Riders: Beware the mean racer

On Sunday, Aug. 4, 2013, more than 1,000 other women, myself included, arrived to Oneida Shores in Brewerton, N.Y., to become Iron Girls. This was the fifth annual Athleta Iron Girl Syracuse Sprint Triathlon event to grace the region.

Three years ago, I took on a challenge to become an Iron Girl for the first time. As a long-time runner, I never thought I could complete a triathlon because I had very little experience in both the swim and bike legs of a triathlon event.

No matter, I worked at becoming sufficient in those two events while keeping my running base strong. While practicing the transitions is necessary, there is no comparison to how that part will go when it comes to the actual race day. I went into the 2011 IG race with a little bit of fear and also a lot of excitement thanks to the support of fellow female athletes. The same went for the 2012 race. I completed both with a fire in my heart and fantastic experiences.

This year, I went to the line with the same expectations and rightfully so! Every woman I saw prior to the race was excited and ready to give me a hug and a “good luck” just as I did for them. While you wait on the beach for your age group wave to go off, those interactions with positive people is what keep you motivated and fired up for the race ahead. Otherwise, you would most likely stand there and wonder, “What did I get myself into?” And that is quite natural, but the kind words of encouragement and last-minute hugs and high-fives really do make a difference.

And so the horn went off for the 25-29 age group on the shores of Oneida Lake this past Sunday and I took off in water…

I had a rough beginning in the water since another swimmer’s hand came over me and hit my goggles. She immediately paused her stroke and apologized, which was very kind of her to do. And the right thing to do, right?

I told her, “It’s OK, let’s keep going!” My right eye was filled with water and I tried to figure out a way to adjust it without pausing again. It turned out there wasn’t a feasible way of doing this without slowing down so I let it be. I wear contacts so this was not a great feeling and it was blurring my vision quite a bit. I guess this is part of being an Iron Girl ― goopy lake water in the eye!

I came out of the water feeling fairly strong and with a PR for this leg compared to my previous performances in this race with a 13:26. My first transition took a little longer than planned because I was struggling to peel my wet suit off. Again, it’s part of being an Iron Girl. I got dried off and grabbed my bike in 2:49 and headed out to begin the 18.6-mile course.

I was feeling good and averaging about 19mph on the course while covering a few miles or so thus far. Then, came the railroad tracks…

Thankfully, in all my sprint and Olympic triathlon experiences I have never experienced a bike crash. More importantly, I have never come across a fellow athlete who lacked consideration for his or her fellow racers.

As I proceeded to cross the tracks, as I have done in the last two years of this event, I noticed a racer to my left who was coasting and braking (something you should not do on railroad tracks) while also turning her front wheel toward me. I began shouting, “Stop!” and “Watch out!” but she didn’t stop and kept heading toward me. Her wheel went into my front rim and I knew what was coming.

In reality, it all happened so fast, but I could see and feel myself flipping off my bike and bouncing on to the railroad tracks and on to some nearby grass. I looked up only to see the crash-causing racer continuing on her way… Never slowing down. Never looking back. And most certainly, she didn’t stop or make an effort to ask if I was OK. Most importantly, the word “sorry” was never mentioned.

Fortunately, I started to gather my bearings to get back up and get back on the bike. I still had 16-some miles to go and that was a daunting fact to fathom at that moment given my fall and the pain I was feeling. While I was working on getting back into the race, women coming to the tracks slowed down and gave me encouragement and actually expressed care: “Are you OK?” and “You can do it!” were most common and one woman actually came to a stop just past me and asked, “Do you need help?”

All these wonderful women helped me realize that I could indeed finish and despite one person’s poor sportsmanship, there were a thousand other supportive women who had the right mindset for this race: Empower one another above all else.

With that, I got back up and kept going. My lower back was hurting because of bruising and a cut and my arms were banged up too. My neck hurt from falling on my back and then another concern began. While I biked as best as I could while being shook up and in pain, my timing chip on my left leg got really tight. I looked down to see that my left ankle had begun to swell from the fall and it was noticeably bigger than my right ankle.

I contemplated stopping altogether after the crash and then considered it again after I realized my ankle was in bad shape and started to hurt more with each push on the pedal.

I pushed forward and honestly, much of it was anger toward the person that was out there racing with such disregard for the racers around her. I kept hoping nothing like this would happen to anyone else while she was still out there. I did not catch up to her on the bike course, and despite my ankle injury, I knew I would catch her on the run.

I struggled to finish the bike portion and came in at 1:04:49 and then took 1:13 in the second transition.

Now, came a true test, a 5K on one good foot.

My ankle, along with the side of my left leg throbbed with each foot strike and my arms ached with each swing. The pounding on the pavement sent shocks to my lower back and my neck, which were not faring well after the fall.

But once again, the encouragement around me, from other racers, was motivating me to tough it out. I wouldn’t be an Iron Girl if I didn’t at least try to finish at this point.

With this always being my strongest leg of the race, I wanted to prove to myself that someone else’s rude and inconsiderate actions would not bring me down or bring the empowering spirit of the race down too.

I actually spotted the racer that knocked me off my bike and I passed her with ease. I didn’t bump her or say anything at this point because that would be wrong of me to ruin someone else’s race for no good reason. I held true to my belief in good racing etiquette and good sportsmanship.

I powered through the run and complete the 5K course in 22:01. My run put me at the top of the field for my age group and this time also placed me seventh overall for the running portion of the race.

I completed the entire course in 1:44:18. It was not a PR from last year’s performance and it was not what I set out to accomplish. Besides missing out on a PR, I missed out on a shot at winning my age group ― a great possibility had the bike gone smoothly. But since I’ll never know, that idea can only be categorized as a “hypothetical” scenario.

I waited at the finish to see the infamous racer. I waited until she had caught her breath and had been done for a short while. I approached her and asked if someone crashed while she was on the tracks. The look of fear was in her eyes. I knew she couldn't believe that the person she sent falling had found her so long after it had happened. She gave me very little reasons that made sense and also the most important part was her disregard and the way she plainly did not care what happened.

A simple “sorry” or genuine interest in the well-being of someone she knocked over would have made a difference in this moment, but she chose to be set in her way of being irresponsible and inconsiderate and having no sportsmanship whatsoever.

I shared this information with officials, but also am sharing it with my blog readers so that you know how much it means to be a responsible racer and a considerate one at that.

I would hate to think "there's always one in the bunch," but maybe there is.

The spirit of racing stays strong and shines bright when everyone gets a shot at swimming, biking or running his or her best. It’s unfortunate that this happened and I can only hope she will learn a lesson and never act with such contempt when out on a race course again.

I am disheartened by this incident and even now as I type, I am still fuming over the “what ifs” and the way someone could be so rude.

I am now focusing on a sprained left tendon near my ankle with pain that is shooting up the side of my leg. I have a marathon in November (Philly) and a BQ under my belt… The race(s) must go on.

Until my next post, be beautiful and genuine ― in other words, be you.