Spirited Flyers Volunteer and Compete at the Inaugural Ironman U.S. Championships in NYC



Stephanie T

I had never spectated at an Ironman event before, let alone volunteered at one, and I was brimming with excitement over volunteering as a Run Course Marshall at the inaugural (and, as we would discover a few days later, potentially only) Ironman U.S. Championship in NYC!

My excitement only grew as I approached the meeting point for the 10 Mile River aid station on 150th Street along the Hudson River at 12 noon, where I could make out twenty or so fellow New York Flyer volunteers in yellow volunteer t-shirts and neon orange vests grow in my line of sight.

 


10 Mile River Aid Station
135th - 150th Streets Along the Hudson River Greenway

As we shared the aid station with a couple of other local clubs, our Volunteer Captain Alfonso P led our group to three separate points along the running route between 150th and 135th Streets. It was an extremely hot and muggy day. We marveled at the fact that these Ironmen we would serve were biking and running as we spoke, on their way to completing a whopping 140.6 miles!

Ryan K chats with Volunteer Captain Alfonso P

I continued walking until we reached the third point on 135th Street, along with Meg B, Janet H, Julie C, Jodie F, Ryan K, Leslie L, Bill N, Francisco R, Joyce S and Victoria S. Upon discovering that we didn’t have any Porta-Potties in our vicinity and wouldn’t be provided snacks, both to our surprise, and because we still had roughly two hours before even the fastest athletes would pass our aid station, a number of us made a trip to Fairway Market, which was thankfully only a few steps away, and offered a made-to-order sandwich and salad section as well as clean restrooms!

Janet H, Jodie F, and Joyce S
Munching on Yummy Snacks Brought by Victoria S
(Smart Victoria!)

Prior to the athletes’ arrival, aside from stocking up on food and water and making restroom trips, we also discovered a major role that we would play during the event…as traffic coordinators! We directed police cars onto the bike path, motioned cyclists away from the runners and answered loads of questions from drivers, cyclists and pedestrians alike. The yellow flags and cow bells that we were provided with certainly came in handy for many reasons.

We Got Really Good at Directing Traffic!

The anticipation of the athletes’ arrival finally came to a head when we witnessed male winner Jordan Rapp fly past us! We were amazed at how calm he looked 20 miles into the marathon, and that he led the race by a significant margin of time! We burst into even greater applause, cheers and bell-ringing as the female winner Mary Beth Ellis ran by our cheering section.

Male winner Jordan Rapp is Escorted by Motorcyles and Bicycles

By 3:30 or 4:00pm, there was a steady stream of Ironman racers that passed our aid station. Some of us rang our cow bells nearly continually until our shift was over, until just after 6:00pm, in hopes that it would provide added encouragement. We flashed big smiles and loudly expressed our words of support. What we treasured the most were the moments when athletes responded to our cheers—a thumbs up, a smile, or a ‘thank you’—and when athletes were able to dig deep to finish as some felt compelled to take a break, seeking solace from the sun under a tree or against a pillar, but got back up to run again. As Flyer Victoria S wrote:

“They were so fatigued and drained, yet they were still ‘there’ and engaged…They were superhuman, yet wonderfully human. It was a privilege to be out there among them.”

It certainly was a PRIVILEGE to be among such inspiring individuals.


In the photo above, athletes start to reach our station druing the marathon portion of the IM. We saw shirts labeled with countries, tri clubs and even Hello Kitty, such as the one the runner on the left is wearing!


Francisco R, Stephanie T, Leslie L, Bill N and Julie C

Nearly 2,600 participants who completed the Ironman US Championship on Saturday, August 11th, 2012.  Tragically, one IM athlete died during the competition.

Among the participants were the Flyers own Basil A, Noel C, Jamie D, Heather M, Ray S and Edmund O, and Kathleen M.    Click here to see their amazing results.  Congratulations to the Flyers who competed in the IM, and thank you for allowing us volunteers to share this priceless experience with you!

For some extra sharing, here's what Heather M has to say about her Unforgettable Adventure in completing her first ever Ironman:

Heather M’s Unforgettable Adventure The Ironman was humbling, inspiring, and amazingly rewarding. It was also, at times, excruciatingly painful. A day I trained for, for months. An experience I’ll never forget. Sewage spills, 4:00 a.m. ferry ride, jumping feet first into the wide-open Hudson, river currents! Sighting markers: Palisades cliffs and a great grey bridge stanchion – 2.4 miles Large tents for my “costume” changes, bare-assed in front of a gaggle of volunteer Sherpas, dressing, rushing, barely catching your breath, excitement – Transitions Parkway closed, helicopters hovering overhead, drive-by pit stops, occasional crashes, strewn cycling detritus, 40.2 mph, leg cramps, PB'n'J, frozen calorie bottles – 112 miles Humid and hill laden state park, soothing chicken broth, softly lit George Washington Bridge at twilight, my name in pink chalk on a top step, athlete camaraderie, running with friends, photographer friends, big cheers, bright posters, the FANTABULOUS FLYERS, sprinting to the finish with a pack of squealing children and more friends, smiles, the “voice” of Mike Reilly beckoning like a siren and finally anointing my own finish with: “Heather Marcellis, you are an IRONMAN!” – 26.2 miles 140.6 miles. 14 hours 31 minutes 10 seconds. What an incredible adventure! -Heather M

-Stephanie T