Hilton woman recalls race of a lifetime

"Dear Santa: Please bring more sneakers. I have a feeling I'll be using them again this year."

That might top the list for Patricia Pirnie, the Hilton mother of four, who competed with the world's toughest athletes at the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. Not only did Pirnie live her dream (in impressive fashion by finishing the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run under 12 hours), she has a good idea of her future. "I told Alex (her husband) 'No matter what I say to you don't let me try another one,' " she said, acknowledging that she will more than likely go against her own decree. "It's my natural drug."

She's already starting to prepare for some local half marathons and intends on competing in the Boston Marathon. There will be other races, but nothing can diminish her time in Kona.

Two days before leaving for Hawaii, news broke that there was an earthquake on the island. Pirnie, who sees merit in heeding signs from above, questioned whether this unusual occurrence was trying to tell her something. However, when she got word that everything was continuing as planned, Pirnie and her husband, Alex, began their adventure. On her first morning in Hawaii, Pirnie went to the ocean for an early morning swim. She soon realized that she was not alone. There was already hundreds of athletes in the water. But, Pirnie felt almost at home as the earthquake had clouded the water to the point where she couldn't see to the bottom, just like her many swims in Lake Ontario.

On race day that ocean felt like a "water treadmill" as the strong current played a role in slowing down even the most proficient swimmers. But Pirnie felt good in the water, much better than she would feel out of it.

"The bike was everything that they said it was going to be," Pirnie said. After riding through a town, the majority of the 112-mile trip is in isolation traveling across black lava rocks. "It is almost like you're on the moon." Her only companion on the trip was strong winds and unbearable humidity. While biking was her most dreaded part of the competition, the running turned out to be the hardest. But heading down the finish on Ali'i Drive, Pirnie saved her best running for last.

"Just knowing that I've seen this on television before and it was actually me," Pirnie said. "It was amazing." The excitement propelled her across the line where she went for a quick massage and then gladly took on the role of spectator cheering on many more competitors.

Now Pirnie hopes to train with friends who want to do what she has done. And she'll get ready for some more local races, but there is always a chance that something bigger might just be too good to pass up.

But now it's on to indoor soccer, the preferred winter sport of her husband, Alex, and their children. And Patricia will enjoy cheering on her family who have always been her biggest fans. After returning from Hawaii, Patricia decided to write about her experience to keep a record of the trip. To read her first-person perspective see journal excerpts below.

Are you made of Iron?
Pirnie said throughout her most recent experience she was humbled by the many cards and well wishes she received. Her favorite thing to hear was that she had inspired someone to begin running. Here's her advice for the newly inspired:

1) You're got to start with little steps. Pirnie began as a runner and blossomed from there.

2) Find a group. There are many running groups in the Rochester area. You'll need to be with people of the same mindset.

Journal excepts
As I sit here almost two weeks after completing the Hawaii Ironman World Championship in Kona, I still can’t believe I did it! I was there! After seeing it on TV for so many years and hearing stories about it from my training friends that have done it in the past, I can now add my chapter. Before I even got to the starting line, I was overwhelmed with the enthusiasm, support and good wishes from my friends, family, community and training buddies. Although self-inflicted, I felt as though I couldn’t let them down and I wanted to make them proud of me; every last one of them. But I had to keep telling myself that I was honored to be going to Kona and living every triathlete’s dream and whatever happened there, I would be okay with it.

I’m a firm believer in “signs” from a higher power conveying warnings, omens, or good luck so when two days before we were scheduled to leave, I heard there was an earthquake in Hawaii and not just anywhere in Hawaii, but in Kona, the exact place we were going, I started feeling a little uneasy. What does it mean? Will the race still go on? Can we even fly into Kona? Will we have a condo to stay in? Of all the places in the world for there to be an earthquake, why was it Kona? … Alex insisted that we pick it up so he did it for me. As it turned out, the earthquake did not cause as much damage as originally feared and the race went on without a hitch. The only effect it had on the race was the unusual weather and unsettled ocean that hung around for the whole week.

We had to make a connecting flight in Phoenix to Kona and when we were waiting in the airport, I got all choked up and excited seeing all the other triathletes milling around, waiting for their flights. Funny how you could just pick them out of a crowd. Between the running shoes, the running/tri t-shirts and incredibly fit bodies, it wasn’t difficult to determine who was going to Kona. That’s when the excitement really started to build.

They all seemed to have the same look on their faces. I wondered if I did.

We were up early the next day and scheduled to meet my friend Carl at the pier for my first official swim in the ocean. Everyone said the saltwater is just as good as a wetsuit for buoyancy and the swells are no worse than the waves in Lake Ontario. I had to find out for myself. What a sight we encountered when we walked to the pier. Hundreds of athletes were already out in the water swimming, with just as many hanging around, either getting ready to go in or coming out from their swim. … I am happy to say that my first swimming experience in the ocean was pleasant, aside from the taste of saltwater in my mouth. Guess I need to work on keeping my mouth closed a little more. There were very big swells while we were swimming and the water was extremely stirred up and murky, a byproduct of the earthquake I was told. But I thought the swells were great fun to swim in. I wasn’t sure they would be such fun come race day, but I enjoyed our swims every morning the few days leading up to the race.

…

When the alarm went off at 4:30 (race day), I was surprisingly calm. I did my usual morning pre-race rituals and we were off. I can barely remember walking from our condo to the body marking tent now. Where was I? It felt so official when they put my number on my arms with real stenciled numbers instead of a marker. I’m looking at everyone’s bodies and feeling inadequate again. I can’t believe I’m here!

…

When it’s time to go into the water, I’m surprised how calm I still am. Incredibly anxious but calm. I don’t feel the same “life changing” intensity that I felt in Lake Placid but I’m not sure if it’s because this is my second Ironman, or maybe I’m getting better at this? When the cannon sounds and the pros start, we still have 15 minutes before the rest of the field starts. We are forced to tread water or go take a hold of the pier or buoy. I choose to tread water, as I find it relaxing.

…

I certainly remember the feeling of a mass start from Lake Placid and I have to say that after a little while, it wasn’t nearly as bad as Mirror Lake in Lake Placid. I guess the ocean is a lot bigger. I was only kicked soundly one time. Swimming out 1.2 miles to the turnaround was not bad. It went quickly and I was relieved to be turning around. Little did I know it would take me what seemed like forever to get back. I didn’t think the currents or waves were bad at all but for some reason, each time I looked up, the shoreline was not getting any closer. I felt like I was swimming on a water treadmill. It made me feel better when I found out after the race that even the pros swam about ten minutes off their time due to the current.

…

The bike felt good and I immediately had my trusty peppermint lifesaver and water to get the salt taste of the ocean out of my mouth. Worked like a charm. The guy who I sat with at registration gave me that little tip. Being that he had done Hawaii twice, I thought I’d take his advice. The first part of the bike through town was really fast and the cheers and excitement of the crowd accelerated the pace.

On the first significant incline, I realized something was wrong with my gears because I couldn’t get into my small chain ring. It’s as if it was stripped or something. I didn’t dare stop to figure out if I could fix it. As long as I could keep peddling my bike and I had no flats, I had no intention of stopping. Luckily the course wasn’t as hilly as Lake Placid where I wouldn’t have been able to survive without it. The wind was another story. I had heard plenty of warnings about the wind and at first I didn’t think it was that bad. But then again, the earthquake had been causing all kinds of strange weather occurrences and the fact that there was some cloud cover out on the bike course was an unusual but welcomed happening. Maybe we would luck out today with the wind. No sooner had I thought that when we got walloped with a brick wall. “This is where it always gets tough” said a voice, as he passed me on his bike.

…

Climbing the hill into Hawi, where the turnaround is, was the most difficult part of the bike course. The wind was relentless and the hill was steep enough to fatigue the legs. I thought the turnaround and the top of the hill would never come. What a wonderful relief when we turned around and went back down the hill with the wind pushing us like we were wind surfing. As I was sailing along at 29 mph, I looked over and saw the poor people on the other side of the road still going up against the wind with a look of anguish on their faces. I wanted to tell them that they were almost there but I knew they still had a long way to go, mentally more than physically.

I was thrilled to get off my bike but I was starting to dread the run. This was very unlike me because the run is usually my strongest event. … I wasn’t as familiar with the run course as I probably should have been. The first eight miles in town were quite unexpected for me. I didn’t realize how far down Ali’i Drive we went and it just seemed endless. … The heat was going up both on the thermometer and in my body. I started to understand what they meant by the Kona heat sucking the life out of you. I wondered how I was going to finish a marathon. Just keep going I thought, just keep going. I figured if I poured some cold water over my head, it might help bring down my body temperature. The ice in the hat wasn’t cutting it. I poured some cold water over my head at a few aid stations in a row. It did cool me down a bit but it also caused an unwelcome side effect. My sneakers somehow got wet, right down to my feet and I ended up with blisters forming on one foot. It got worse every step. Bad idea.

Once we headed out of town, I knew I just had to make it to the infamous Natural Energy Lab to turn around. I assumed it was at the half marathon point or thereabouts. But not being familiar with the course I didn’t realize it wasn’t until about mile 17 that we turned. I knew that every step I took, I had to re-trace that same distance back into Kona after the turnaround. This caused much mental fatigue. At last I see the sign for the Natural Energy Lab and I am elated. This was short lived as I turned onto the road to the Energy Lab and saw that it looked endless. Did we really have to run all the way to the end going down a slight downhill before the turnaround? I had no idea that this road was a four mile stretch (two miles down and two miles back up). In fact, no Ironman triathlete is allowed to go on this road prior to the race to train, either biking or running. If you are caught on this road, you will be immediately disqualified from the race. Maybe this adds to the mystique of it, but I only had one thought while running down this road.… I’ve heard that this road has broken many an Ironman triathlete and I can now see why this is so.

…

I only had about 7 miles to go and normally 7 miles is no big deal. But today, it was a big deal. I just took it one step at a time and I felt strength when I passed people. At least I was still passing people at this point. That’s a good thing.

…

I started to feel some energy soar through me and I picked up the pace. We headed into town and hit the 25 mile mark.

…

I passed quite a few people now, a couple women who were in my age group and I was determined not to get passed by anyone now, especially someone in my age group. I pretended I was doing a speed workout and knew that the faster I went, the sooner it would be over. I think my last mile had to have been my fastest mile for the whole marathon and I was totally spent when I crossed that finish line.

…

I had conquered Hawaii and I even broke 12 hours. I’m okay with that. I experienced a chance of a lifetime and I will cherish the memories. What could be better than that?

December 31, 2006