Mission: Sixteen Sixty (16/60)

In September of 2013 I decided that I would join Team Challenge's first Iron Team and race Ironman Chattanooga. Tracy Berger was the "mastermind" and got Linda on board before they convinced me to make the commitment train and fund raise. IM Chatt was my only (personal) triathlon goal and focus for 2014. Now it's time to set my sights on something new.

And, what do you know? I have a goal for my triathlete self. A vision. A quest. It has been many years in the making and it has evolved over time. However, in it's basic form it is simple - qualify for, and race, in the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii.

How is this accomplished? There are essentially 3 ways.

1. Complete 12 Ironman (140.6 mile) races, enter the legacy lottery, and then be selected from this sub-group to receive a Kona slot.
2. Enter the Ironman lottery in which approximately 100 slots are chosen at random.
3. Place high enough in my age group in some other Ironman race to earn a "Kona slot".

How do these options look from my vantage point?

1. In order to be entered into the legacy lottery I need to race and complete 5 more Ironman races. I hope to be able to do that in the next 5 or 6 years but there is no guarantee that this program will be around then. Rules and programs can certainly change in that amount of time.
2. I did enter the Ironman lottery this year. I haven't done it every year (which gives you extra chances) so I don't have that going for me. The odds will never be in my favor - it's a long shot.
3. The closest I have come to qualifying is placing 3rd at Ironman Texas in 2011. For my age group, Men 55-59, only the 1st and 2nd place finishers earned a slot. 2 slots seems to be the highest number this age group ever gets allotted. (That number is based on the number of athletes in the age group entered in the race.) As a side note, in general the next age group, Men 60-64, has only one slot allocated to it. 

No matter how I look at it, the odds are pretty long for me to qualify for Kona in less than 5 or 6 years using the legacy program unless I go crazy and enter multiple races each year in order to have done 12 races. That would involve significant amounts of time, money for race entry, and travel. It would also involve a significant amount of time committed to training. For those reasons, as well as a desire to "outright qualify", this option is not very appealing. The only way this could even happen is if I didn't "race" every one of them but instead had a different, meaningful purpose for being out there and "just participating". That is something I would have trouble wrapping my head around. Just ask Linda my history of how well I stick to a walk-only plan during a Thanksgiving 5K just 4 days after Ironman Arizona.

The most appealing avenue, and the biggest challenge, is to gain a spot by racing well at an Ironman race and earning a Kona slot. This is what has my attention. And this is really how I want to qualify anyway. While I wouldn't turn down a lottery or legacy slot, qualifying on my own performance is the ultimate goal and one of the things that sparks my interest and drives me. 

In 2016 I "age up" because I turn 60 years old (oh my! - that number freaks me out!). I'll be among the youngest in my age group. That tends to be the best time to try to qualify if you're experienced at the distance. At age 59 next year in 2015 I'll be the oldest in my age group. Unlike when you're a kid, you don't tend to have an advantage by being the oldest in your age group. 2016 would seem to be my earliest best chance to qualify. [This is where the Sixteen Sixty comes from.]

What race might be best for me to do this? Ironman Texas was where I've had the most success. The course suits me well enough in that it is pretty flat although with a good potential for wind on the bike. That race will be moved from May to April in 2016. This should make the weather much more tolerable which I actually perceive as a disadvantage. However, because of the earlier date a larger portion of people will have more difficulty getting their long rides in because their weather will be poor for much of the training leading up to the race. That's an advantage for me.

Ironman Arizona is my favorite venue and it also has a flat course. However, the competition has always been stiffer there with its November date. The potential for placing high enough to claim a Kona spot is pretty remote. Coeur d'Arlene looks like a beautiful course but it has over 5000 ft of climbing on the bike. Climbing is not my strength, though a rolling course is fine, as I found out in Chattanooga. Wisconsin has good potential with a little over 2000 ft of climbing. Unfortunately it's an early September race which will not fit into my calendar as it's too close to the Team Challenge race: Tri Rock San Diego. We absolutely need to be in San Diego then to coach our athletes shortly before their race day.

Texas at this point is my race of choice and feels like it should be my goal race. The benefit of knowing the venue, knowing the lay of the land, knowing the course, and knowing the logistics helps make fast racing possible. It limits time wasted trying to figure out where to go, how to get there, and what to do if something comes up. Comfort and familiarity helps you relax and reduces unneeded stresses and concerns.

Another thing about Texas is that it's 18 months away.  Next year my intention is to focus on racing shorter distances and racing more frequently. By returning to a little more intensity I hope to add a little speed back to my endurance base. Next year has California 70.3 and Silverman 70.3 on the menu. Some sprint and olympic tri's, 1/2 marathons and maybe some century rides will fill in the rest of the calendar. It will be nice to get back into more frequent racing after always being so limited to an Ironman or 2 due to the persistent plantar f-ing-itis issues (since 2009!)

One more thing about IMTX: the fastest time for the 60-64 age group in its 4 years of existence? 11:21. That would require a fairly sizable time drop for me but isn't completely out of the question. (My best time in Texas, which included a lot of walking, is 12:09. Arizona is 11:46, and Chattanooga is 11:56.)

If I were to apply S.M.A.R.T. goals to this I'm pretty sure it wouldn't pass muster. Specific? Yes, Measurable? Yes. Achievable? Well... I don't honestly know. Realistic? Ummm, maybe not, but that doesn't matter if it's going to drive me. Time frame? Yes. The thing is it's important to be INSPIRED. It's important to have a reason to commit to something, to persist, to be consistent, to push myself, as well as to try to prove any doubters wrong. This quest has the potential to drive me to extraordinary heights but also the potential to fall short. I believe I haven't had my best Ironman performance and I believe I have more potential to uncover. And being INSPIRED may be more important than being S.M.A.R.T. when it comes to pushing against limits.

Putting this out there is somewhat scary because it will be no easy task. Falling short is a distinct possibility. (Notice that I didn't say failure - failure for me would be to not even make the attempt.) Making my vision so concrete and clear makes it easy for people to judge my success or lack of success in black and white terms. But that's okay. I know it's not going to be just about achieving the goal but about it's pursuit. I simply want to challenge myself with a big vision that inspires me to see if I can take things to a higher level and surpass where I am today.

My culminating vision? It's me decked out in my orange Team Challenge tri kit, Linda and my family there as I'm crossing the finish line at the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. I'm holding the Team Challenge flag over my head as I run down the finishing chute as Mike Riley calls out "Team Challenge" and again says, "Skip Slade, you are an Ironman!"

Naysayers, doubters, supporters, and realists - all are welcome to comment... or not.