Competing in an Ironman is all about competition – against fellow athletes, the grueling distances of the course and the mental battle to overcome exhaustion and complete something perhaps you never dreamed was possible.
On Sunday in Chattanooga, there was another fierce and unforgiving opponent challenging the 2,200 triathletes: the heat.
With temperatures shooting to 93 degrees with a heat index of 100 on a humid day that felt more like summer than autumn, the heat was perhaps the biggest opponent facing the athletes as they strived to complete the 144.6-mile course beginning with a 2.4-mile swim segment in the Tennessee River, followed by a 116-mile bike into North Georgia and ending with a 26.2-mile run along the Riverwalk and through North Chattanooga.
Athletes and Ironman officials knew Sunday would be unseasonably warm, and everyone was doing their best to keep themselves and others cool throughout the day.
“I think we’re having a great day,” said Keats McGonigal, senior regional director for Ironman. “Obviously, it’s hot out here, but most of the athletes are heeding the warnings and taking it a little bit easier. In these conditions, it’s a hard day, but most of the athletes are ready.”
As soon it became clear that the that the warm weather would be a factor on race day McGonigal said his team and local volunteer organizers began working to address the conditions and keep the athletes safe.
“We put some buses out (on the bike course) with air conditioning, so that athletes could jump on them cool down and then keep going,” McGonigal said. “That’s not something that we usually do. We also added some misting water stations on the run course.
“We saw this coming, and we’re doing our best to manage it and manage the athletes as best we can.”
Despite several reports of athletes dropping out of the race because of the warm weather and seeking attention for heat stress, there was no indication of any serious medical emergencies associated with the race.
SURPRISE SUPPORTER
Crowds of fans, including family and friends of the competitors, braved the heat along with the racers to cheer on the athletes along the course and as they finished on Riverfront Parkway. While the racers were out on the bike course, many spectators retreated to downtown restaurants for lunch, a cold drink and a chance to cool off.
One of the groups of supporters visiting Chattanooga included a fan who had traveled around the world to support his father.
United States Air Force Lt. Gaines Robinson, son of 69-year-old Gainesville, Georgia, competitor Ken Robinson, was enjoying the morning with a group of family and friends at Hair of the Dog Pub. The younger Robinson had returned to the U.S. just two days earlier from Turkey, where he was deployed as a pilot flying Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker air refueling aircraft.
Robinson’s arrival gave his dad one more fan as he looked to repeat his age-group win at this race earlier in his racing career.
“This is his 21st Ironman, and he’s 69 years old, so he’s getting ready to age out of this age bracket and into a coveted new age bracket,” Gaines Robinson said. “We’re really happy to be here and see him do as well as he can today.
“It was great to fly back in, get a couple of days back in the states and then come here to surprise him and see him do another race. I couldn’t be happier.”
CHATTANOOGA DOUBLE
In the men’s pro competition, Sam Long wrapped up an outstanding 2019 in Chattanooga on Sunday at Ross’s Landing by claiming his first full Ironman victory and completing a sweep of both 2019 Ironman events in the Scenic City. In May, the 23-year old from Boulder, Colorado, won the Sunbelt Bakery Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga.
And the 2019 #Ironmanchattanooga winner is 23-year-old Sam Long. This the first @IRONMANtri win of his career and a sweep of both Chattanooga Ironman events in 2019. More later in print and online at @TimesFreePress. pic.twitter.com/OSrXvMZJRo
— Jim Tanner (@JFTanner) September 29, 2019
“This means the whole world to me,” said Long, whose previous best Ironman finish was second place last year in Lousiville. “I’ve thought about this every day for five years. I’ve dreamt about this and put my heart and soul into this.”
The young triathlete, who took up the sport as part of his rehab after tearing his MCL in a skiing accident, finished the 116-mile course in eight hours, 22 minutes and 21 seconds, ahead of second-place finisher Matt Russell (8:31:49) and Nicholas Chase in third place at 8:49:30.
Sunday’s victory in the 144-mile triathlon was the first win at the full Ironman for Long, improving on his second-place finish at the Louisville Ironman in 2018.
“The course really suits me, and I love the area here and it gives me good energy,” he said. “And there’s always an element of luck. I’ve always had good luck here.
“But mostly I think it’s the area. I feel calm and at peace (in Chattanooga), and my home-stay hosts helped me stay calm, and that just helps me rev it when I need to rev it.
Russell improved upon his fifth-place result at the Chattanooga 70.3 Ironman to finish as runner-up in his second trip to Chattanooga for 2019. He also was second in the 2018 Chattanooga Ironman, and he would have been even closer to contesting for the win if he hadn’t been penalized five minutes for dropping a water bottle outside the drop zone on the bike course.
“I was just a little disheartened by it, because I always want a fair race,” Russell said. “I’ve been racing for about 10 years now, and I’ve never had a penalty before in 50 full Ironman races.
“But I didn’t give up. Sometimes that’s life, unfortunately. I’m just happy to finish and be on the podium.”
OVERCOMING OBSTACLES
In the women’s pro race, Canadian Angela Naeth overcame illness and a serious wrist surgery in the spring to win the Little Debbie Chattanooga Ironman on Sunday afternoon at Ross’ Landing downtown. And she did it to honor the memory of a Chattanoogan who took her in during her first trip to Chattanooga years ago.
And the women’s pro winner for 2019 #ironmanchattanooga is Angela Naeth, coming back from surgery early this year for a big @IRONMANtri win ahead of runner up Lisa Roberts. pic.twitter.com/WLGq9pajbP
— Jim Tanner (@JFTanner) September 29, 2019
Five years ago, Naeth was hosted by the late Jim Brewer, the well-known owner of Brewer Broadcasting. Brewer and Naeth became friends and kept in touch through the years until Brewer’s death from cancer in February 2018.
“He was just such a nice guy, and he unfortunately passed away,” she said. “But now his friends are my friends.
“I got to see Jim before he passed away on video, so today I just envisioned his face and his energy. The last few miles, I just kept saying ‘This is for JIm. This is for Jim.”
Naeth is battling the effects of Lyme disease, had wrist surgery in the spring and has had to recover from bruised ribs following a crash earlier this year. Her victory and the qualification for the 2020 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, was sweet redemption after a difficult 2019.
“I really wanted to go to Kona after all that’s happened,” she said. “So to have earned a slot now a year early with time to train is a dream come true.”
Naeth completed the 144-mile course with an unofficial time of nine hours, 18 minutes and 45 seconds to win ahead of a hard-charging American Lisa Roberts in second place at 9:22:31. Roberts was made huge gains during the run leg, where her time of 3:09:52 for 26.2 miles was the third fastest run of all competitors male or female, but she wasn’t able to track down Naeth before the finish.
“Up until mile 15 or 16 (in the run), I was feeling pretty much like normal and I knew I was taking in big chunks of time,” she said. “So I was thinking this really could come down to the last couple of miles, so I was kind of trying to mentally prepare myself for that. …
“But by about mile 18 or 19, I realized I wasn’t reeling in the the time like I should, and Ironman is all about momentum.”
Roberts performance is even more impressive considering this was her second full Ironman race in as many weekends, a feat she said she doesn’t plan to try again.
“I’ve been racing now for 17 years or so, and I’m always looking for new challenges,” the Tuscon, Arizona, athlete said. “And the chance to do two full Ironman distance races back to back was just kind of an extra little challenge.”
Contact Jim Tanner at JFTanner@gmail.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/JFTanner.