On November 8th I participated in the Silverman Half-Iron distance triathlon in Henderson, NV for the first time. I’d heard lots about it. Primarily that it’s the toughest triathlon course in the country. For me personally, there’s no question that it was the most climbing I’ve ever done in any triathlon in both the bike and run. On the other hand it’s the most descending I’ve ever done as well. I’ve never pedaled more miles under 15 mph in a race. I’ve also never ridden more miles over 40 mph in a race. So was it the toughest? Considering the absolutely perfect weather conditions the answer is no.
Ironman Wisconsin in 2006 was cold, windy and torrential downpours all day. It was the most miserable race of my life. The Ironman World Championship in Hawaii was the hottest, windiest and most humid conditions I’ve ever raced in. Compared to those two, Silverman was extremely pleasant. It was also (for me) only half the distance.
The day began at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Although the half distance race didn’t begin until 8:30am I arrived at 5:30 to watch the full distance start and much of the finish of the swim. Sunrise at Lake Mead was beautiful. The water was mirror smooth and the view of the surrounding hills was constantly changing as the rising sun turned them from a deep purple to a bright orange.
As the full distance athletes were finishing their swim, the rest of us entered the water for our 1.2 mile swim. This was one of the most enjoyable swims I have ever had. Although it was a mass start, there was plenty of room to avoid the usual beating often received in these situations. The calm water made sighting the buoys easy and the different colored buoys at the turns was a nice touch. The result was my best swim ever at any distance. I think I’ve finally learned to swim in a straight line. Heading into T1 was great. It was fully carpeted from the shore to the changing tents. There were plenty of wetsuit strippers and it was nice not to waste time scraping sand, grass and rocks from my feet.
Once out of T1 and on to the bike I immediately felt as though I’d begun a set of walking lunges. The first 1+ mile is steep! Although remaining in the saddle is possible, many riders had to stand for the first few minutes. Once on the main road the legs were nice and warmed up and it was easy to settle into the aero position for several miles of fast rolling hills on perfect national park asphalt. As you can see by the attached bike profile the hills are many. However, no matter how hard I had to work going up, I knew there would be a fun, fast downhill soon. During this first twenty miles I noticed that I had passed two guys with ages 51 and 53 on their calves. One of the cool things about being a crappy swimmer and a strong cyclist is that you spend most of the ride passing people. Around this time I began to think that I may be close to my division lead. After about 35 miles we left the Lake Mead area, headed into Henderson and spent the next several miles on a narrow but very smooth concrete trail. It’s on this trail that I encountered “The Three Sisters”. I have no clue where this name comes from but “The Three Evil, Twisted Sisters” would be a more appropriate name. I personally have never ridden a bike up anything this steep. The narrow trail makes it impossible to zigzag your way up these hills. There are two options: suck it up or walk. Were I alone, and not in a race, the walk option would have been very appealing. However, even I, with my very limited ego could not disappoint the sadistic individuals at the top of each hill. A couple dozen people watch this part of the race while sipping beverages, in cozy loungers. As you begin to struggle they begin jumping up and down and screaming “you can do it”. In the back of my mind I’m thinking “Ummm, no I really don’t think I can”. The next thing I knew I was cresting the hill and smiling at the sadists while simultaneously suppressing projectile vomiting. After the “Satanic Triplets” the final fifteen or so miles were rather pleasant. As was the case at T1, the volunteers were great. They took my bike, handed me my run bag and slathered on more sunscreen.
Unlike the bike, the run begins with a fast couple of downhill miles. Although those first two miles felt great, I had no illusions that I’d get to the finish without a number of uphill miles. At two miles the hills reversed and the pace slowed……a lot. Like the swim the run was uneventful. The term uneventful makes a race report less entertaining but it generally means the race itself went well. Though not as scenic as the swim and bike, the run was a challenging tour of Henderson. The aid stations were staffed with great volunteers and I was extremely thankful that I had decided to do the half and avoid the torture of passing by the finish to complete a second lap.
I love the Ironman brand races. I’ve completed eleven of them and will shoot for number twelve this Sunday. The Silverman was a bit different. The distances were the same; either 140.6 or 70.3 miles. Ironman has a reputation of being the corporate empire of long course triathlon. That by no means detracts from the quality of their events. They are without question, first class from start to finish.
The Silverman strikes me as a “Labor of Love”. Love of the sport, the athletes and the community appear to be the driving force behind the Silverman. Frank and Meg Lowery are the race directors and this event is their creation. I arrived three days prior to the race. I spoke with the volunteers, repeat and first time athletes, and people on the street. Without exception everyone had nothing but nice things to say about the Lowery’s and the event. The race expo, the pre-race dinner, the awards dinner, the aid stations, course markings, volunteers, the works, were all what you’d expect at a world class event. Yes, I did the half distance race. However I expect that I’ll be back for the full 140.6 miles. Hearing the announcer at my first Ironman finish yell out “Joe Turcotte, you are an Ironman” was a pretty cool experience. Something tells me the word Silverman might be just a wee bit cooler.
Ironman Wisconsin in 2006 was cold, windy and torrential downpours all day. It was the most miserable race of my life. The Ironman World Championship in Hawaii was the hottest, windiest and most humid conditions I’ve ever raced in. Compared to those two, Silverman was extremely pleasant. It was also (for me) only half the distance.
The day began at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Although the half distance race didn’t begin until 8:30am I arrived at 5:30 to watch the full distance start and much of the finish of the swim. Sunrise at Lake Mead was beautiful. The water was mirror smooth and the view of the surrounding hills was constantly changing as the rising sun turned them from a deep purple to a bright orange.
As the full distance athletes were finishing their swim, the rest of us entered the water for our 1.2 mile swim. This was one of the most enjoyable swims I have ever had. Although it was a mass start, there was plenty of room to avoid the usual beating often received in these situations. The calm water made sighting the buoys easy and the different colored buoys at the turns was a nice touch. The result was my best swim ever at any distance. I think I’ve finally learned to swim in a straight line. Heading into T1 was great. It was fully carpeted from the shore to the changing tents. There were plenty of wetsuit strippers and it was nice not to waste time scraping sand, grass and rocks from my feet.
Once out of T1 and on to the bike I immediately felt as though I’d begun a set of walking lunges. The first 1+ mile is steep! Although remaining in the saddle is possible, many riders had to stand for the first few minutes. Once on the main road the legs were nice and warmed up and it was easy to settle into the aero position for several miles of fast rolling hills on perfect national park asphalt. As you can see by the attached bike profile the hills are many. However, no matter how hard I had to work going up, I knew there would be a fun, fast downhill soon. During this first twenty miles I noticed that I had passed two guys with ages 51 and 53 on their calves. One of the cool things about being a crappy swimmer and a strong cyclist is that you spend most of the ride passing people. Around this time I began to think that I may be close to my division lead. After about 35 miles we left the Lake Mead area, headed into Henderson and spent the next several miles on a narrow but very smooth concrete trail. It’s on this trail that I encountered “The Three Sisters”. I have no clue where this name comes from but “The Three Evil, Twisted Sisters” would be a more appropriate name. I personally have never ridden a bike up anything this steep. The narrow trail makes it impossible to zigzag your way up these hills. There are two options: suck it up or walk. Were I alone, and not in a race, the walk option would have been very appealing. However, even I, with my very limited ego could not disappoint the sadistic individuals at the top of each hill. A couple dozen people watch this part of the race while sipping beverages, in cozy loungers. As you begin to struggle they begin jumping up and down and screaming “you can do it”. In the back of my mind I’m thinking “Ummm, no I really don’t think I can”. The next thing I knew I was cresting the hill and smiling at the sadists while simultaneously suppressing projectile vomiting. After the “Satanic Triplets” the final fifteen or so miles were rather pleasant. As was the case at T1, the volunteers were great. They took my bike, handed me my run bag and slathered on more sunscreen.
Unlike the bike, the run begins with a fast couple of downhill miles. Although those first two miles felt great, I had no illusions that I’d get to the finish without a number of uphill miles. At two miles the hills reversed and the pace slowed……a lot. Like the swim the run was uneventful. The term uneventful makes a race report less entertaining but it generally means the race itself went well. Though not as scenic as the swim and bike, the run was a challenging tour of Henderson. The aid stations were staffed with great volunteers and I was extremely thankful that I had decided to do the half and avoid the torture of passing by the finish to complete a second lap.
I love the Ironman brand races. I’ve completed eleven of them and will shoot for number twelve this Sunday. The Silverman was a bit different. The distances were the same; either 140.6 or 70.3 miles. Ironman has a reputation of being the corporate empire of long course triathlon. That by no means detracts from the quality of their events. They are without question, first class from start to finish.
The Silverman strikes me as a “Labor of Love”. Love of the sport, the athletes and the community appear to be the driving force behind the Silverman. Frank and Meg Lowery are the race directors and this event is their creation. I arrived three days prior to the race. I spoke with the volunteers, repeat and first time athletes, and people on the street. Without exception everyone had nothing but nice things to say about the Lowery’s and the event. The race expo, the pre-race dinner, the awards dinner, the aid stations, course markings, volunteers, the works, were all what you’d expect at a world class event. Yes, I did the half distance race. However I expect that I’ll be back for the full 140.6 miles. Hearing the announcer at my first Ironman finish yell out “Joe Turcotte, you are an Ironman” was a pretty cool experience. Something tells me the word Silverman might be just a wee bit cooler.
Great report, Joe. I too have the Silverman on my list someday! Congrats!
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