Miriam Weiskind at 2011 American Zofingen ITT.
The only way to prepare for the hardest race of your life is to train for it by racing harder races leading up to it. Last summer I finished the Rhode Island 70.3, collapsed to the ground clenching a cold can of Coke and swore I'd never do another long distance triathlon again. 20-minutes later I was signing up for Ironman Lake Placid... because the line was short and it was a rare opportunity to avoid signing up at Placid after the race. Right off the bat, I heard there was an 11-mi climb and assumed what was my worst nightmare, that the 11-mi climb was 11-mi of straight climbing. Out of sheer fear, I decided to sign up for a race that everybody told me not to because of it's difficulty, the American Zofingen 112-I.T.T. held in New Paltz; a bike race that includes 4x28-mi loops through the Catskills that leaves competitors crying before they can finish. It wasn't until after I signed up that I learned that the IMLP course had 11-mi of climbing, just not in a row. The AZ I.T.T. course had a 10-mi climb and I'd have to do it 4 times. There was no backing out, I wanted to go out and challenge myself to do the race most people do not hesitate to turn down.
my experience at this race was unlike any I had ever experienced before. The morning started out at 56° with drizzle which quickly transitioned to pouring rain and dense fog to boot. Quite possibly, the perfect weather conditions for a 112-mi bike race. The I.T.T. parking was 4-mi from the I.T.T. start, which was 6-mi from the duathlon start which left competitors very confused while trying to set-up shop. Once we started the race, it was off into the Catskill kingdom of the unknown and what I had said would be my worst nightmare... climbing 10-mi through the mountains with no breaks except for 2 small dips. After making it through that, I had the great pleasure of descending down a mountain through heavy dense fog and more rain. It was as though I were becoming an adult all over again, but not 13 and there certainly was no cake at the bottom of the mountain.
Riders endured poor visibilty on both ascents and descents.
Once I passed through the 2nd aid station, I had the sweet reward of rolling hills. It isn't until you climb a 10-mi hill that you begin to appreciate rolling hills as much as you appreciated the flats before. About 1:35 into the race, I came up on the 3rd aid station which was what I referred to as the "warning" that the hardest part to come was up next. This was the moment I had dreaded, the infamous 9% grade climb that was going to separate the girls from the women and the boys from the men. After barely making it to the top, I couldn't imagine having to do that hill not 1 more time, but 3!
The 2nd and 3rd loops treated me a bit more kindly, as I was able to do both about 10 minutes faster that the 1st and 4th loop. Upon finishing the 3rd loop, I noticed something was off with my rear brake and had to make a tough choice: a) get back on the bike and hope it all works out for 28 more miles or b) quit. I decided to go with a), doused my brakes with some water, wiped them down and headed back out to conquer the 4th and final loop. This is the mental strength I would need for my Ironman and it was going to be a painful last loop.
At this point in the race, the course was mostly empty. I was no longer entertained by the usual things: my heart rate, when to eat, wishing other people luck and so on. I was at the point where I began to talk to my bike, saying hello to garbage on the ground and even treating the aid station like a cocktail hour (which amused the volunteers to say the least). I had anticipated it would be a physical struggle, but I didn't anticipate that I would mentally become exhausted to this extent. As I climbed that long last hill in the fog, I gripped onto my bike for dear life while barreling down the mountain in dense fog and rain, hoping we'd make it with the failing rear brake. I embraced all of the last bumps, sticks, stones and occasional racer still left on the course... then I had my final battle: the hill. I approached it with more determination than fear. By this point my body was spent and I physically didn't feel I would make it up, but I kept telling myself that I could. I began to climb seated then standing then seated then standing inching my way up through the rain and fog. About half-way up, my left arm went into a full-on spasm. I wanted to fall over, rest it and cry, but I knew I couldn't because if I did, I'd have to walk up the rest of the hill. That was not an option. I groaned and screamed and dug deeper than I ever had before. A few minutes later, I was at the top screaming with happiness... it was almost over.
A few minutes later, I rolled up to the finish line that only had a man with a clipboard and 4 cars in the parking area. I didn't care that I was coming in next to last. I did it. I cried a little after I got off of my bike out of happiness that I was done. As it turned out, only 20 or so racers actually finished the race (of the 50 that started) and I was one of them. The finish line offered nothing more than my friends who waited around for me to finish, some cookies and a new found pride. I set out to do a race I didn't think was possible and I conquered it proving to myself that anything is possible if I stick with it.
so how did this race rank on the Essential Race Scale? 29/40
course difficulty: 10/10
scenic offering: 10/10
volunteer/race support: 8/10
organization: 1/10
Here is what you can expect from the course of the ITT Ride
course:
- 4x28-mile loops up, down and around the Catskills
- the beginning each loop has a daunting 10-mile climb (with 2 small dips to rest the quads)
- toward the end, you will encounter a 9%, 2-mile (give or take) climb (learn to strategize when to climb seated and standing)
- smooth roads for the most part; after Park sign, lots of pot holes, steer clear by staying far left or far right
- 25% of the course is a fast, winding downhill
- (3) aid stations throughout the course offering HEED, Hammer Gel, water and fruit
- bright yellow signs directing you where and when to turn (with volunteers at tricky sections)
- port-a-johnny's and special needs drop at the end of each loop
- pride for toeing the start line
special needs:
- you can leave your bottles and food just after the Iron I.T.T. start
swag:
- (1) Hammer gel
- a long sleeve tech tee
post race snacks:
- duathlons: beer and bbq
- Iron I.T.T.: nothing :/
lodging:
- plenty of cheap hotels with free breakfast!
- be sure to check out Grimaldi's in New Paltz to carb-up the night before
- just 2-hrs from NYC
Not only will this course offer you the most challenging race of your life in terms of mental strength, but the views are breathtaking, the roads are mostly well paved and you are bound to cry with happiness once you hop off of your bike. I was extremely disappointed with the organization of this race. Our race packets included no maps or details and the email sent out to us prior to the race had some wrong information to boot. The I.T.T. start was 6-miles from the duathlon start which made logistics a nightmare in the morning. I discovered the next day that the duathletes were treated to beer and bbq at the athlete's reception and awards ceremony while the I.T.T. racers were lucky to have the leftover cookies and bagels left in the parking lot. The race course was also pretty much shut down after 8hrs leaving a handful of racers stranded not knowing where exactly to go. Had all the racers stuck with it, they would have had people finishing well over 8hrs and in my mind, this is inexcusable. Hopefully this review will help the organizers of the race to see that next year, the Iron I.T.T. racers should get the same type of treatment and support as the duathletes as anybody who dares to race a course like this, deserves those 2 things to say the least. Aside from that, I thank them for putting on one heck of a race, I won't be back next year, my body needs at least a yearly break from this course!
In addition to the Iron I.T.T. ride, the American Zofingen, which is put on by Catskill Mountain Multisport, also offers up a grueling duathon in 3 distances: the Long Course (trail run 5-mi, road bike 84-mi, train run 15-mi); Middle Distance (trail run 5-mi, road bike 29-mi, trail run 5-mi, road bike 29-mi, trail run 5-mi); Short Course (trail run 5-mi, road bike 29-mi, trail run 5-mi). For more information on upcoming 2011 races, please visit their website: http://www.cm2promotions.com/
special thank you to Martin Weiner for providing us with photos from the race.
Paul
