Random AG Jim Hall

October 31, 2014

I bumped into age grouper Jim Hall at the Kona airport where he and his wife Kathy gave up their plane seats on an overbooked Delta flight back to Los Angeles. That meant 2 more days on the Big Island and here is our chat with him.

Slowtwitch: Thank you for your time Jim.

Jim Hall: My pleasure, Herbert! Really – I am always the guy reading the interviews, not being interviewed. This is a first for me!

ST: What have you been up to since Kona?

Jim: Well, I would like to have been sitting on the couch eating bon-bons, but instead I was getting ready for the Marine Corps Marathon. I’m a retired Marine and the Marine Corps Marathon is something I’ve been doing with my wife and friends for the past 10 years. Our “baby” – 22 year old son – ran with us this time which made it extra special. It was this past weekend and now I am getting ready for the Philly Marathon at the end of November.

ST: When I bumped into you in Kona you volunteered to stay a few extra days on the Big Island because of an oversold flight. Did that work out as you had wanted?

Jim: It’s funny because my time before the race was totally race prep, so we didn’t get to do any touristy stuff. The day after the race we spent lounging by the pool and we were scheduled to leave the following day. On the way to the airport, my wife and I were talking about coming back sometime when we could go see more of the island, especially the volcano. I said, “If the flight is overbooked and they are looking for volunteers to stay, we should do it.” So when we got to the airport, they were looking for volunteers to stay two extra days. I almost pulled a hamstring getting to the desk to volunteer! It was great – we rented a car and drove all over the island doing stuff, including seeing the volcano. It was amazing!

ST: How hard was it to find a room for those 2 nights and how much were you overcharged for renting a car on such short notice?

Jim: The room was part of the deal! The airline put us up at the Royal Kona and gave us each $800 in airline vouchers. How can you pass that up? As far as the car, we went on Hotwire and found a good deal. We ended up getting an SUV for the price of a compact car. What a bargain!

ST: Was there no pressure to go home as originally scheduled?

Jim: A little… my wonderful daughter was watching our dog. My dog is 12 and my daughter just got a 6-week old puppy. Needless to say, they weren’t getting along. Completely different energy levels! I think it was a little stressful for her. But when we called her from the airport and told her we were staying, she was either genuinely happy for us or she did a good job faking it!

ST: This was your first Ironman Kona experience after 3 other full distance ones. From what I understand – a bit of a birthday present for yourself.

Jim: Yes, a completely unexpected birthday present. I turned 50 this year, so I wanted to do something big. On New Year's day, I was able to get in to the Leadville Trail 100 Miler. However, I also entered the IRONMAN World Championship Lottery – something I had done every year since 2008. I am able to complete an IRONMAN, but not fast enough to place in my age group. So, I knew if I was ever going to compete at the World Championship, it would likely be through the lottery.

ST: How about those odds?

Jim: I never really had high expectations that I would win the lottery, but I was always hopeful. On April 15th, I was in a meeting at work when the lottery results were posted. One of my co-workers knew I entered the lottery and was watching for the results. When she saw that I had gotten in, she came running into the meeting room to tell me. I was in shock! I called my wife to let her know I got in and to see what she thought about going. She answered my question by immediately researching flights and booking a hotel room! I called the race director in Leadville and let her know that I made it in to the Kona Lottery and she graciously allowed me to defer my Leadville entry to 2015.

ST: Has Leadville been on your bucket list for a while?

Jim: Kind of. I like running ultras and ran the Western States 100 Miler in 2010. I wanted to run Western States again, but it is a lottery and I haven’t been selected to go back since running it. I started researching other 100’s and saw Leadville. I thought it would be cool to Race Across The Sky, so I registered and got in.

ST: Which other races or events have you been eying over the years?

Jim: I really only had two on my Bucket List – The Ironman World Championship and the Boston Marathon. I still haven’t been to Boston – I either need to shave 7 minutes off my marathon PR, or wait until I’m older and my qualifying time goes up! I’m working on getting faster. I have toyed around with attempting Badwater, still thinking about that one. But as far as triathlon, I’d like to do Ironman Maryland. It was my first Iron-distance triathlon back when it was known as the Chesapeakeman. I’ve done the Eagleman twice and just really love that course. Ironman Chattanooga is another. I tried signing up for it last year but it filled before I could finish filling out the registration page! I’m going to try to get around to as many US races as possible. I’d also like to do an international race – maybe one of the Australian races or [one in] New Zealand.

ST: Maybe a place your wife would like to see?

Jim: You’re catching on! Yes, I was able to visit Australia while I was in the Marines, but my wife hasn’t been there yet. We have friends there and I know she’d like to go there one day. Like many triathletes, we tend to take more racecations than vacations, so hanging out/racing in Australia would fit the bill.

ST: How early before the race in Kona did you arrive on the Big Island?

Jim: We arrived Tuesday night which really only gave me three days to get ready. It was the soonest I could get there due to some work stuff and in addition to our flight reservations being changed by the airline. In hindsight, I would’ve liked a few more days than that. I really only had one decent ride on the Queen K and would’ve liked one or two more.

ST: I think you had some issues before the race.

Jim: Unfortunately, yes. Once I got to Kona, I picked my bike up at Tri-Bike Transport and took it for a training ride. Mid way through the ride, I lost the ability to shift into my big chain ring. The tech at Tri-Bike (Chris) worked hard to help me out and made several adjustments for me, among other things. It seemed like all was well before the race, although I'll have to admit my confidence in the mechanical integrity of my bike was rattled a bit.

ST: I assume you are not a very confident bike tinkerer.

Jim: Partly that, and partly just the bike. I can control most everything in the swim and on the run, but the bike is a whole different animal. There is so much that can go wrong with a bike that can take you out of a race, including crashing. I had a pretty good crash in August, so crashing was fresh on my mind. It’s the thing I stress over the most before a race. I’ve had issues since I bought the bike with the front derailleur and shifting to the big chain ring. I’ve had everything from FD adjustments to replacing the cables. It works well for a while, then issues. I’ve always just taken it to the LBS and relied on their expertise to get it back up and running. Guess I should’ve paid more attention to what they were doing!

ST: What was you goal for the race?

Jim: I set some pretty aggressive (for me), but achievable element goal times based on my training. I figured if I could go a 1:10 in my swim, a 6:10 on my bike, a 4:20 marathon and total transition time under 10 minutes, I'd finish sub-12 with room to spare.

ST: How did the swim go?

Jim: All in all, it went well. Race day came and the water was choppy! No problem, I thought. I am a decent swimmer and knew I'd be OK. We received the Hawaiian blessing while treading water, then the cannon went off! Finally, after months of training, I was racing! I lined up near the front and got into my rhythm pretty quickly. What was different from previous IRONMAN races was that the pack never thinned out – it was elbows and feet the whole way. My goggles only got kicked off once, so I felt pretty fortunate! My split was a 1:14, which I was OK with considering the conditions.

ST: I think your bike segment did not go as desired.

Jim: Yes, to say the least! I have heard and read quite a bit about the wind and heat on the road to Hawi and back. I made sure my training included riding the Delaware coast in as much wind as I could find. When I first started out, I remember thinking, “This wind isn’t so bad”. Then around mile 30, I got stopped dead in my tracks by a gust that nearly knocked me off my bike. I have never experienced that kind of wind while riding and it was all I could do to control my bike from that point on. I hit mile 56 at 3:10 – only 5 minutes off pace, and figured I'd pick up time going back. Coming back from Hawi, I started with a tailwind and was cruising! Then, I got hit with one gust that nearly caused me to crash. Before I knew it, my front wheel was off the ground and my left foot was out of my clip as I wrestled to stay on the road. I hit the brakes and watched as two riders in front of me went off the road. It was brutal! I decided to slow down and watch my speed going forward in an attempt to make it back safely. Around mile 70, I was in my small chain ring going uphill. I crested the hill and was looking forward to a long downhill. I attempted to shift into my big chain ring, but nothing happened. I went through my gears then attempted to shift up again, but it still didn't work. I got off my bike and attempted to adjust my front derailleur, but nothing I did worked. I essentially coasted down every hill for the next 42 miles. What a time burglar! To make matters worse, the wind shifted back into a headwind that I fought the rest of the way back. I was getting passed every second it seemed and it was absolutely demoralizing!

ST: Electronic or mechanical drivetrain?

Jim: It’s a mechanical drivetrain – SRAM.

ST: But go on.

Jim: Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, I dropped my chain at mile 100. For the second time, I was off my bike doing everything I could to free the chain. There is a metal plate glued to the bottom bracket that keeps the chain from hitting the carbon. That plate came off and got wedged between my chain and the big and small chain rings. It was really jammed! After more than 10 minutes of struggling with it, I managed to get it free and finish up. I was never so happy to get off my bike!

ST: What bike split did you end up with?

Jim: My bike split was a 6:48. I was not happy. I knew a sub 12 was out of the question. But if I could pull off a 4-hour marathon, I could still PR. My new goal! So off I went – knowing I had some time to make up.

ST: How fast did you run?

Jim: I averaged an 8:36/mi in my first 5K, but my HR was pretty high, so I throttled back and got into a grove at 9:30-9:40/mi. I was training at just under 10:00/mi with an initial goal of a 4:20 marathon, so I was still going faster than my long training runs. My marathon split was a 4:14 – an Ironman marathon PR for me – and I finished in 12:28, only 10 minutes off my PR. Considering all I had been through on the bike, I was happy with my time. I finished strong and had just completed something that, before that particular moment in time, was just a dream for me. Now it is a reality that I will always cherish and something I dearly want to do again!

ST: Describe that finish on Alii Drive.

Jim: When I first turned on to Ali’i it was dark, but I knew I was close! As I was running, I was overcome with a host of emotions. I could hear the finish for the last two miles, but then I saw it. I checked the chute to make sure it was clear and went across the finish as I heard Mike Reilly say, How 'bout James Hall # 593 – you're an IRONMAN! Regardless of how badly I felt at any point in the day, nothing could compare to the feeling I had at that moment.

ST: Did you see your wife as you ran towards the finish or where you in a daze?

Jim: I saw her on the course a couple of times and was looking for her at the finish but I couldn’t find her. There were a million people lining the finish chute and the lights were really bright. Or maybe I was in a daze!

ST: What was the first thing she said?

Jim: I think she said, Dude, what took you so long? I’m kidding. Actually, when I finally linked up with her, she asked me how I felt then told me she was proud of me and that she loved me. I think she might have mumbled something about You owe me, but I’m not sure.

ST: Well do you owe her?

Jim: Big time! She puts up with a lot living with me… My wife is my swim coach – she swam for Auburn University and has most recently been coaching at the high school level. We train together quite a bit, but there was still an enormous amount of time where I was off on a long ride or run without her. That, coupled with work and volunteering to work with the Boy Scouts, equals lots of time away. I’ve been doing my best to pay her back ever since Kona.

ST: You retired from the Marines but what exactly do you do now?

Jim: I am a senior leader in retail distribution and supply chain operations. I am currently in the process of transitioning to a new opportunity with increased responsibility. It’s not a done deal yet, so I’ll just leave it at that.

ST: Anything else we should know?

Jim: It’s just such an unbelievably cool event and I’m still having trouble believing I was part of it! I’m at the Ironman Village one day waiting for one of my many bike adjustments and sitting there is Chris Macca McCormack. We chatted, he signed a visor, and snapped a photo with me! Or when we’re in transition on race morning and I bump into Andy Potts and the only thing I can think to ask him is “What PSI are you putting in your tires?” Luckily, I don’t think he heard me. During the race as I was running along Kuakini Highway, I heard all these people cheering for me. I thought that was awesome, then I turned around and saw they were actually cheering for Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano! He literally had rock star status! We ran together on the Queen K from Palani Rd to the Energy Lab and I realized why he was so popular – he is a great guy with a very inspirational attitude. He really helped me out and I hope I did the same for him. I have dozens of stories like that of the fascinating people who make up this event. I sent a note to Andrew Messick and Diana Bertsch at the WTC with a big Mahalo for putting on such a world class event. I shared with them that, while I was happy with my performance, I was even more blown away by my experience. I felt like a pro before, during and after the race due to the hard work of all the staff and volunteers who helped me get from the starting line to the finish. There’s no way I could have done it without them. I am grateful, humbled and honored to have had this experience.