Palmer man completes Ironman triathlon

PALMER - Ray Michaelson is a fairly goal-oriented person.

He likes to stay in shape, but does not want to simply abide to routine daily exercise. He's got to set his sights on something, have some sort of target, some kind of goal.

And sometimes, it's a pretty lofty goal - like competing in an Ironman triathlon.

Michaelson set his sights on the Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene Triathlon. And on June 24, the 47-year-old Palmer man completed the feat he set out to accomplish.

Michaelson finished the difficult race - which includes 112 miles on the bike, a 26.2-mile marathon and a 2.4-mile swim - in 16 hours and 35 minutes. His time was nearly a half-hour below the 17-hour cutoff point, which determines if a participant is recognized as an official finisher of the event.

Even a month after the race, Michaelson is still elated about his finish. Very deserving, considering his goal was to participate in one of the most physically demanding competitions a person could endure.

&#8220I've been wanting to do an Ironman for a couple of years,” Michaelson said.

He considers himself a fairly competitive person. That, combined with his desire to stay fit, has led him to compete in a variety of endurance races in the past.

&#8220I've found to keep a routine fitness schedule, I have to have a goal to work toward,” Michaelson said.

He's competed in about every triathlon South Central Alaska has to offer - events such as the Eagle River Triathlon and the Big Lake Triathlon. He finished the Sourdough Triathlon half-Ironman, in Fairbanks a couple of years ago, maybe the toughest event Alaska has to offer. He's also a veteran of the Tesoro Iron Dog, the snowmachine race that stretches from Wasilla to Nome.

But nothing even compares to the Ironman, Michaelson said.

Ironman competitions are scheduled across the country each year, but the course was a big factor in Michaelson choosing the Coeur d'Alane event.

It's a fairly flat race, he said. But there are a few hills on the bike track to keep things interesting. The 2.4-mile swim is in freshwater. Michaelson said he is not quite ready for an Ironman that includes a swim in the ocean. Coeur d'Alene , a community in Northern Idaho, also normally has a fairly forgiving climate- usually. But it was 98 degrees on the day of the Ironman this year.

There are a few obstacles every participant faces, and climate is one of them. Especially for a competitor hailing from Alaska.

&#8220None of the races [before] ever really prepared me for what I did,” Michaelson said. &#8220You're pushing your body to the limit, that's a really unique place to go.”

In the heat he'd see competitors vomiting, sick from the heat stroke. There were athletes sitting in the shade, with an I.V. in their arm. Even though he was not ill during the race, Michaelson said about two days later he got fairly sick - presumably from the heat stroke.

To beat the heat, Michaelson had to hydrate a maximum of every 15 minutes.

&#8220I know I didn't go 15 minutes without a sip of something,” he said.

Throughout the nearly 17 hours of competition, Michaelson would munch on things like bananas, Power Bars and packets of Goo energy gel. He tried to stick to foods he normally consumed while training to avoid a shock to the system. His one regret was a peanut butter and honey sandwich along the way. It's a snack he's had numerous times before, but this time it did more bad than good.

&#8220I did make [that] mistake about half-way through the bike,” Michaelson said. &#8220It zapped my energy. My digestive system was taxed a little bit.”

The days leading up to the race, Michaelson watched the weather forecasts like a hawk eyes its prey. One day it was 65 degrees, another it was 72. Both would temperatures would have been fine in Michaelson's mind. But then there was some kind of a Pacific Northwest heat wave. The temperatures were projected to hit 100 the day of the race.

&#8220I was thinking to myself, I'm really going to have to slow my pace down,” Michaelson said. &#8220Wear a hat during the race, long sleave shirts, all of that stuff. Keep the energy in, and not get it all burned out by the sun.”

The day before, Michaelson thought the heat could really effect him. He did a rough calculation and feared he wouldn't hit the 17-hour cutoff. With ideal conditions - weather in the mid-60s - and doing all of the right things, such as eating right and keeping hydrated, Michaelson estimated he would be around the 14 or 15-hour mark. With a 98 degree day, all of his plans were thrown out of the window. A

ll of that considered, Michaelson loves his finish of 16:35.

Two of Michaelson's three children were at the finish line when he crossed. His wife and other daughter were hanging around the medical tent.

&#8220I guess they thought, this Alaska guy goes down there, it's 98 degrees, he's bound to end up in the medical tent with an I.V.,” he joked.

The heat is just one of the things Michaelson will prepare for when he attempts the race again, possibly in 2008. But there are a bunch of other little things. Like buying running shoes that are a size bigger. His feet were swollen after riding the bike for 112 miles.

&#8220The big advantage when I go back again, I'll know exactly what to train for,” he said.

The portion of the race on the bike was probably the toughest section of the race for Michaelson, he said. The bike race is split into two 56-mile loops. Each loop has two pretty significant inclines. He did fairly well on the first loop. But on the second time around, it took almost two hours longer.

&#8220The heat and the hills finally got to me,” he said.

On one of the final hills, Michaelson said he was only riding at about 4 mph.

&#8220I can run faster than 4 mph up the hills,” Michaelson said. &#8220It was very tempting to jump off the bike and start running.”

After his 112 miles on the bike, the second part of the Ironman, Michaelson headed straight into the 26-mile marathon. While he felt rejuvenated once he had the chance to ditch his wheels and hit the pavement with his running shoes, Michaelson said it took an odd amount of time to adjust from biking to running.

&#8220You have to kind of get your land legs,” Michaelson said. &#8220It took me longer than I anticipated.”

Also trying to shake a nagging lower leg injury, Michaelson ended up walking a portion of the marathon. He would run a distance, and then walk, run again, and then walk.

Michaelson said his strongest part of the race was the swim. Despite being one of about 2,500 athletes in a small section of water, he finished the swim in 1 hour and 19 minutes. His time was much better than anything he'd posted while training at the Palmer Pool.

The swim is the first part of the Ironman, and there was sort of an insanity after the starting gun fired. Michaelson said he waited about 20 seconds for the first mass of athletes to hit the water, but he still had to battle for position.

&#8220There were people swimming over the top of you,” Michaelson said. &#8220I had swam mass starts before, but in much smaller races.”

As he starts to think about his next venture to the Coeur d'Alene Ironman, he knows how to alter his training accordingly. He had followed the advice he'd read in a few books he found on the Internet, and tried to balance his training with things such as work and family.

&#8220To squeeze in training for the Ironman was really a balancing act,” he said.

He would approach each week differently, and would try to combine his training with other activities.

&#8220I'd try to make it a point to run during my kids basketball practices,” Michaelson said.

Now Michaelson is not just an avid athlete thinking about competing in an Ironman, he's a veteran of an Ironman.

&#8220I'm thankful I made it,” Michaelson said. &#8220I've always wondered what it takes for a regular guy to go out and compete in this extreme endurance event.”

Now Michaelson knows.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.