I headed south on the Kuakini, down Henry and onto Ali’i Drive. That first half mile is a bit fun because there were women coming into their finish. It was also a little disheartening to see the finishers turn right into the finish chute as you head out on your first mile. They were at mile 139 and I still had 26.2 to go!
Fortunately, in that first mile I met up with Ashley from Baton Rouge. We chatted about not feeling well. She was also a little nauseated. We chatted about what we did when we weren't doing triathlon. About how we got into this crazy mess in the first place. This was only her second IRONMAN - she had qualified at Chattanooga in 2022.
At the first aid station, I mixed my go-to Pedialyte concoction with cold water. My first swallow hurt my teeth. You know that feeling when something is too sweet? And my stomach. The sugary fruit taste was threatening. I filled both hands and my bra with ice and ate it piece by piece as it melted away in my tri top.
At the second aid station, I refilled with ice and tried the cola. Oh. My. God. I try not to say that phrase a lot - but, it that fizzy cola was pretty close to heaven. Usually, I don’t drink cola until mile 8 or later, but I had to try something to get in calories and this did the trick. I immediately felt better.
While we made our way to the turn-around we chatted about the swim and the bike and did a little bit of iron math. We were doing 15-minute miles - which is not bad at all and if we kept it up we’d be able to finish just in time.
The highlight here: I saw a Boykin Spaniel! I asked the owner, who was fetching his mail at the street: Is that a Boykin?
She is! He answered. You know Boykins?
I do! I have one, too! I reached down and said I need some Boykin energy right about now. I cupped her head in my hands and she flashed me those tell-tale amber eyes. Ah! Such a lift. He told me her name, but my iron brain has since forgotten.
We reached the turn-around and headed back towards IM Village. The sun was setting and there was a slight breeze. It was still sticky and humid, but the wind helped.
At about mile four we ran into Ashley's husband.
Babe, you have to pick it up. You've got to finish by 11:10PM. After a short discussion and some quick calculations, she decided she’d try running. I was not ready yet. I encouraged her to go. She started running and was soon out of sight.
A few minutes later I talked myself into running. There was a flat section on Ali’i with restaurants and shops on one side and the bay on the left. Waves were crashing and the sun was hanging just over the horizon. I managed to run for about two minutes & suddenly heard: Oh My God- It’s Beth!
Philly Reed - a friend from Charlotte who was there to spectate for other friends - jumped out into the street and hugged me. It was the boost I needed to run another 2 minutes. I kept up a 2 minute run + 2 minute walk until I reached my crew on Kuakini. I was so relieved to see them.
How are you doing? Ace asked.
I answered with the biggest UGH+HURUMPH+GROAN that you’ve ever heard.
How am I doing? Am I going to make it? I asked. I didn’t really want to know the answer. I knew that the tracker would be reading my estimated finish time.
You’ve got to stick with your original plan. If you can get back on track, you’ll finish with time to spare. It was a good answer. Kind of vague, but also a hidden push. I pushed through the hot corner and up Palani and onto the Queen K once again.
Headed out on my first mile.
This is Ashley - my brand new friend.
Isn’t she awesome!?
The sun has set. I am up on the Kuakini Highway and passing Ace, Tonya and Maria for the last time until I get back to town.