Ironman 1984 by Kate Emery General

This week, Cambridge hosts Ironman Maryland. Competitors from all over the world will be swimming, riding bikes, and running all over beautiful Dorchester County. Athletes will arrive with bags packed with all of the necessities for a successful and safe triathlon. Included in these bags are a wetsuit, Tri suit, and swim skin. Nutrition for pre-race, bike, run, and recovery. Bike shoes, helmet, gloves, run socks, running shoes, and Vaseline. It goes without saying that the Ironman competitor’s bike is of utmost importance as the bike portion of the race is 112 miles.

My Ironman story began in 1984, really the dark ages of triathlons. I was living on the island of Oahu in a little town called Pearl City, Ironman was a very big part of life in Hawaii. Pearl City is located on Pearl Harbor and has an 18 mile bike path. Riding my bike was a daily activity, used for transportation as well as exercise. I would ride to one of the many Olympic swimming pools, swim laps, then ride home. On weekends I would swim at one of the beaches. All of my friends were very fitness oriented, Hawaii is just perfect for all things outside.

A friend at a cocktail party told me that he was training for Ironman. I was interested but knew that Ironman was not for the faint hearted.way At that friend ‘s suggestion, I joined a running club. Our trainer had us running up and down Diamond Head once a week, for some reason, I enjoyed that experience. Diamond Head is beautiful but some of the steps were uneven so it could be a tricky ascent and descent. Running and swimming became the focus of my training. I learned that it was important to have a “buddy” in open water swims to keep you on the straight path because we had very little support on the course.

After training for a couple of months, I attempted my first race. It was a 10 K – a Susan G. Komen race. There was a big “carb loading” party the night before, I think it was a tradition back then as I ate big plates of spaghetti before every one of my races. The race was fine, I got through it but really hated it! I drank every cup of water handed to me, no backpack with bottles of electrolytes connected by a straw. There were neighborhoods of people cheering us on and spraying us with water. I even drank the 2 Primo beers at the finish line, the 1984 version of recovery nutrition.

The morning of my first 1/2 marathon arrived, the course wrapped around the Hawaii Kai golf course and through some very hilly neighborhoods. As the sun was coming up that morning, I watched my fellow runners put Vaseline on their feet (no one wore socks back then), in their armpits, and on their legs. I applied my usual sunscreen. I wore my size 6 1/2 Saucony running shoes, Dolphin shorts, and a tank top. I finished the race behind a team of 80 year old men. And race walkers. After that race I learned the reason for Vaseline as I had missing toenails and serious leg rubs. Despite the Diamond Head training, the hills were my nemesis.

Next up was a biathlon on Waikiki. We did a 3 mile swim and a 3 mile run. Easy Peasy! My confidence was boosted. The swim was first, I swam in my bikini, no swimskin existed then, with my hair in a ponytail, no goggles. For the run, I pulled my Dolphin shorts up over my bikini, put Vaseline on my feet and tied up my size 7 pair of Nike running shoes.

Training for the Ironman in 1984 involved paying for the qualifying races, making sure that your shoes were in good running shape and that the tires of your bike were pumped up. My bike was a yellow 10 speed bike from Sears, with a removable baby seat. I didn’t own a bike helmet or padded bike shorts and gloves. I participated in several other races that year but I never made it to Ironman 1984, the race was in October and in August of that year I got pregnant with my fourth child. I kept riding my bike, I actually rode my yellow bike 30 miles to and from The Blackwater Refuge several years ago. I haven’t run in a race since Hawaii but I do have a groovy new beach cruiser and bike helmet, so who knows!

I will definitely ride my bike down to Great Marsh, now Gerry Boyle Park to cheer the athletes on this Saturday, praying that the sea nettles have disappeared.