Stud Muffin 101

For those of you who don't know, Bigun competed in a pretty big race this past Sunday. He competed in what is now known as the "101".

The distances were 1.86 mile swim, 80.6 mile bike and 18.6 mile run. 101. It was the first of it's kind and it took place in Bradenton, Florida. Beautiful setting for a race of this kind. I think the creators of the 101 had the right idea and the right "look" for the race. Problems though. More than a couple.

First and foremost, the City of Bradenton is really more of a small town with Big City ideas... sort of. The setting for the race was beautiful, no doubt, the weather, perfect. The residents, split. I met quite a number of residents who came out to cheer on the competitors. They were really awesome folks. Alicia, Jane, Lynn and many, many more...Thanks to all who came out to cheer for all of the athletes. It was so nice. The "OTHERS" however, left a lot to be desired. Lets just say that for being Sunday drivers on their way to church, they weren't behaving in a very Christian like manner.

There were some issues regarding the traffic on hwy 64 in Bradenton. I think that the police did the best they could. Based on what they were given, they did an outstanding job. One of their finest competed in the race with another officer from Naples. They were such nice guys. The police force though was working on cones and whistles. There were no signs anywhere advertising or announcing the event. The Bradenton drivers who wanted to use hwy 64 were stuck in hour long traffic. Too bad for them, really- I mean it. I feel bad for those stuck in the long traffic lines, I truly do. I hate it when it happens to me. Here is where I think the city and or the race organizers fell short. There should have been signage up EVERYWHERE along the route for at least a week before the event. They could have recommended back up routes or the city could have set up detours. It wouldn't have been that difficult to do. Who knows what the city council was or wasn't willing to do...

With this said, I hope they don't cancel for next year. Just take what they learned this year and use it as a problem solver for next year. It can be done. Wanna know how? Just ask me... lol
Traffic jams aside, it went alright. I met a ton of people and rang that bloody cowbell for each and every athlete on the course. I actually have a bruised right thumb and pointer finger. Owwweee. Anyone out there feeling my pain? I know, "put a cork in it..."

For over 10 hours I shouted, rang and cheered all who passed by. Well, let me take that back. I did take a 40 minute break. Then a few of the runners asked me where the cowbell was. I felt like I was letting them down. So, I stopped reading my newest Dean Koontz (HUGE sacrifice btw). I bucked up and stood up and began clanging merrily away again. I listened to other supporters out there for names of the athletes so that when they went by I could call them by name and cheer them on. If I didn't have a name I would try call them by their "team name" or make up a little nickname for them when they went by.
While I was out there yelling like crazy I noticed some of the "fans" found me a little bit irritating. They would move away from me and try to increase the distance between them and me. Too bad really. I was beginning to get a complex. There was another woman there named Lynn. She didn't know anyone in the race but she read it was coming to town so she packed her cowbells and came down to the finish line to cheer people on too. She stood with me for about 3 1/2 hours. Awesome. Made me feel a little less like a freak. The water fowl didn't mind my cheering. They did a little cheering of their own....

After the race, I felt a lot less like a freak and so much more like a celebrity. The athletes came up to me in numbers thanking me for the support and the cheers. The Athletes thanked Me. Wow, after just finishing a gruelling kick ass race they made it a point to stop and thank me. It confirmed everything I believe about this sport. The athletes who compete in this sport ( most of them) are truly wonderful people from the inside out. I feel privileged to be included in the sphere of this sport.
Okay, enough about my personal opinions, let me share some really cool highlights with you now....
I watched Bigun leave on the swim in a mass start. Mass meaning all 170 or so athletes. It was a small race this go around. That is a GOOD thing. The swim was good for most all of the competitors. A couple were struggling but the ones I saw "struggle" gave such heart and determination you HAD to cheer them on. They weren't there to win the race, they were there to win a new PR. Awesome. Bigun did well on the swim. I was able to keep an eye on him throughout because he had the foresight to write "BIGUN" on his swim cap. He's the one in the green cap. Wait, they're all wearing green! LOL No, you'll see him. His GUNS are so HUGE it made is number 160 look GINORMOUS. See him there?

Following Bigun emerging from the depths of the Manatee River I was able to catch him coming through transition and out on the bike. That is one thing that the officials of this race did well. They made it easy for those of us wanting to follow our athletes. To me, being a veteran Athletic Supporter now, that is really important in a race. It has to be spectator friendly as well as athlete friendly. The Race organizers did great on this aspect.

Bigun came out of transition for the bike without incident. Upon which, I drove to a great spot where I was able to see him and every single other athlete make their loops on the bike portion. Lots of Cowbell here. I met Leslie and Maria who propped up their chairs with mine to cheer on their husbands Jeff and Gary. Maria made a checkers run and returned with fries for me. Yumm. About the same time the fries appeared so did our Tri friends - Luke, Perez and Boo.

In between cowbell ringing Miss Boo enjoyed a PB & J. Bigun packed me an incredible cooler for the day. It included honey ham, mayo, cheese, bread, knife, Peanut Butter, seedless raspberry preserves, napkins, a HUGE cup and a bottle of Pom juice. He's my Stud Muffin.




Once Bigun made his final lap past me I actually had enough time to get back to transition to see him come in from the bike for the run. Once again, KUDOS to the officials on the transition area. It was a "3 snaps and back - LOVED IT !!" transition area.
I then waited for Bigun to come in from the ride. At this point, I lay down the cowbell for a bit. Just so you know, the volunteers who came out to support the athletes - AWESOME!!!! They get a "z snap, around the world and back snap". They made a true effort to help every single athlete that passed by them. Awesome.
Now, came the gruelling part....the 18 mile run. Bigun looked a little tired but he still looked strong. I am so proud of him. My heart swells until it feels like it will burst when I think of how great he did in this race yesterday. At one point he was running with a really nice guy named Richard. He seemed to have more energy than Bigun but he was keeping a pace with Bigun and chatting with him. I found that remarkable. Not many of the "youngsters" care about anyone on the course except themselves and their personal times. I'm not complaining because I totally get it. They are there to win. It impressed me though. I got a couple of shots of Bigun and Richard while they were running. Richard apologized for being in the shots as he went by. Wow. It never occurred to me. I was glad to have someone in the shot with Bigun. Richard was a real sweetheart, a genuine example of an athlete. As he came back in, ( without Bigun)he let me know how Bigun was when he left. Wow. I could have hugged him. Richard proceeded to cross the finish line 4 seconds later. Bigun, he was still almost 4 hours from finishing. Here is a shot of Bigun and Richard running together.
Next lap around for Bigun, I could really see the tiredness had hit him. It hit him hard. Didn't matter. I kept ringing the bell and shouting for all of those tired racers. They earned every single cheer I could pull out.
Bigun finished the race with time to spare and collected his Hardware. We stayed for the dinner and the awards ceremony. Turns out, I was sitting next to Nina Kraft and we were eating dinner with 4 other of the top pros in the race. Huh. Who would have known? Not me. Duh on my part.
We enjoyed dinner, Bigun got his plaque and we said our adieus and headed out. On the way out there was a really nice young man standing off with his wife and Dad. He made it a point to say thank you for my cheering. It was so nice of him. I asked if he finished the race and he said yes, with a chuckle, that's when I realized he was the young man, Richard, who had been running for that brief time with Bigun. "Oh!!" I said. I thanked him for letting me know how Bigun was doing on the course and congratulated him on a really good race. Showed him and his family the pictures I shot of them on the course and got their email address so that I could send them to them. Again, such a nice young man. I can't say it enough. Turns out, he was Richard Armstrong. A pro. Dingbat me has the idiocy to ask "did you finish?" MEGA DUH!! moment. I swear, duh. Richard Armstrong, like Hunter Kemper is a shining example of what a Pro Athlete should aspire to be. Successful and still a kind and generous person. I met a few pros yesterday and I have to tell you - more than one was lacking in the "kind and generous" departments.

Congratulations to all who competed yesterday in the first "101" challenge. You are all winners in my book.
Thanks for reading. I appreciate it very much. I hope you enjoy the rest of the pics.
Di

Transition at 6 am Sunday morning

Waiting for the start

lifeguard enjoying the calm water

The hardware

The beginning of the end.....