Anatomy of a Victory: Macca’s 2nd
KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii — If measured by sheer adrenaline expended, the last miles of the 2010 men's race at Kona may just been the best.
Before you shout out that this one does not compare with the epic 1989 Iron War between Dave Scott and Mark Allen, nor with Karen Smyers's shocking win over a collapsing Paula Newby-Fraser in 1995, I would agree that the principals did not have quite the star power, the results did not quite signify the end of an era, and perhaps the drama was a little less.
But for a pure back and forth fight to the end, and the gutsy, never-say-die fight in the craw of the protagonists, this might be the one.
Usually when a late race pass is made at Kona, after the sheer energy expended just to get to that point, the overtaken simply surrenders to the inevitable and fails to bite back at the new alpha dog of the race. For example, Allen and Scott hung elbow to elbow for nearly eight hours until Mark made his move with 2.2 miles to go on the eponymous Mark and Dave Hill at Mile 24 of the marathon. Then it was over. In 1995, when Mark Allen overcame a 13-minute deficit at T2 and passed Thomas Hellriegel at Mile 23 of the run, it was over. In 1996, when Luc van Lierde passed Thomas Hellriegel with 3 miles to go, that was the final stroke. The race was over.
With the exception of the Kathleen McCartney pass of Julie Moss with 10 meters to go in February 1982, Ironman Hawaii virtually never brooks any back and forth to the end.
This year, 37-year-old veteran Chris McCormack surged away from rising German star Andreas Raelert in the last 20 miles of the bike to establish a 1-minute 20-seconds advantage starting the run — while both men calculated that bike leader Chris Lieto could not hold. Then McCormack and Raelert burned up Alii Drive for the first 10 miles of the run, matching one another's sub 6-minutes per mile pace that would have translated to a record smashing Kona 2:37 marathon had they not had to face the heat and humidity of the Queen K and Energy Lab. After Macca passed Lieto at Mile 11, Raelert proceeded to cut into McCormack's lead at the rate of 10 seconds per mile. That set the stage for an encounter just before they reached Mark and Dave Hill at Mile 24 of the run.
But on this day, matters at that point got a whole lot more nerve-wracking and strategically more complicated in the final chapter at Kona. After a big surge up the hill, by all historic precedence, McCormack should have had the race in his pocket. But coming pell-mell down the 10-degrees steep declivity of Palani, McCormack heard the German's footsteps right behind him like a bad dream — or a triathlon remake of The Terminator.
The student of the game
When Chris McCormack was a kid, he would sit glued to the telly for the Ironman Hawaii broadcasts and memorize the words of commentators like Phil Liggett in the most dramatic moments. Like some scholars who can recite pages of Shakespeare, Macca can hold a raucous party spellbound with his word for word, accent-for-accent renditions of the Ironman broadcasts such as the 1992 Mark Allen-Cristian Bustos duel ("a humble Chilean shepherd matching the great Californian Zenmaster stride for stride") the 1989 Iron War and the 1995 Paula collapse. "I am a student of the sport – I just love it and have been inspired by the heroes of the Ironman all my sporting life," said Macca.
He would prove it once again in what may have been his masterpiece in 2010.
With his talent and exuberant love of the race and a gift for Muhammad Ali-like trash talking and head games that filled writers' notebooks, it is a little sad that Macca rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Especially the silent manly types, the gentlemen who were studiously humble and disdained anyone who might lay down some pre race smack talk. They kindest thing they said was that Macca never met a microphone he didn’t like – as if that was a bad thing.
Still, McCormack's record spoke for itself. He won the ITU short course World title in 1997 and after he switched to long course after missing the 2000 Aussie Olympic team, he won a ton of Australian Ironmans, broke the eight hour barrier four times – twice as many as Jurgen Zack, Thomas Hellriegel and Lothar Leder, including once at the much-tougher Frankfurt course. But when he raced Kona for the first time in 2002, he let his exuberance get ahead of him and confessed it was his dream to win this race "six or seven times." Forgetting that he didn't guarantee it, Macca was crucified in many quarters for his apparent hubris and many cheered when he overheated or dropped out of contention in his first three tries on the Big Island. Not until he posted the day's fastest run of 2:49:10 and finished 6th at Kona in 2005 did he gain a modicum of respect. In 2006, after he dueled Normann Stadler to the very end and took second by 71 seconds grizzled Ironheads had to treat treat him seriously. Still, that moment was clouded somewhat when Macca had the temerity to assert at the post-race press conference that while Stadler had won the day, he, Macca, was still the best Ironman competitor on the planet.
In 2007, Macca finally ruled at Kona, holding off a near-perfect rookie performance by Craig Alexander. Macca's triumph was only marred by ridiculous finish line photos in which multiple sponges he tucked in the unzipped front of his race jersey made him look like a gawky Olive Oyl whose falsies were popping out.
The very next year, the inner brake wire of McCormack's fancy new bike broke and he pulled out, opening the door for renewed derision. In 2009, Macca had a sub-par swim that left him struggling to catch the big boys on the bike. Tapped out at mile 10 of the run, he faded badly, but hung in for an almost invisible 4th place. "When I looked back at what I fought through, I thought that was my best performance at Kona," said Macca.
After that race, Macca went back to the drawing board and made some big changes.
The new campaign
"I realized I was going to be 37 years old and had to be smarter because I needed more rest," said McCormack. "So I really backed off my racing calendar this year. People said 'Oh he's not keen any more.' But I knew I had to be fresher and I've always suffered with cramping and hydration issues here. And I think I was doing too many of these 70.3 races early in the year. I did just one this year. Last year I did 7."
He also did Ironman Europe at Frankfurt and got schooled by Andreas Raelert. But Macca the crafty fox was laying low. "Last year at the end of the marathon at Kona I fell apart. Last year the younger guys were pushing the pace at all the events and I wanted to be fresher this time around. I was very happy I struggled through and did not quit in in 2009. I am a smarter, tougher racer now because of it. Had it been 2002, I probably would have stepped off the course at Kona. Back then I was a cocky kid who had a lot to learn. Now I have become quietly confident, and I am patient."
Taking care of Crowie first
In 2007, McCormack was the Ironman star and Craig Alexander was the upstart. Since then, Macca was regarded in many quarters as the has-been and Alexander was the anti-McCormack, a consummate professional on top of every detail of his training and racing, a soft-spoken star too polite to return McCormack's verbal jabs, who seemed to have left behind forever his fellow Aussie 37-year-old. But Macca still had much of his prodigious physical gifts, , unabated ambition and inner confidence, and a keen competitive mind. He saw a way to beat Crowie and told the world in one of his interviews, which may have had the added effect of irritating the two-time defending champion.
"I've always been a strong biker," said Macca. "Crowie is an amazing runner. I knew I didn't want to get off the bike with Craig Alexander. It's simple. I needed to get away on the bike but I was scared to do it solo. I don’t want all those guys behind me because I need their help to win this race. The guys did that today. As a group they escaped. "
"I think I annoyed him," added Macca. "I didn’t mean to disrespect him. But I said the only way I could beat Craig is to get a gap on him. I think Craig took offense to my lack of respect to his bike. But I spent the days before the race trying to recruit guys to come with me. Guys wondered how can we do that? I said 'That's how you win this race. You do not want to get into a running war with Craig Alexander.'"
After Hawi, on a mild day in which Chris Lieto lit up the bike with a 4:23 split, McCormack found a group that wanted to keep Lieto in range and coincidentally neutralize Alexander's run. " The guys who went with me were Faris [Al-Sultan], Normann [Stadler], Andreas [Raelert], myself and Raynard [Tissink]." said Macca. "I owe them my race."
(The man who most of all would disdain Macca's thanks and pointedly refused to shake McCormack's hand on the 2010 awards stage was 2005 champion Faris Al-Sultan, who has always believed that McCormack certainly shaded the letter of the drafting regulations and violated the spirit of that rule and the code of fair play that obliged the members of a bike breakaway group to pull their fair share.)
Alexander, who had spent much of the year shoring up and strengthening his bike, turned down a chance to join the train when it left the station. "I worked hard on the bike this year and I think my run actually benefited," said Alexander. "I felt great on the bike but I wasn’t quite strong enough to go with those guys. If I had ridden with them who knows what that would have done to the run? When Raynard and Chris and Faris went, that was a winning move for sure and they got away."
Still fearing Crowie's formidable run, Macca urged on his fellow breakaway group when energy seemed to flag. "A couple of sessions they slowed down and I said 'Come on guys! Lets move it up the road.' We made some ground on Chris Lieto [or stopped the bleeding] and in the end, when you get in a group with riders of that caliber, it's what’s necessary."
Setting up Raelert
Although it didn’t seem so significant at the time, McCormack and the riders left Raelert behind with about 20 miles to go and Macca had 1 minute and 20 seconds on the man who finished one place ahead of him at Kona the year before and tromped him at Frankfurt this year.
When they got off the bike, Lieto had a big lead but seemed to lack some of the energy he displayed last year. "I rode 4:31 last year and I rode 4:31 this year," summarized Macca. "This year it put me eight minutes up on Crowie whereas last year it was just 5 minutes." No less an authority than 1994 winner Greg Welch thought that doomed Alexander's chances, but the 2008 and 2009 champion had faith and the ambitions to record the fastest run in Kona history. "Well, I thought I had a chance," said Crowie. "I was aiming at a 2:36 here (the record is Mark Allen's 2:40:04 set in 1989) while last year I ran 2:48 and won it. It wasn’t as hot this year on the run. But it was windier on the bike, which makes the run tougher. But yeah. I didn't think I was beat. It's a long race. I was on pace to run a 2:36 through mile 22." Indeed, Alexander mowed through at least a dozen rivals when on that record pace. But Macca and Raelert proved too hot to be caught.
The first 10 miles of the run out and back along Alii Drive and up Palani Hill, McCormack and Raelert ate up Lieto's eight minute advantage and averaged a scary fast 5:55 per mile – a 2:37 marathon pace matched by Alexander. "Andreas was running quick on Ali'i Drive and I was matching him," said McCormack. "I thought if it comes down to a war of attrition out there, I am ready. Maybe that early pace will take a little bit of sting out of those fast legs of his." Once they hit the Queen K Highway outbound with 16 miles to go, Raelert started chewing away at Macca's lead at the rate of 10 seconds per mile, which meant they had an appointment somewhere after Mile 22 – prime territory for the final significant move of the race.
Still, it was hard to see Raelert coming and not do anything desperate. "It's kind of tough to know they are cutting your lead,"said McCormack. "Sometimes it is nice to know where they are and not to have to wait a mile or two to get a split." At this point, Raelert's Ironman 70.3 World Champion brother Michael was standing at the Energy Lab exit and displayed a quality of sportsmanship McCormack noted after the race. "Both of those Raelerts are class acts,"said McCormack. "Michael didn’t have to but he gave me accurate splits at the Energy Lab." Instead of dreading the specter of Raelert's charge, Macca showed he had attained the wisdom of the fox and laid a trap.
"You know in this race you will have highs and lows, especially in the marathon,"recalled Macca. "I knew he was going to get me. So I thought I'd take my time. I've still got eight miles to go here. So I really took my time in the energy lab. I really got my fuel in. Got my gels in. Got my sip of coke in. Hydrated well. I took my salt. All the things I had depleted in the years past when I ran into cramps on the run. Then I waited for him to come across. But he didn’t catch me as quickly as I anticipated and I started to come good a little. I didn’t want to rush it. When he got me I felt wonderful when he actually caught me. I really felt good but he is a phenomenal athlete and a World cup guy and multiple Olympian and I knew he had some leg speed. So we ran side by side for a while and at two and a half miles to go, I turned to him and said 'Regardless of what happens here mate, you are a champion. Best of luck.' And we shook hands and he said, 'You, too,' We didn’t exchange a word from that point on."
The key moves
With his extensive knowledge of Ironman history, Macca knew quite well they were approaching the famous incline known as Mark and Dave Hill at Mile 24. "I knew that Mark made his move on that hill," said Macca. "But I thought there was still a long way to go. I thought Andreas's inexperience would be my strength. It was a long way from home and I just tried to use that a lot more. While he was cutting my lead, I was running 2:43 so we were moving out there, he had to expend a lot of energy. I thought he burned all his matches getting there."
The move worked.
"I made a move, and Andreas dropped off," said Macca. "I don’t know if he was being tactical. I thought there's still a mile and a half to go. So I backed it off. I didn't want to blow it."
While McCormack was regrouping, Raelert mustered yet another charge and McCormack could hear his footsteps hitting the pavement hard blasting down Palani Drive. This German would not quit and had somehow summoned another couraegous counterpunch. McCormack knew he needed another opening to fend off defeat, but did not think it would be given to him.
As they raced down Palani, there was one last aid station exactly a mile from the finish line and McCormack could not believe it when he heard the German yell, "Coke! Coke! Water!"
"I thought You can’t stop here! as he went for a drink. I couldn't believe it. I jumped to the left and attacked. I hit the gas and went really fast the next 100 meters and I think I took him by surprise. He didn’t expect me to run that hard on the downhill and when I went around the corner I had about 100 meters. And that was the winning move. "
Or was it? That burst of effort awakened McCormack's tendency to cramping and provided some very anxious moments. "Still we were a long way from home and along the flats on Kuakini, I started to get a stitch and tried to breath and relax. But when you are running for the Ironman world title, you close your eyes and grit your teeth and go for it. I was getting stomach cramps toward the end with all that sugar in the drinks. The body just starts to go at that point. It is not too happy with you. I put my hand right up under my rib cage and I kept trying to breathe to make the stitches disappear."
Still fearing Raelert, McCormack decided to make one final surge to put away his rival. "When I rounded the corner to that downhill on Hualalai, I surged again to make sure Andreas was done. Sure enough I had put enough time on him to celebrate the win."
Icing on the cake and a place in history
Enough time to primp a little — for his daughter Talia. "Coming to the finish, I made sure all those sponges were gone," said McCormack. "In 2007, she didn’t think those finish line photos with the sponges looked very good. Now she [Talia] is getting to the age where I really wanted a better finish photo."
At the end, McCormack hit the line in 8:10:37, the fifth fastest winning time in Ironman Hawaii history and the 7th fastest of all finishers. Despite McCormack's last second fears, Raelert was also fighting cramps and just managed to run slowly to the line 1 minute 40 seconds in arrears which made their men's duel the 4th closest in Kona history behind Dave Scott's 33-seconds win over Scott Tinley in 1983, Mark Allen's 58-seconds win over Scott in 1989, and Normann Stadler's 1:11 win over McCormack in 2006.
But the McCormack-Raelert battle holds one crucial distinction – it was the closest two men have been fighting for the lead that late in the race – one mile to go.`
McCormack paid tribute to his foe and predicted a sunny future for the 35-year-old. "Andreas is a great athlete who has the capability to win this more than once," said McCormack. "But when he looks back on his career, I think he will see this as the one that got away when he stopped at the aid station with a mile to go."
McCormack at first thought he had surpassed Mark Allen as the oldest men's winner in Kona history, but was happy simply to be in the same ballpark when further research specified that Allen was a month older when he turned back Hellriegel's charge in 1995.
At the end, the two 37-year-old Australians of very different temperaments have to salute one another for their race records stand in a virtual tie. McCormack has that 1997 ITU Olympic distance World Championship, Alexander has equal distinction for his $200,000 Life Time Fitness Olympic distance win in Minneapolis in 2005. Alexander does have that 2006 Ironman 70.3 World Championshipon Macca, but Macca has those four sub-8 hour Iron distance finishes. Now, at Kona, both have two wins, a 2nd and a 4th place finish.
