Journey to Kona Day 231: The True Story of My First Bike Crash (and first half ironman)

I did my first sprint triathlons in 1992 and 1993.  I was trying to train for longer distances in 1992 and ended up with pneumonia.  Hmmm, maybe I pushed too hard too soon.  Story of my life perhaps? June of 1993 came and I did a sprint triathlon in Ventura in preparation for Mike & Rob's Most Excellent Triathlon, an iconic Southern California half ironman at the time.  The week after the sprint triathlon, I was riding my bike to work (about a 10 mile ride each way).  As I turned the corner to my office, I suddenly wondered if I'd tightened my front wheel quick release enough when I put my back back together getting home that weekend.

Twenty five years later, I am actually telling the true story for the first time.  I've always been embarrassed to tell anyone that as I wondered whether the front wheel was secure, I decided (don't ask me why) to "test it" by lifting up on my front wheel!  The next thing I remember was being on the ground.  Lifting up the front wheel caused my wheel to come undone, and I went down head first (though I don't remember hitting the ground), breaking a bone in my wrist, cracking my helmet, bruising my shoulder and needing stitches on my face.  For those who know me now, this might all make sense, especially for my coach.  Fortunately, the hospital chaplain (from the hospital I worked at!) was coming out of the health club across the street when this happened.  He helped me and my bike into his car and took me to the emergency room.

Two months later, with my cast off my arm (I'd gotten a removable cast so I could still swim), I did my first half ironman, Mike & Rob's.  It was on a course similar to the Ventura Sprint.  I remember having a solid ocean swim, an uneventful bike ride in Ventura, along roads I'm very familiar with today, and actually survived the half marathon run at the end.  As I ran towards the finish line, my father in law actually ran with me for a very brief period of time.  I'll always remember that.  My family was there to cheer me on as well.  This was supposed to be a stepping stone to do a full ironman by the time I turned 40 (I was 35 at the time), but shortly thereafter we moved to Colorado and my work life changed.

I really thought that I'd be prepared to do an Ironman by 40.  The next couple of years actually saw me doing some sprint triathlons in Colorado (one where I actually started in the wrong wave and lost several minutes in doing so).  "Unfortunately," within a few years I was running a healthcare company and commuting to Florida every week.  I managed to maintain my running for awhile and ultimately did 9 marathons in the 1990's.  I still have the t-shirt from Mike & Rob's Most Excellent Triathlon.  I used to wear it a lot, and it's now torn, so it's officially retired from being worn.  That race will always be a reminder that life is full of twists and turns, but here I am twenty five years later and my dream of not just doing an Ironman, but competing in Kona in THE Ironman, is about to be complete.