My first full Ironman experience — A short story of the event and the days leading up to it.
I arrived in Cambridge on Wednesday evening after driving from Poquoson, where I visited my sister, and then to DC to have lunch with my boss. I got to the hotel and tried to check in, but my room wasn’t ready, so I parked my car and unloaded all my gear. I realized then that my car had very little battery left. I had about 12 miles, but there was a charger at the hotel, so I just assumed I would charge there. Unfortunately, both spots were taken, so I parked across from one of the spots and planned to check back when the individuals would vacate the area later in the evening so I could charge.
When my room was ready, I went to the front desk, got my key, went up to the room, brought all my stuff, and settled in. The hotel resort was beautiful, and our room had a gorgeous view of the property and the Choptank River. After I dropped everything off in my room, settled in, and changed clothes, I decided to explore the area. The two vehicles were still at the chargers, so I kept walking around, checked out the pier and the pools, did some exploring, and relaxing by the water.
That evening I walked around a little bit and decided to see if I could plug in my car, but those same two cars were there still. It was starting to get dark. I walked around a little bit more, returned to the room, went back down to the parking lot, and decided that I needed to unplug one of the cars, illegally park my car, and plug it in. I needed to get some juice before I caused damage to my battery.
I stood outside in the dark at about 9:00 p.m. and waited while my car charged. It took an hour for the charger to get 10 miles on my vehicle. I ran into several people who were also trying to get their cars charged simultaneously and coming out to the parking lot to see if the two vehicles had moved. We all basically admitted to the ridiculousness of it all and laughed; I met a lot of great people.
The next day I woke up, put on my running clothes, got my car, and drove to Easton, the next town over, with a supercharger. I arrived, plugged in my car, and went for a run. It was a beautiful little area and a gorgeous morning. According to my training, I had to get in a 20-minute run, so I ran 10 minutes out and 10 minutes back. I unplugged and headed back to the hotel, but before I hit the hotel, I stopped by the Walmart, which was right across the street pick up some supplies.
I had a couple of meetings I needed to take, so I spent a good chunk of time in the hotel room. Then I decided to head to the Ironman village to check-in and get my race number and gear bags. I drove to the church parking lot, caught the bus, went to the village, and got my race packet and backpack. Then I decided to use Hyperice to massage my legs.
I met a couple of ladies who were also checking in and excited for race day. Parmela, 61, a woman I met there, was attempting her first Ironman as well. Parmela was traveling with Beverly, her Sherpa, both from Miami. We had a lovely conversation and wished each other luck in the race.
After check-in, I decided to get lunch at a local restaurant. I sat outside, overlooking the canal and the drawbridge; the weather was nice and breezy. I ordered scallops that were super fresh, had a couple of drinks, and enjoyed the moment. The place was full of racers. Everyone was wearing Ironman gear.
Back at the hotel, I went down to the lobby to borrow a bike pump, pumped up my tires, and took a quick shakeout ride in the area. I mainly stayed near and around the hotel and rode for 15 minutes to ensure I didn’t need to address anything on the bike before I checked it the next day.
After my bike ride, I returned to the room, showered, changed, and started looking online for things to do in the area. I noticed that somebody had posted on the Facebook page that they would meet up at a local restaurant if anybody wanted to discuss the race. This person was conducting first-timer clinics, and I figured I could go and get some good advice and course tips. I packed up and headed out.
At the bar, I met Tim, who was part of the local race committee conducting sessions for first-timers and coordinating multiple activities around the venue and event. Tim was very friendly and had tons of knowledge of the area and the race. He made me feel so welcomed and comforted, and alleviated some of my fears along the way. I ordered some food and had a drink, and we hit it off.
Thursday evening there was a welcome event back at the hotel, which we were both attending, so we decided to meet back up there.
Once I arrived at the hotel, I ran into Tim and Jen in the lobby where the event was happening. Jen had done the race the previous year and ironically met Tim similarly to how I did. The three of us hung out for the rest of the evening and had a great time talking and getting to know each other. We walked down to the water, told race stories, and had a wonderful time together.
On Friday morning, there was a practice ride on the run course at 8:00 a.m.. Then there was going to be the “underwear run,” which is a common fun event during Ironman. I decided to join in so I got on my bike and headed to the park. Tim led the ride and explained different points on the run course and things to look out for during the run. The ride was about an hour long. I met some great people and some of us decided to practice swimming in the Choptank before the underwear run.
I put on my wetsuit, and Maggie, who I met on the bike, joined me in the water for about 500 meters. Neither of us got stung by jellyfish (YAY), but we did feel them.
After the brief swim, I walked over to the bike dropoff to check my bike and drop off my gear bags in transition. I got ready for the underpants run, which was going to be about a mile in distance with people dressed in costumes and, of course, their underwear.
There were tons of people out there running and cheering for us; it was so fun. Once we finished, we took a group photo where I met a woman named Alice who needed a ride back to her RV. Tim had offered, and since I did not have a ride, I also tagged along. In the car, we discussed grabbing lunch, and since Aaron was on his way from the airport, I texted him to meet us. We tried to invite a couple of other folks we met on the ride and run to join, but they all had other plans.
Aaron arrived, and the three of us sat on the patio overlooking the water. It was another excellent day, and the food was delicious. After lunch, we returned to the hotel and relaxed by the pool for the rest of the afternoon.
Friday evening, Karen and Heather were to arrive. Still, they were dealing with some Virginia Beach traffic, so the trip took a little longer. Aaron and I went to a local Italian spot for dinner. The town of Cambridge was bustling with racers and fans. The moment was so unique and exciting. The staff were all wearing Ironman themed t-shirts made specifically for the weekend event. We felt so welcomed and supported.
Aaron and I were finishing our meal when Heather and Karen arrived. They both ordered, and we caught up on all the details of the day and the race. After Heather finished eating, she wanted to pump her SUP board, and she did so in the parking lot of the restaurant. She really takes her volunteering role seriously.
Heather, Karen, and I drove over to the village to drop off the board for the race after dinner. It was pitch dark, and we could not see anything on top of not knowing where we were going. We had to corral some police officers to help us figure out where we needed to be. Once we finally figured it out, we dropped off the board and headed back to the hotel. Knowing we had an early morning, we all went to bed immediately.
Race Day
We woke up around 4 a.m., had coffee, packed up, and headed to the lobby to catch the shuttle. Heather and I left around 4:40 a.m. while Aaron and Karen slept in. The shuttle took about 10 minutes to get to the hotel, and Heather was stressed about being late for her safety protocol meeting (she takes volunteering seriously). We got on the bus and just kept cracking jokes the whole ride while everyone else was silent and serious. I needed her to distract me from my nerves. It worked.
At the swim start, Heather needed to attend her security briefing. I needed to put my sneakers in my run bag, drop off personal needs bags, and put my fluids in my bike bag. I got all that done, used the porta potty, and then lined up to swim. There I met so many people — some people first timing, like me, and others back for another. I tried to keep the nerves at bay. It was not too bad. I met a woman named Penny while I was waiting to start. Penny was there for her 4th attempt at a full Ironman. I told her she had this one. She shared stories from her past attempts. It was all extraordinary and helped me avoid the race nerves. Then, right before I was about to get near the water for my group to start, I saw Aaron and Karen. It was perfect timing. We waved, and I was ready to go.
The Swim
So like I said, my sister was volunteering at this event. She was on a paddle board on the swim route, giving me something to look forward to. I was excited to see her on my swim. I got in the water and started swimming, and I felt terrific. I had covered my face, feet, and hands with Vaseline to prevent the Jellys from stinging like I did the day before on my practice swim. What I can say is that it helps, but only for about 600 meters before it washes off in the water. While swimming, I could feel the jellies initially and didn’t get any stings, but I managed to get vaseline on my goggles and could not see a thing in or out of the water. I tried to swim without the goggles but realized that would be too hard. I waved to a boat nearby to help clean my goggles. That is when I noticed my sister not far away. I quickly washed my goggles and swam to Heather’s board. I was so happy to see her. She was cheering for me, and it made me feel so special.
I swam at least 1000 meters before my first jellyfish sting. The stinging was happening around my feet, ankles, and face, mostly on my mouth and neck. The pain would last approximately 10 seconds, and basically, it did not stop me from moving forward. I swam the first lap continuing to get stung by jellyfish, bumped into by people, and slapped in the face by swimmers trying to pass me, but nothing was too terrible. On my second lap, I felt amazing; I didn’t feel like I needed to take any breaks.
I felt my pace was good, and my body moved quickly with the current. I decided that I was going to swim until I got to my sister to say hi to her again and then swim the final leg and finish.
I got over to Heather, hung out with her for a few minutes, and then got back on the course and swam to the finish. I felt really good in the water, and even with the social stops, my swim time was 1 hour and 35 minutes, which was much better than I had projected.
That was what I needed to boost my confidence for the rest of the race. Once finished, I got out of the water, and the wetsuit stripper pulled my wetsuit off. I grabbed my wetsuit, and I headed for the changing tent.
I assumed that I had something to eat in my bike bag. Unfortunately, I did not put anything to eat in there, so I just put on my bike gear; I was wearing my tri suit under the wetsuit, so I did not need to change my clothes.
I ran from the changing tent to the bike and, on the way, saw Aaron and Karen cheering me on.
Aaron was so happy I finished the swim. He basically said, “YOU DID IT,” like I had finished the entire race. As we both knew, the swim was my fear, ironically the shortest and easiest of all three sports.
The Bike
The bike course was beautiful and flat the entire way with very little wind.
The wind picked up around miles 65 to 75. It was not too difficult, but it kept my speed down for a bit while i tried to lower my heart rate. On the bike, the only thing I was terrified of was not getting enough fuel and getting a flat tire.
At all the rest stops, I stopped to eat. I took in a few bananas, some gels, a protein bar, and Gatorade. I also had my endurance drink on my bike to keep consistent fueling going during the ride.
I have to say the bike portion was uneventful, thankfully. I rode as fast as possible while trying to conserve my energy for the run.
I enjoyed the ride, it was beautiful, and a surprise moment was when I was coming around the corner at mile 100 to a surprise cheering squad of Heather, Karen, and Aaron. They had calculated where I would be and had chairs and cheers to greet me. I almost cried. It was so exciting to see them, and I wish I had known because I would have stopped to say hi, but I was coming in fast and did not want to crash.
At the end of the ride, I hopped off to enter transition, racked my bike, and grabbed my run bag.
I ran into the changing tent, put on my sneakers, and ran to the bathroom. After a bio, I was ready to gear up for the run. I had some snacks in my run gear bag that I grabbed and put in my camelback, which was filled with endurance powder mixture.
The Marathon
As soon as I started running, I could feel the pain going down my leg from my sciatica. I was worried I would have a lot of pain, so I took two Tylenol. I planned to run 5-minute intervals, and I started running for five minutes and would walk for two minutes. The run course was three loops, and it was all flat with beautiful views of the sunset and the Choptank.
I made a couple of friends along the way just running/walking while doing my intervals, and I knew I had enough time. Still, the pain was more annoying and concerning. I wanted to ensure I could finish without major cramping or injury, so I decided to walk mostly.
At mile 9, I was mentally ready to quit. That is when I met Matt. Matt from Jupiter, FL, was doing his 3rd Ironman and he was pacing with me (unintentionally). We got to talking and hit it off. He assured me that if we walked a 15-minute mile, we would finish in under 16 hours. He was also joking that if we finished sooner, we would not get our money’s worth. I thought that was a fun way to think about it, so I had it in my head for the remainder of the run.
I knew the run would be the hardest for me since, in all of my training, the most miles I got was 13.1, and that’s because I did a half Ironman in Austria 2-weeks prior. For that reason and my sciatic nerve pain, I did not want to put a lot of pressure on myself, and at this point, I knew I had enough time.
The run course took us out to the highschool and around a neighborhood, then back to the main area where the village and the finish line were situated. We ran through the main street, lined with cheering fans and people hanging out at the bars and restaurants. It was so much fun. They had loud music and an announcer who would mention each runner and their current lap as they passed through.
I did see Karen, Heather, and Aaron coming out of T2 on the first lap of the run and then at the fun turnaround on the 2nd lap. They moved to the finish line for my 3rd and final lap.
On my third lap, as I was nearing the finish line, I wanted to run for the last mile. So I started a light jog, but it was painful, so I decided I would wait and hold my energy to get to the finish line. As I approached the finish line and started speeding up my pace, my friend Matt said, “go ahead, Sundy, take your moment, cross that finish line, take it all in.”
I ran ahead, and as I was approaching the finish line, there was a guy in front of me, so I slowed down to let him go, but they had already started to call my name, so I sped up and crossed the finish line. It was such an emotional moment, and I began to cry. I saw Heather, Karen, and Aaron, all there waiting for me, cheering me on. It was pretty extraordinary. I cannot explain the feeling, but it was magic.
At this point, I was not feeling any pain or fatigue. I felt great. They had “catchers” at the finish line to catch people before they collapsed. A woman grabbed me and gave me the biggest hug, and she would not let me go. I got my medal, shirt, and hat and turned to wait for my friends to finish. First came Matt. I cheered for him, and we both stood and waited for Freddy.
When Freddy was nearing the finish line, you could hear his friends cheering for him. Once he got there, he broke down and cried. Matt and I hugged him and congratulated him. It was very emotional and unique.
Once all the celebrating was over, I walked to the food tent to grab a bite. Aaron went to get my bike and bags while Heather and Karen stayed and waited for me. I got a burrito, came out of the tent, and sat on the curb to eat. Once I devoured my meal, Heather, Karen, and I walked to the car and drove to meet Aaron at transition.
Back at the hotel, I had so much energy and adrenaline and wasn’t tired. I wanted to go to the bar and get a drink, but Heather, Karen, and Aaron were exhausted and passed out before I could even think about going to sleep. I went to bed shortly after them with my TIMs machine shocking my legs just so they were fresh in the morning.
Sunday
We woke up around 9:00 a.m., and Heather and Karen got up quickly, packed up, and left to head home. Aaron and I went down to the hot tub and walked around the property a little bit to enjoy it before we had to go. I also went down and got breakfast at the volunteer appreciation event in the hotel.
After packing up and heading out, we drove down to Poquoson, about a 3 1/2 hour drive. We didn’t have to charge on the way and could get a full charge at Karen and Heather’s house.
That evening, Megan and Cameron came over, Heather cooked some steaks, and we had a lovely meal. Cameron was not feeling well, so Megan did not stay too long, but it was nice to see her and have Aaron finally meet Cam.
Later that evening, Janie and Jorge came to congratulate me and have a celebratory toast. Karen and Aaron went out and got ice cream to complete the day.
Monday morning, we awoke at 4:00 a.m. for the long trip home.
It was so splendid, and I want to do it again. I never wanted the moment to end. I love looking at the photos and just reminiscing and remembering being there in such a great place where the people are wonderful, the town is quaint, the race is well organized, and the weather cooperates.
I was overall impressed with the whole production, so much so that I’ve already signed up for next year!
September 2023 in Cambridge, MD, for my second full Ironman!
Thanks for reading
