All of you that asked me how I felt going into this race, know I didn't feel like I had trained enough for it. A calf injury prevented me from running hills like I had planned, but my bike was still fairly good, and the good thing about not being a fast swimmer, is you don't really lose that. So, Friday morning comes, and I am at the airport, bike box and all my gear ready to go. I get to the check-in counter, the guy looks at my bike, and says $290. When I picked my jaw up again, I said "one way?". He confirmed this, in a very cool and unbending way. I said, " I don't think so" and walked away, my brain scrambled and scrambling for ideas. I don't like to disparage anyone, so I won't name the airline, but it rhymes with "felta" and starts with a "D".I knew there had to be places to rent bikes in San Francisco, but the day before a big race like this one? I didn't even know where to start. Then I remembered my high school friend, Scott, that I last saw was winter of 1977, had recently posted on Facebook that he had purchased a bike. He was planning to come see me at the race anyway, as he lived and worked in the area. A quick call, (thankfully, he answered), confirmed this, and he was thrilled to help me. Ok, now...what to do with my bike. I called Steve, who had just dropped me off, and he returned to the airport, picked me up, and we drove to a parking lot where I removed anything I might need from the bike box, and somehow jammed it all into my two bags I was taking. I had water bottles, wet suit, shoes, pedals...everything but the bike and my helmet. Scott, can I use your helmet too? Absolutely. My heart is starting to settle down now, maybe this will work after all. I get to SF, and it's blowing a steady 20-25 with gusts. I find my hotel, and awesome, it's only a half mile to the race site. Saturday morning I get all checked in and registered, body marked, and spend quite a bit of time looking out at Alcatraz. It really doesn't look that far...

    Scott shows up around noon, and first thing I want to do is drive the bike course. We jump in his Wrangler, and head out. First mile, very flat, but it quickly changes. A 120 degree turn and it's immediately a sharp climb. There wasn't much flat again until the final mile back into the TA. This is gonna hurt....but I was elated to still be here after the near disaster at the airport. My focus now, is have fun, enjoy the moment. I put my pedals on Scots bike, adjust the seat, check the tires and brakes, and call it good to go.I can't resist giving Scott a little ribbing about the three chignon rings on the front of his bike first, though. Off to eat, and Scott likes to eat. We hit Molinaris Deli, where you pick your own bread and they make your sandwich for you. Scott orders a couple italian rice balls also, with cheese and sauce inside. A little bigger than a tennis ball. It was so good, I ate the whole sandwich and the rice ball. This is gonna hurt.

    Sunday morning, I'm up at 4:30. There's no coffee pot or microwave in my hotel, but did I mention? It's close to the race. So much for bringing my own coffee and oatmeal. But, here comes Scott to rescue me again. On the way to my hotel, he stops at IHOP and gets coffee and oatmeal, and delivers it to my room. After breakfast, he grabs my gear bag, and I head down the hill on the bike to set up my transition. He hands me my bag at the bottom and goes off to park. I find my spot, right by the Canadian flag, and get all set up.

I have 2 plastic drop bags with me still. One I will take on the boat with me, carrying my swim gear, and putting my morning clothes and shoes in it to get after the race, and the other goes to the swim exit. After exiting we have about a 3/4 mile run to TA, so shoes and socks are left there to put on after removing the wet suit. From here, it's a 3 or 4 mile bus ride to the ferry terminal, where we board the San Francisco Belle for the ride out to Alcatraz. We spend about an hour on the boat total, most of it at the dock, resisting the urge to do something...like put my wet suit on. Too early for that. Finally, as we approach the island, we all start changing into swim gear. As the start nears, the pros line up on the outside of the rail, preparing to dive en masse into the 55 degree water. Chris McCormack does the swim without goggles, amazing. We file down the stairs, where there are three open gates, jumping out like lemmings off a 5 to 6 foot drop, then quickly getting out of the way of the person behind you. Whoa, that's cold...and salty. For the first 5 minutes, my face and feet are cold then they go numb. There's just enough chop I can't swim and sight very well, but every time I lift my head up high to look, I get a mouthful of salt water. The tide is carrying us out towards the Golden Gate and the Pacific Ocean. We swim across like it's a river, knowing we will come out downstream, and not wanting to over shoot the sandy beach exit and end up on the rocks scrambling ashore. I use the sun as my guide to stay on course, and it works great. I make the 1.5 mile swim in 32:26. Wow, that current really helps. I get the wetsuit off, find my drop bag, and put socks and shoes on for the short run to the TA. I change into bike shoes and helmet, and off on the bike. 500 yards into the bike, my Garmin falls off my wrist when I reach for my water bottle. I pull to the side, make sure I'm out of traffic and head back to get it. Grrr, someone had picked it up for me, so I got it and returned to the race. How long did that take? Too long I know that. The hills are steep, but I feel good. The elation of making the swim are boosting my adrenaline even higher. I don't want to push too hard though, because I know the run is challenging too. Did I mention San Francisco has hills? Did I mention I used that little tiny chain ring on the front during the bike?

    Coming in off the bike, I still feel good. Hunter Kemper gets announced as the overall race winner. There goes my shot at winning this race now. Now the real test. The first mile is flat, then we hit the first set of stairs. I run about 75% of it, still trying not to burn out early. Up, down, up down, until it's down to the beach. Out Baker Beach, we run on the sand. I find a firmer line, where the ground hasn't been torn up by runners yet, and get a comfortable pace. Heading back up the beach, I am struck by the beauty. The beach in front, with the Golden Gate Bridge ahead, breakers rolling in, and trees and greenery hanging from the cliffs above the beach. Wow.


As we leave the beach, it's up the sand ladder. 400 steps of sand and wooden steps. I walk this, as everyone else is too, knowing there's still another uphill at the top. As soon as the steps fade, I start to run again. I still feel good. Must be the elevation and temperature drops helping me. I do feel like I ate too much, though. I have an Italian rice ball under my ribs on the right side, but luckily this race is short enough I don't need to eat anything on the run. I push hard for the final flat run into the finish, and come in at.......3:00:27. Better than I expected prior to the race, but I immediately think of the time it cost me to go back for my Garmin. More than 28 seconds, I know. 

    All in all, a great race, beautiful venue, and a support person that couldn't be beat made this a highlight race for me. Scott saved my weekend, and we picked up right where we left off 30+ years ago. Well....almost.

    More pictures can be seen on the website as well as a link to the results page.     www.azendurance.com
    
    Finally....THANK YOU ALL that halped me reach my goal at ST Jude Childrens Hospital. In fact, you blew it away with a total now of $1,135. You guys are AWESOME.