Spare Tire Feature Race

Come and join Spare Tire Racing in their first feature race. The LaSalle Bank Run Wild for the Detroit Zoo will take place on September 16, 2007. There will be a 5k, 10k and fun walk. Events will begin at 8am. There will be a post-race party after the race at the zoo and a post-post-race party at the Dominator's and "The Boss"'s place for STR members and family. For more info and to register, clink on the link for the Detroit Zoo Run under upcoming events. Hope to see you all there!

Dave "The Tank" takes on the Crim

I am proud to say Dave "The Tank" will be representing STR in the 31st running of the Crim. This will be Dave's first race wearing the STR jersey. The Crim is one of the most famous 10 mile races in the country. Have a great race, Dave. Enjoy the hills!

Dynamic Duo Brings STR 2nd Place!

When Kim and I entered the 2007 Summer Quest Adventure Race we had two goals: 1) complete the race, and 2) avoid swamps. Well, we did far better at achieving one of those goals than the other!

Since we are adventure race (AR) rookies (my second race, Kim’s first), we were a little intimidated when we arrived at the check-in and there were 200+ contestants, all looking very serious!

The start to the race set the tone for the day, a quick romp through NASTY waist deep, mucky, swamp water to the first check point on an island in Stony Creek Lake. From there, we had a full-on open water swim. If you ever wondered what it is like swimming in your shoes and pants…it sucks!

After we were thoroughly soaked we grabbed our paddles and headed to the. During the transition, one of the photographers approached Kim to say he loved her STR jersey, to which Kim responded “It’s a revolution!” Amazingly, we quickly found a nice rhythm paddling over a mile to the first check point (CP). At CP’s, Kim would take care of getting the passport punched and I would turn the canoe around. By the time I was done turning the canoe around she’d return and we were off for the next CP. After 3 miles of canoeing we began to separate ourselves from the majority of the pack, which was very surprising to us.

Next up, mountain biking. We rode two-track, single track, roads and grass for 14 miles collecting 8 CP’s. While on our bikes we passed through a gear check, requiring we show them our bike pump and medical kit. The riding was tough but we made good time and avoided crashing.

We took a break from the bike for the orienteering portion of the race, commonly called the O-course. At the bike drop, we again had a gear check, this time matches/lighter and emergency blanket. Good thing Kim ran to the store the night before our race at 11:30pm to get that second emergency blanket! Here is where we really made some great decisions that helped our time immensely. Upon arriving to the start of the O-course we were given a more detailed map showing the 10 CP’s we would have to collect. We matched this up with a separate map that was provided at the pre-race briefing showing trails in the area, transferred the info to one map and decided on the most efficient route to collect all the points. Although this took some time (less than 5min) it was a huge help when trying to navigate on the run. At one CP, it required walking/swimming through thick black muck that was covered with floating swamp grass. Later, we made our way from one CP to another by walking down Stony Creek for a ¼ mile. This creek is not a nice open creek with clear flowing water; it is overgrown with nettles, clogged with driftwood and filled with more of that nasty muck! Once we cleared all the CP’s on the O-course, we hopped back on our bikes for a quick ride to the finish.

After completing the race and turning in our completed passport, we were amazed to learn we finished 2nd in our division (Co-ed)! While watching many of the other racers finish behind us it slowly began to set in just how well we did! We were truly surprised and elated!
STR rolls on! It’s a revolution!

Ps. Final results will be posted at www.infiterrasports.com/ar_rr.htm

Dynamic Duo Debut

The Dynamic Duo ( Shawn "The Ice Dog" and Kimmy B from KB orienteering supplies) will be representing Spare Tire in the 2007 Summer Quest Sprint Adventure Race. Kimmy B will be putting on the STR jersey for the first time. The 4-6 hour race takes place at Stoney Creek metro park on August 18th. The Dynamic Duo will have to trail run and orienteer 4-7 miles, Canoe 3-5 miles and mountain bike 10-15 miles. The course will be no easy task, but the Dynamic Duo are in great shape with months of marathon training under their belts. I just hope their marriage survives the canoe leg of the race. Best of luck to you guys. Have a great race. We can't wait for the post race report.

Ironman USA 2007

As the alarm went off at 4:45 am on the morning of July 22nd, I knew the day was finally here. It was race day! I gathered up my stuff, grabbed my wet suit and headed out to meet my friends from Blink Multisports in the lobby of the Crowne Plaza. The lobby of the hotel overlooked Mirror Lake. You could see the swim buoys and the fog lifting off the lake. The sun was rising, the town was coming alive with the nervous energy of over 2000 triathletes from 49 states and 26 countries, the excitement of the 3500 volunteers, and the countless number of fans already lining the streets, even my parents were up and it was only 5am. I headed down to the transition area to make the final preparations on my bike, drop off my special needs bags and then to the body marking station to get my race numbers. As I made my way down to the lake with the STR Ironfans, the nervousness began to build. Was I ready,was my new leg strong enough, could I really go from not being able to run to Ironman in 7 months, did I have what it takes to make it through 140.6 miles in the Adirondack mountains? Well, ready or not, I was going to find out soon. I squeezed into my wetsuit, said goodbye to my family and friends, and made my way to the swim start. I did a little warm-up to make sure everything was good to go, then I just floated in the lake, trying to take it all in, thinking of all the people I met and listening to their stories, like the guy who lost over 160 lbs and changed his life around on the way to becoming an Ironman. I also thought of my journey, losing 30+ lbs, going from hoping to make it through the first 5k race just over 6 months ago to being able to compete in an Ironman. I also thought of the many firsts I accomplished like finishing my first adventure race, first 1/2 Ironman and first 1st place trophy in the big kids division, and the creation of Spare Tire Racing. What a journey it has been. The one minute warning was given, everyone was getting ready, 3..2...boom.... The once quiet mountain lake turned white, filled with arms and legs hurling into the air. An Ironman swim start is one of those things in the world that you just have to experience to believe. The over 2,000 athletes were on their way. I definitely experienced my fair share of kicks to the face and arms to the head. I was in the middle of the main pack and made it out of the water in 1:18. Then it was about a half a mile (up hill) to the transition area. I put on my bike gear and headed out of the tent. I grabbed my bike (with fully inflated tires, that is one of the 100 things you worry about the night before when you are trying to sleep) from a volunteer and headed out for the 112 mile bike course. There is about 10 feet of flat ground, a turn, then a small but steep hill and a quick turn. I heard the sound of someone hitting the metal barricade. As I made my way down the small hill, there he was trying to fix a flat tire and the crowd was putting the barricade back up. It was the first of several crashes I would see on the bike. Lucky for me, I was able to stay upright. The bike and the run courses are known to be one of the hardest of the Ironman courses in the world. You start going up hill a few miles from town. What goes up must come down. Around the 7 mile mark you come to a point on the course which is known as the decent. It is about a 6 mile section where you will hit speeds close to 50 mph. It gives you a break from pedaling but it is not what I call relaxing. On the second loop, my contact flew out of my eye as a result of the cross wind and the 47 mph I was traveling, lucky for me it stuck to my sunglasses. I grabbed it and put it in my mouth for safe keeping until the bottom of the hill. After a quick stop and several poor attempts of putting my contact in with my Gu, Gatorade and sweaty fingers, I was off again. The course was filled with hills, rivers and mountains, one of the most beautiful bike rides I have been on. I was feeling pretty good until about mile 95 when a muscle on the inside of my right leg decided to seize up. This was not good. I had almost 20 more miles which where the most challenging and the marathon left to go. I stopped, stretched it out, tried to hydrate as much as I could and kept on moving. I took the rest of the bike slower, trying to leave some for the run. 7 hours and 13 minutes later I was off the bike. I made it through the 2.4 mile swim and the 112 mile bike, now all that was left was the 26.2 mile run. Great! I hobbled out of town with my new STR jersey, said goodbye to my family and friends. My legs felt pretty good, but I could feel like they were going to start to cramp soon. I made it to the first aid station and grabbed some water and Gatorade. I slowed down because I got that "leave it all on the course feeling" and knew that would not be good because I still had 6-7 hours left. The crowd was amazing, they gave you the energy to keep on going and everyone loved the new Spare Tire Racing jersey. I spent the next 25 miles running and walking, trying to get the right amount of hydration and nutrition so I could make it through the marathon. I had the chance to talk to my friends from Blink and wished them well on their final lap, but I had one more lap to go. The sun was setting, the temperature was dropping, but my spirits were up, I knew I was going to make it. I had the chance to talk to other athletes, shared stories, encouraged each other as we made our way back into town. There truly is an Ironman family. It is an amazing experience to be around so many people who are out there achieving their goals and dreams. It was about 9:30 when I made it back into town where the crowds were gathered, I had about 2.5 miles. I passed the 25 mile marker around 9:45. I thought maybe I could break the 15 hour mark. I was thinking the same thing a couple of hours ago, but now it was for real. I was still able to run, I decided to go for it. I just had to go to the turn around and it was mostly down hill from there. Well, I think someone put out an extra few cones because I felt like I never was going to get to there. And then there it was! I was figuring it was going to be about 3/4 of a mile to the finish and I had about 7 minutes. I was not sure about my math skills at that point. I had been on vacation for a week and had also went 140 miles. I ran. I don't know why, but I wanted to break that 15 hour mark. There it was. I entered the Olympic speed skating 400 meter oval, and had 200 meters to go. I decided to put the hammer down the last 100 meters. Then, I was about to hear those words... after a year of rehab, 7 months of training programs, countless hours of training, time, effort, money, sacrifices, not sleeping in, not being able to walk down the stairs sometimes, eating my body weight in Gu, and Gatorade. It was all going to be worth it. At 14:58:03 I crossed that finish line, and heard ..."you are an Ironman." I want to thank my family, friends, co-workers, patients, my dog and running partner, Madison, and especially my wife, Annette, for with out you guys it would not have been possible. Ironman is a special thing, for those 2,000 athletes on July 22nd and anyone who has ever crossed the finish line and heard those words "...you are an Ironman" knows what I am talking about. For those who have not made that journey it is difficult to put in words. For me it was to do something I never thought in a million years I could do, but I did not listen to the hundreds of excuses, and I tried and I did it!

Anything truly is possible.

Good Luck Dominator!

This weekend, KB and I will join Annette (aka - The Boss) and Ralph’s parents in Lake Placid to watch The Dominator compete in his second Ironman. As many of you know, starting Sunday at 7am he will attempt to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles. While these numbers are impressive, the fact that Ralph is even competing in this event is possibly even more preposterous.

Last year, The Dominator underwent major knee surgery. He was not able to put any weight on his leg until the end of spring 2006. Finally in June he ditched the crutches for a cane. By fall 2006, he was only running a mile or two. Then he underwent a second surgery around Thanksgiving. With the surgeries behind him, he started running less than 7 months ago. His first race was a 5km race during the super bowl weekend in negative temperatures. Since then he has followed a 50+ page training manual which made him bike more than 2,000 miles and run 300-400 miles. And boy has the training worked! In less than a year, Ralph has gone from not walking and a leg full of pins, to completing triathlons at the Olympic and a ½ Ironman distances. Next up, the Lake Placid Ironman!

So join me in congratulating Ralph on a miraculous recovery and wishing him well on his quest for yet another Ironman! It is time to DOMINATE! Good luck Ralph!

STR Attracts Big-Small, Young-Old

With the summer racing season heating up, STR is attracting young and old! Or should I say more experienced? Xan, pictured with The Ice Dog, is clearly focused on crawling before worrying about any PR. But have no doubt, he is infected with STR enthusiasm.

Pat McElmurry (Father of The Ice Dog) also joined the team with 100% STR pride. Pat has previously completed the Dino-Dash and Mackinaw Bridge Walk and looks forward to possibly dominating these events again this fall.

So join the STR team and get that spare tire moving! Racing shirts will be ordered soon- contact the dominator for more info.