to race for money when they don’t feel like the event they are racing in is well run and giving them all an equal shot at the money? How should they feel if the way a race is run hurts their chance to best succeed in their jobs? Is it ok to be frustrated? Or, is it not, since they were given an opportunity to race with the chance to put a lot of $$ in their pockets, and are not forced to come race by any means? These are all interesting questions.

The CapTexTri race itself is great. There are 3000 competitors, fans lining parts of the course, a great location, etc. However, many people were disappointed in the event. Amateurs pay around $150 to compete, and in turn I believe expect a well-run event. There will never be a flawless event, but you can get close with proper planning, prep, and organization. The pros showed up to the pro race meeting the day prior, greeted by the race director and the USAT referees. We were not given any printed race information or maps, instructions, or much else, which was ok, though it made everything seem a bit disorganized. We were also told we would be given things like VIP parking passes, which did not happen. Now, I do not think I deserve nor need a VIP parking pass, but when it is said to be given to us, I would assume it fair to trust that would happen. I mention this simply to point out details in organization that could have been improved. Our race packets had not been delivered to our meeting room, so we waited around until they were delivered. The pre-race announcements by the race director weren’t well organized at all, and it even seemed like a few race day decisions still were to be made. For example, the RD asked us whether we wanted an in-water start or a pontoon/dock dive start. He said we could vote on it. Obviously, the great swimmers and ITU athletes want a dive start, whereas the rest most likely did not. It’s not a huge deal either way, but this should be decided by the race, not a vote by athletes the day before. Andy Potts stood up and raised his voice on this at the meeting, and said something like, “this is ridiculous. There should not be a vote. That’s not how races go. You give us a course, and we race the course. That’s it. It shouldn’t be a vote.” I agree. We can’t vote on race rules, on wetsuit rules, how large the draft zone should be, and things like that. That is the job of the officials and race organizers. In the Tour de France there are no votes about what course to ride the day before. Obviously the climbers and sprinters would be at odds, which completely would favor one group over the other if an on the spot decision was made. The dive vs. in water start likely wouldn’t affect the results much, but it’s the concept and one more case of a lack of professionalism and organization that stood out with this race. I also was told by an age grouper on the plane this morning that did the race, that there were lines for over an hour into the late evening of athletes waiting to get their race packets.

Additionally in our pro meeting, the head USAT referee did not know the pro bike stagger rule, as she started telling us the age group drafting rules. After a few pros corrected her, she looked confused, and then must have realized that pros do actually have different rules on positioning on the bike. Two days after the race, there are still no accurate age group results up, and many people are saying their times are all off and they're even listed in the results as the wrong gender. Again, not a huge deal, but just one more issue that I heard people complaining about. I think from a business standpoint, making sure a race is run very professionally and the athletes are served well, could really come back to help the race organization succeed. Rev3, for example, has gotten an incredible reputation in just one year of putting on events, simply because they do business well, serve the athletes, and take the little race details very seriously. I think a lot of race directors could learn from Charlie Patten and Rev3. Now, having every little thing in place perfectly may not be a realistic expectation nor needed, but like in any business, if people pay a high price for your event, they expect good service and for it to be well run. And, when they receive great service, they proudly represent the race and speak very highly of it. I’ve seen many top pro’s promote the Rev3 race series on Facebook and Twitter simply because the race treats them well all around. Everyone appreciates each other helping one another out.

The Race:

I did not sleep the night before the race. With a similar bout of pre-race insomnia as I dealt with last year, I laid in bed with my mind spinning all night until I decided to eat breakfast at 3:45am. I took an Ambien around 10pm, though unfortunately felt nothing. I have taken 2 before, which has helped more, though I’ve been advised that 2 in considered an overdose and not safe. So, I opted for one pill, and unfortunately got zero minutes of sleep the night before the race. I felt pretty awful in the morning, but put that in the back of my head as I knew I could still race fine.

We lined up at the swim start on the dock, were called back off the dock and told to wait another 10 minutes. We were called back on the dock where we waited again for a bit. I’m not sure why exactly, likely again something to do with organization and planning. I lined up right behind Olympians Hunter Kemper, Matt Reed, and Andy Potts, knowing it best for me to take a 2^nd row swim position and try to draft of the feet of the true fish in front. The course was the most clear, simple, and well-marked swim course I’ve probably raced in. I give the race credit for that, though it turned out not to matter. It consisted of 4 yellow turn buoys which formed a rectangle. There was no confusion amongst the pro men on the course whatsoever. It was led out by a few stand-up paddlers, a few jet skis, and I believe there was a lifeguard boat somewhere out there as well. We reached the first buoy about 300m out, turned right, swam another 100m to the 2^nd turn buoy…and tried to turn right. I got to the buoy, slammed into a few people, and put my head up. It was chaos, as swimmers were yelling. I heard whistles, saw the paddlers and guys on jet skis pointing to the left and yelling at us to follow the lead boat. They had cut in front of the swimmers turning right, and instructed everyone to turn around and head the other direction, to ignore the buoy, and follow the lead paddle board. So, we followed the directions of the race marshals. Andy Potts and I believe one other athlete, Dan Tigert, ignored the commands of the race employees and swam right, following the correct course. They must have gone around the jet skis and paddle boards. The first few lead swimmers said a jet ski pulled right in front of them waving to turn, cutting them off. The 26 or so others of us who listened to the instructions from the race representatives in boats, not wanting to get disqualified, turned back the other direction and continued following the lead paddle board. We swam for about 60 seconds, and then slowly everyone realized we were headed down the river completely away from the race. Athletes started stopping and looking around. I heard a few people yell “what the F--- is going on?!” It was a bit chaotic. There is a lot of pressure in a race with $25k up for grabs for men, so every second can count.

So, the back of the pack swimmers, lagging 20-30 seconds back, stopped where they were and turned around at the same time, instantly putting them back in front (besides Potts & Tigert) and cutting out 50-70 meters or so of the course. I was about 5 seconds back from the leaders when we turned around, and we all had to catch up and re-pass the group and continue back onto the correct route. The swim continued and the lead women suddenly appeared with us. They started 4 minutes after us, so you can see how far off course we were made to go. By the time the women started, the race crew was well aware of their mistake, and the women all swam the correct course.

I honestly have no idea how on earth the course marshals could have made the mistake. It was the simplest, clearest swim course ever, and there was no need for lead paddlers. There were no other buoys in the river either, so I have no idea why anyone would think we were supposed to swim past our turn buoy.

Andy Potts led out of the water by several minutes, and eventually won the race by about 15 seconds over Hunter Kemper, who was (rightfully so) extremely upset about what had happened, and I believe trying to file a protest after the race. He would have won the race if Potts hadn’t gotten the several minute advantage, which cost Kemper over $6000. However, you can’t blame Potts, and he was swam the correct course, as I wish I would have. There’s really no right answer to the situation or anyone at fault other than the race directors and their staff. Some people proposed the two top finishers equally split the prize $ for the top 2 spots. However, what about the other athletes who’s money was affected? The rulebook says it’s the athlete’s responsibility to know the course, which everyone did, though it also says athletes must do as the race officials say. Maybe these people who led us astray were volunteers? Does that make us in the wrong for listening to them and not dodging their boats they drove in front of us?

One big lesson I’ve learned this year while losing valuable time in the swim in 2 out of my 3 races so far, is to simply ignore the race officials at times. You have to, or you might be put way back in the race. In general, follow what you know to be right, or follow the masses. At the start of the Miami 5150 race, about 20 athletes were treading water well in front of the start buoys and had started swimming well to the left of the start. The marshals on boats were yelling to get back to the line, saying they wouldn’t start the race until all the athletes were together behind the line. So, a few of us swam back to the line, just to hear the start horn blow. The race had began with the majority of the athletes about 10-15 seconds ahead of the start line, leaving me in the dust playing catch-up.

Hunter Kemper was the main person who got screwed financially yesterday. However, most people didn't think of the guys who finished in spots 6-10 for example. A second athlete who just snuck in the top 10 also swam the shorter course with Potts, thus taking a prize $ spot. If he swam the length we did, he'd have finished 1:30 behind me and out of the top 10. For Kemper, who financially is not struggling, it has been made a huge deal. However, I also think that for the guy who finished 8th or 9th and who is working 2 different jobs and sleeping on floors or even in his car before races, that matters just as much. He lost out on valuable prize money as well, even if it's one or two hundred dollars.

At the end of the day, I finished 13^th out of about 28 pros. Overall I was pleased with my placing and efforts, as I finished ahead of a few athletes I’ve never beaten and who finished a few minutes ahead of me in Knoxville two weeks ago. However, I am still continuing to get my run fitness back from my injury, and know the best is still ahead. I pushed hard on the bike, as it was my goal for the day. I averaged 308 watts which is an improvement from the last race, but I still have much strength to gain on the bike to compete with the strong cyclists. I wanted to ride harder than usual, as that’s where I have historically lost ground, and to test my legs and see if they could handle running fatigued after a hard ride.

The 4 loop bike course was extremely windy, as winds gusted up to 30 mph all day the past 3 days in Austin. I was racing with a rear disc wheel and a front Zipp 808, which was really sketchy at times as I nearly got blown to the ground. I have to improve in my bike handling skills and learn to be comfortable in strong winds like this while in the aerobars.

On the run, the first few miles I thought I was in trouble. I had biked hard, and my legs felt it. It was in the mid 90s and I was feeling the heat. I took only 1 Powerbar gel during the race early into the bike to avoid stomach cramping on the run like last race, and taking the nutrition earlier helped. I didn’t get passed by anyone on the bike nor the run, and passed 2 or 3 men on the bike. The last mile of the run was extremely painful, as Pedro Gomes (Portuguese Ironman national record holder / 2^nd place 2010 Ironman Florida) caught me and passed me with about 1200m to go. I stuck on his shoulder trying to draft a bit from the gusting wind. A few times I let him go about 5 feet ahead of me, playing mental games with myself wondering if I could hang onto him until the finish. I honestly didn’t think I could. I gave it a shot, and pulled back up on him. He slowed down and moved to the left to try to get me to take the lead. I was way too fatigued to lead, and enjoyed the slower pace for a few seconds. He moved back ahead and put in a strong surge with about 600m to go, and got about a 25 foot lead on me. I thought he was gone, but dug very very deep to reel him back in. With 200m to go I knew I had him, as I’ve vowed to never lose a sprint finish in a tri like this. It was a hard finish, extremely painful, but well worth the fight even though I was in the dirt on hands and knees in the finish chute after sprinting near all out the last 150m. I split 5:43 pace for the 10k. I had thought I finished 11^th at the time, but later found out I was actually 13^th. All in all a decent finish. If Potts & Tigert would have swum the same course, I would have been 12^th, two spots from the money. I’ve still got plenty of work to do, but with it I can move up.

The big prize money races are very competitive for men. The top 10 spots for men had a spread of only about 6 minutes and 45 seconds, whereas the spread for the top 10 women was about 16 minutes. There are talented women for sure, but usually the fields are not as deeply stacked, and you usually have to finish in a closer % of the winner’s time in the men’s fields as in the women’s fields to come home with money.

I think the race mishaps simply show a bit of where our sport is today unfortunately, compared to other sports. It’s simply not as big of deal, nor does it have the big prize money nor following of sports like cycling, golf, NASCAR, etc. In the big races of those sports, there’s not much room for error, and it’s pretty rare to see a big mess up like that. I feel for the guys who lost money over it yesterday, but it was just an unfortunate event caused by the race crew, no fault by any of the athletes. Sometimes that’s just part of racing and you just have to roll with it.

Added: 5/31 Just got a call from the race director & Slowtwitch.com. They're still trying to find out exactly what happened during the swim, and who led us off course. No employees/volunteers have confessed to being the one involved. They want to have the facts straight before they make a public announcement. I can definitely tell they know their reputation as a race/director has been damaged and feel pretty bad about everything. It will be interesting to see what happens. Will they award Potts & Kemper both 1st place or equal prize $ and points? Do they keep the results as is? Or do something else? Time will tell.

Borger Endurance & 2 Roads School

I had to opportunity to head to 2 Roads School earlier this month to share a bit about triathlon, show off some fancy race equipment, and give a short bike maintenance clinic. The aero helmet was the hit of the day, as everyone wanted to try it out and see how much faster it truly made them go!

Rev3 Knoxville

Sometimes you've just gotta go race. I made a late decision to race the Rev3 Olympic Tri in Knoxville, TN this past weekend. Originally I was not planning on racing until Memorial Day weekend, due to my lost fitness from the heel injury and getting sick last week, but about a week before the race I really got the itch to race. Coach Melissa had me do a 40k bike time trial workout to see where I was at. The workout didn't go incredibly well nor too poorly either; I'm not sure what it was that fed my desire to want to race, but on the way home from the workout I got VERY eager to race. I found myself thinking "forget the injuries, sickness, wondering if I'm ready, just simply go RACE! I train to race, not to just train." You can always be more ready, fitter, and so on. Just go race!

I booked a flight on Frontier using airline miles. I had emailed Rev3 previously a few weeks prior telling them to take me off the start list. I checked if it was too late to re-register, and was told they actually had never taken me off the start list, so I was good to go. (Side note: Frontier recently became the first airline I know to change their policy and no longer charge bike fees! Thank you Frontier!! This is HUGE, since Frontier's hub is in Denver. Frontier, you just got thousands of cyclists and triathletes to fly with you now!). Krista Baker at Rev3 arranged a hotel room for Josh & I, and I can honestly say that Rev3 has done an amazing job in the 2 short years of their existence. They know how to put on a professional, top-notch, high quality, big prize money race and truly serve the athletes. Everything is professional: race organization, setup, meals, videos, media coverage, website, etc. Thank you Rev3!

The week of the race I came down with a sore throat and bit of sickness, but there was a far larger concern that I thought may change my plans again at the last minute. My grandfather in Michigan unexpectedly collapsed in his yard due to bleeding in his brain, and had to undergo two emergency brain surgeries the next several days. I am very thankful that my grandfather is pressing on and slowly healing from the events; they were serious surgeries and the family was quite concerned. My mother flew out to Michigan to be with him the night of the first emergency surgery and has been there all week. He is slowly recovering, gaining memory, and hopefully will be able to come home from the hospital in the near future. He was coherent enough the night before the race to tell my mom to pass on a message to me on the phone: "Get er done." That was very encouraging to hear.

Multisport Ministries also is now connected with the Rev3 race series, and the MsM chaplain John Adams was putting together an event the night before the race called Tri Inspire, and had asked myself and fellow MsM teammate Josh Merrick to speak at the event. So, there were more than enough reasons to make the trip. The Tri Inspire event MsM was a great opportunity to meet new people as well as share a bit of thoughts about racing with purpose and finding joy in our pursuits, something I have been trying very hard to do lately.

The Race Report:
I finished 16th out of 28 pros and 12 seconds behind Josh. The swim went considerably better than the Miami 5150 race in March. My TYR Hurricane Cat 5 wetsuit from the guys at Kompetitive Edge was incredible, and luckily the water temp was cold enough for the race to allow wetsuits. This favors the weaker swimmers like myself. I didn't feel super great on the swim, but found myself sitting in the back of about a 15-person main chase pack. The last 10 minutes or so I became anxious to try to make a move and pass the group, but simply couldn't get around anyone as the group was strung out wide and I was sitting at the back. After a few kicks to the arms and one hard one to my face, I decided it was best to just sit in the group. This was a good decision looking back, as I was able to draft off the pack, conserve energy, and the leaders (Cam Dye, Olympian Matt Reed, the young stud and uber-biker Andrew Yoder, and Brian Fleischman who shares my same coach) were already strung out ahead so my chances of getting away from this group wasn't the greatest anyways. I came out of the water a bit over a minute down from the leaders, who were crushing it at the front. I honestly felt like it was a slow swim, as I really could have picked up the pace. After pulling myself onto the dock out of the river, I could see I was in the same pack as Australians Joe Gambles of team Trek-KSwiss and Richie Cunningham, and Andrew Starkowicz and other swimmers who I honestly would have thought would have gotten away from me. It was a fine swim considering I had a lot more left in the tank as well.
Onto the bike, the group honestly got away from me pretty quickly, other than a couple of guys including Starkowicz. He's usually a machine on the bike (he won the bike prime two years ago at the Ironman 70.3 world championships.. yes, he's strong), but he just came off an injury as well so was a bit off form. I passed Starkowicz the first mile or so of the bike, and rode behind another athlete for about the first 30 minutes of the ride until I knew I needed to move up on one of the steep climbs. The bike course was tough, and consisted of mostly rolling hills. Starkowicz passed me at about the half way point, and the rest of the ride my goal was to keep him in sight, which I did for all of it minus the final mile or two.

The bike is where the race got away from me. I NEED to make cycling a serious priority the next 6 months! I can usually run with the good pros in the sport when I am fit. I was right there at the Miami race. Apparently, with my TYR wetsuit :) I can hang on the swim with some of the decent main pack swimmers as well (but NOT the top swimmers yet; they're truly in a league of their own). But honestly right now, I CANNOT ride with these guys. It's discouraging, but I need to start facing the facts, and getting my butt in gear. Yes, I pass a few people during races and outbiked a group of the pros, but the truth is the bike spread is huge between the best cyclists in the sport and the worst. A poor bike split can set you back over 5-7 minutes, whereas a poor swim will only put you back a minute or two. This is why cycling is CRUCIAL in Olympic distance non-draft racing. If you're not strong on the bike, you're out of the race. Yes, the top pros have experience on me by many years, but I am racing in the pro division this year and need to man up and try to COMPETE. If my cycling does not improve, I simply cannot compete. I have a lot of work to do.
At the end of the bike, I found myself going nearly 30mph into transition 2, riding head on with 4 or 5 age group women coming out of the transition area straight at me. They had swerved onto my side of the road instead of staying on the right side out of transition. I screamed at them as did a number of spectators, and somehow I swerved around them all, avoided a crash, and was able to dismount at the last second before the dismount line and run into transition (with my cycling shoes on, clunking away, as I was unable to unstrap the shoes and run barefoot as I usually do due to the mishap). I escaped without a crash so I can't complain too much. However, it would be good if more athletes started paying attention to rules and course boundaries.

The summary of the run is this: I struggled the entire 10k with a bad gut cramp from taking an energy gel too late on the bike. I passed Starkowicz and one other athlete on the run, but was passed by teammate Josh Merrick at about the halfway point. Josh said I looked pretty hunched over when he passed me. My legs felt good, but stomach was forcing my pace to slow. I ran a mid 35 minute 10k, about 2 1/2 minutes slower than I ran in Miami with my personal best 10k run split there. A 35 minute 10k is no longer acceptable for me.

The goal of the race was to give an honest hard effort. I didn't expect a breakthrough race, but the hope of one is always there even if the fitness may not be. I gave a hard effort, but cannot honestly say I raced all out the entire time. I was hindered by cramps, but need to be stronger mentally to fight through them. Again, I have a lot of work to do.
The weekend was still a success, however, as I was able to meet some great folks from the race and fellow members of Multisport Ministries. I strive to continue to race for a greater purpose than myself, which has been a struggle to keep at the front of my mind at times, especially feeling the pressure that results are the only thing that matter...though that's not exactly the case; it's a goal of mine to keep a balanced perspective on things. There are many opportunities to impact others through this sport. Onward to the next race, the Capital of Texas Triathlon in two weeks. I'm headed to Austin to race and for the wedding of my good friend Derek Yorek the day after the race.
Time to keep putting in the work! Onward. Thanks for the support.

Some things are important, other things are more important: Marriage, Triathlon, Injuries, & Life

The past three weeks have been the most monumental weeks of my life, to date…by far. A heel injury from the Miami race on March 20 left me limping, frustrated and very discouraged, but looking back I think it came at the right time, just in time to teach me an important lesson and focus on what matters most.

On April 2^nd I married the most incredible woman that exists. I was obviously overwhelmed with excitement leading up to the big day, had a very hard time sleeping and thinking about anything else the week of, yet at the same time during the few weeks prior, my mind was still consumed with triathlon. Although I knew Amy wanted to, we weren’t going to take a honeymoon, mostly because of money but also because I didn’t want my training to suffer. We were going to go up to the mountains for a day or two instead to enjoy a weekend away, but nothing extravagant. It was a pretty selfish standpoint on my part, knowing the Amy wanted to go somewhere memorable but knew she would support what I wanted to do. After training my butt off the past five months I did not want to lose what I had gained, nor could afford to spend big bucks on a wild vacation. Truth of the matter is that a lot of it had to do with pressure to perform well this year, and time off or a cutback in training may not help that. Quitting my accounting job and pursuing my nearly unpaid life of a rookie pro triathlete while trying to grow a coaching business, naturally put pressure on me heading into marriage. This is the year I need to do well, very very well, I thought to myself. It’s the year I’ve hired a coach, and the year I’m training more than ever…which really means more than the past two years since I’ve still relatively new to the sport. I put the pressure on myself, and everyone has been supportive of the pursuit, especially Amy, so I cannot blame anyone for that.

I trained long and hard the past five months, raced in Miami in late March and came home with mixed feelings and not quite the result I had hoped for. At the same time, my run had improved a lot and my coach Melissa Mantak’s training plan was working. She continues to remind me the top pros did not rise to the top overnight. It’s simply not possible in this sport, and takes time. I took two days off running post-Miami, and attempted to run on the third day. I made it 20 minutes and was forced to hobble, stop, and walk back a few miles to the car. My heel was killing me. I thought it was a simple heel bone bruise from racing in road flats on concrete, so took a few more days off running and was certain it would heel. Fast forward two weeks - I was limping around just walking and the area around my achilles tendon was very swollen. I then realized this was more serious than I thought, and realized I needed to take some time to focus on healing it.

Wedding week was upon me, and honestly my mind was not on training. I skipped workouts, had a ton to do, friends came into town, and my training was sliding a bit for the first time in a half a year. With the injury and wedding events, it was easy to justify. A few weeks prior, I committed to not let the wedding events alter my training much, yet reality hit with wedding planning, running around town, relatives and friends arriving…and oh yeah, I’m injured. Honestly though, the biggest thing that affected it was actually my discouragement and lack of motivation. It’s amazing how motivation can change with an injury, and thinking about triathlon while being injured is no fun. So, that led me to not want to think about it at all, skip more swim and bike workouts than I should have, and pour my energy into the excitement of getting married. As excited as I was, this was very easy to do, and looking back, I’m very glad; this was a good thing. This was a necessary thing! Marriage only comes once in a lifetime, for me at least, and unfortunately not for all. It is more important than anything else, such as training, and Amy deserves my full attention. Getting hyped up all week on getting married was incredibly fun.

Thanks to my sister and the generosity of the folks at Denver Physical Therapy, I was able to get in two days before the wedding to have my injury assessed. At that point I was thinking it was Achilles tendonitis, since it was a lingering injury that was worsening as time went on. The doc was a bit perplexed, as the pain was not coming from my Achilles nor the typical spot of the heel for the most common bone bruise. Rather, it was stemming from deep in the calcaneus bone area, and on both sides of the foot. So, it was likely either a bruise in a rare spot, or a fracture of some sort. Stress fractures usually come on gradually, and this injury happened from the race, which was a good sign as an acute injury means take time to get it healed and get back to work, rather than having to adjust a training load and plan in the case of an overuse injury. The doctor performed dry needling on my right calf. He admitted it would likely help more in the case of Achilles tendonitis, but it was worth a shot. Ouch!!… sticking 15 needles in and out of the calf, going as deep as the bone, doesn’t exactly feel nice. However, the treatment can work and that’s all that matters. I was shocked to be so sore from it, and hobbled around for two days thinking, this will be fun to walk down the aisle like this :)

The wedding was incredible. We had over 250 people join us for the day, and great friends came from all over, including the Westmont crew from California, Multisport Ministries guys from various states, 20 relatives from Michigan, and the locals including my best friends from high school and people like my coach Melissa and her husband Rob, who I’m just getting to know well but value our relationships so much already. Somehow I was still able to dance a bit with a swollen foot, which I didn’t even think about the whole evening…other than when coach Melissa whispered “how’s your foot feeling” during dinner :).

I’m on my way back from a week in Hawaii after an amazing honeymoon. Long story short, close family friends offered to let us stay in their condo on a beach in Kihei, Maui, and plane tickets were gifted to us in the wedding. Now, how can you turn that down? You can’t! I’m so thankful and grateful for generous people in my life. I ran 35 minutes today, in my first run in three weeks. I felt slow, a bit out of shape, but looking back maybe the injury had a purpose - to tell me to relax, focus on my wife since she more than deserves it, and maintain a healthy balance in life. I had imagined my honeymoon a time where I could log 55 miles a week at sea level in beautiful weather, but that was not to be. Funny how the injury finally healed enough the last day of the trip to run. Was God trying to tell me something? Maybe. I got in a few pool swims and 3 bike rides on a rented bike, but no structured training and an incredible time with my wife was what the week was about. Life is about more than triathlon, more than one’s job, hobby, career, etc. and sometimes it’s easy to forget about that.

I’m ready to get back to the swing of things, back to the training routine, and find out what married life is all about. I’ll have to see how fitness comes along the next month and decide if I am ready to race in New Orleans and Memphis in mid May. I met Amy just over 1 year ago, and now I’ve got a ring on my finger - pretty amazing how God can bless us just like that, completely unexpected. Some friends were surprised to hear I was getting married so soon after meeting Amy, and shared their thoughts on marriage with me. I love my friends to death, and love even more how we can share thoughts even when they differ. Some people think you should live together, travel the world together, and share finances together before you even think of getting married. I can see their reasoning, but don’t think it necessary. Others are shocked to hear Amy and I both committed long ago to remain abstinent until marriage. Although we chose this, which was definitely not easy, it’s cool to see most people respect it and acknowledge it’s cool to see two people follow through with it after 26 or 27 long years. These differences don’t get in the way of our friendships, they may even strengthen then. What really matters is how I feel about Amy, and not what anyone else says or thinks, or if they agree with my decisions and opinions or not; that we are right for each other and committed for life, and that we have friendships with people we can talk openly about this stuff with. Life is about living with people, similar AND different to yourself, respecting others opinions but yet ultimately following your own convictions - this is what matters.

I wanted to share a few pictures and highlights from the past few weeks, as well as my bike trek from the beach at sea level to the top of the Haleakala Crater at over 10,000ft elevation, an epic and memorable climb! The ride took about 3:20 minutes, and I was pretty taxed by the top after going out a bit too hard the first hour, not fully aware of the difference between a regular 3 hour ride vs. a 3 hour ride of constant climbing on a rented bike. *(I'll be writing a separate blog entry/post for the Multisport Ministries monthly newsletter on the trek up Haleakala, with pictures of the whole progression from beach to the top).

Thanks for tuning in!

-Ryan

The Kihei Aquatic Center, 25yd x 50m pool, & FREE to the public!

Swim workouts with the sea turtles!

I've worn my Powerbar socks at every formal occasion since 7th grade, why stop now? Years later they're a sponsor...irony or karma?

Some more wedding photos (by McCory James of Elevate Photography)

I was proud of my shrimp tacos I whipped up one night for dinner.

Cycling the Haleakala Crater: From beach to 10,000 ft

By Ryan Borger, USAT Level 1 certified coach and owner of Borger Endurance LLC.

This past week I made my first trek to Hawaii, to the island of Maui for a week of solitude, honeymooning with my beautiful new bride Amy, and a bit of adventure. We stationed ourselves on the 6^th floor of a condo building off the Kamaole 2 beach in South Kihei, thanks to the generosity of some close family friends who let us stay at their condo for the week. I planned on mostly enjoying the week relaxing at the beach, taking a bit of a break from normal training, while still keeping my run volume up and doing some open water swimming, as the thought of running in Maui seemed pretty pleasant, especially coming off a relatively cold Colorado winter and I don’t get much open water practice. I had thought about trying to bring my bike along, but quickly realized that wasn’t a viable option thanks to United Airlines hefty $175 bike fee, each way. Unable to run as planned due to a heel injury, I decided to rent a bike for the week once I arrived. Prior to the week, I didn’t know much about the island, nor it’s cycling routes, though I had heard rumors of Canadian pro cyclist Ryder Hesjedal splitting a 2:30 ride to the top of some massive volcano there, so I decided to look into it a bit.

The idea of riding from sea level to 10,000ft drew my interest pretty quickly. I ride up to 10,000ft occasionally in Colorado, but I start at 5300ft, not sea level. There's a big difference. With the approval of the wife and soon to be driver to pick me up at the top and drive me back down, we decided I give it a go, and to make the trek by bike up this epic volcano. I rented the cheapest road bike I could find for the week, from South Maui bikes, took a look at a map, and set out for it. I will add that I came back very appreciative of my light-weight Specialized Tarmac SL3… after riding a heavy aluminum bike I realized I’ve been carbon fiber brainwashed, and need to not take my lightweight carbon rig for granted.

If you ever get a chance to ride on the island of Maui, I encourage you to make the epic climb from the beach to the top of Haleakala. Hundreds of people get shuttled to the top daily, and ride bikes down as a popular tourist even, but only a handful do it the other way around. It’s a cool accomplishment, and a rare opportunity to ascend over 10,000 ft.

What will you need for the ride?

- 2 large water bottles, bars/food, gets, $5 for fee into the National Park ($10 for cars), money for drinks/refueling at the market, a cycling jacket, and a pocket map may be a good idea, although it's a pretty straight forward route

I was warned that temperatures can vary 30-45 degrees from the beach to the top of the crater, and to bring a jacket, full finger gloves, and the whole nine yards. I scrapped that idea since I only brought a short sleeve jersey and shorts, and decided to take a bit of a risk. I got lucky as temperatures only dropped about 10-15 degrees at the top; I was shocked to be at 10,000 ft. by the end of the morning, while still sweating in 50+ degree weather. I was fortunate for my luck.

I rummaged the condo kitchen, packed a few baggies of Fig Newton bars, a Powerbar gel (unfortunately I only brought one on the trip), $10, a small map, and filled my two large water bottles. Unfortunately again I left my Powerbar Endurance drink mix at home, but not to worry, we still had some strawberry margarita mix left over in the fridge. I glanced at the ingredients on back, and realized it's pretty darn similar to Gatorade, and filled a bottle with half mix and half water. It tasted a lot like Kool-Aid, not bad at all and saved me a few bucks and a trip to the store.

The start at Baldwin Park: Elevation 2 feet

I topped of my tires at Maui Cyclery right in front of Baldwin Park in the small town of Paia, my starting point. The ride starts off the beach at Baldwin Avenue for approximately 7 miles, which is relatively flat compared to the rest of the ride, with a slight incline until hitting the second small town, Makawao. It was snowing ashes on me the first 45 minutes or so, as a nearby sugar cane field was on fire. I later learned this was a way of either harvesting, prepping, or processing the sugar. Possibly conducive to the sugar farmers, but not to cyclists' lungs.

At Makawao/ Makawao Avenue, you have the option of turning right onto the busier highway, but I opted to continue straight through the stop sign 1 mile on Olinda Rd. until reaching the rodeo, where I was instructed to turn right at Hanamu Road. This route has almost zero auto traffic. The roads wind a bit, have a few steeper climbs, and pretty areas of Eucalyptus groves. I was sweating a ton as I was pushing the pace fairly hard, and it was very humid. You will run into the Haleakala Highway/State Hwy 377 at the Haleakala Ranch, which takes you to the entrance of Haleakala National Park/Crater Road and up above the clouds.

Baldwin Avenue, from Paia to Makawao (7 mi)

There is a market at just over 3000 ft elevation which you can stop at before the steep climbing starts, so bring a few bucks for a mid-ride snack.

I stopped at the market to refill the bottles, enjoy a quick chocolate milk and Powerade, which was well needed later on. Several miles past the market you will reach your final turn, a left at the entrance sign to the Haleakala National Park, which also reads 22 miles to the top.

The rest of the ride consists primarily of switchbacks, and the grind goes on, and on, and on... passing the elevation signs every thousand feet. It's important to stay mentally focused, though it was relatively easy to do since you're excited to get to the top!

The final 45 minutes was more challenging than expected, as I was running a bit low on calories, and my rear was feeling the ache of a few hours on a new bike saddle, though I plugged away at it. As I passed the "Summit: 2 miles" sign, I also passed two other cyclists on the side of the road. One was standing up next to his bike, while the other was collapsed over in a ditch. The guy was taking a much needed rest, and I think he was either a bit under-trained for this ride or went out a bit hard. I don't have evidence that he made it to the actual summit, he did make it about 500 feet from it to the visitor's center parking lot, where on our drive back down I found him like this, as the picture shows:

By the top, my wife Amy had been waiting for me for about 45 minutes. The ride from start to finish took me about 3 hours, 15 minutes, pushing at a relatively moderate, though not hard, pace for the majority of it, though my legs were shot by the end of it. I can say that Ryder Hesjedal's record of 2:30 is quite remarkable!

Here are a few final shots of the last miles, as well as the view from the top. If you're ever in Maui next, give it a shot!

The road above the clouds, and 2 miles to the summit

A view from the summit

Mission: Accomplished