Great location – Tough day –

Race conditions at the start were perfect – Mirror Lake lived up to its namesake and was dead flat – water temps were 74 degrees so it was a wet suit legal race – I think they said there were 2500 age group starters so when the cannon went off it was chaotic – I just stayed to the outside and back and only had to navigate around people – along the buoy line must have been like an MMA bout – I completed the swim about 5 minutes slower than I really wanted.

The bike course at LP is like a rectangle with a 6 mile out and back spur attached to one of the sides – The first, third and forth sides have major climbing sections – in between is a major downhill (Like 9 miles where the brave will hit 50+ MPH – old guys like me not so much). The first climbing section is 7 miles with a steep start followed by a false flat section and rollers – the wind was in our face -the second climbing section is 3-5 miles but really tough – it starts with a short but steep section that turns into a constant upward sloping climb (once again the wind was in our face), the last climbing section is the 10 miles between Wilmington and Lake Placid – At the start you don’t think you are climbing much – then you hit a tough section along the river that is long, steep and includes a couple of switchbacks- it cuts across the base of White Face Mountain (the Olympic skiing site) and the wind is always stronger and in your face there – the section ends with what are know as the cherries and the bears – the cherries are an easy upward slopping roller followed by a more steeply slopping switchback climb – together they lead into mama bear, baby bear and papa bear – mama bear by itself is an moderate climb and it leads into a very easy baby bear that can be treated like a roller – but then there is papa bear which is a steep climb similar to some the aggressive hills coming out of the valley – that’s an out of the saddle effort that really takes it out of the legs – once again the whole section was into the wind – I know it makes no sense but the mountains there create strange patters – Its a 2 loop course so when you get back to Lake Placid you get to do it again –

On the first loop the skies were partly cloudy and the forecast was for rain so I was glad to start the second loop on dry pavement – at least I was glad for a while – the wind picked up and blew the clouds away and the temps sky rocketed to 90 making the second loop on the bike and the run brutal – I got through the bike about 30 min off my plan – went into the T2 changing tent to get into my running gear and it was about that time I started feeling the effects of dehydration (I had stuck to my nutrition/hydration program but the higher temps and wind had dried me out) –

Until the sun went down the run was more a jog/walk effort and hammer all the fluids you could at each aide station – after dark the ambient temp was still high but at least the sun was down –

I made it to the finish about 40 minutes before the midnight cut off – I was pleased – it was not the race I planned but it was the race I ran

Many did not finish – there were ambulances and carts bringing in athlete all night – they told me at the med tent that 1000+ athletes had been treated for dehydration

Now – I would recommend Lake Placid to anyone considering doing and IM – I have done 2 there and would go back without hesitation –

Henry Hauenstein – Olympic distance, 1st age group, 34th overall time 2:32:25

Brenda O`Hara – Sprint distance, 2nd age group, 17th overall time 1:42:45

Wally Schleper – Sprint distance, 5th age group, time 1:38