Joan Deitchman Racers celebrate after finishing the ultra-grueling Ultraman Canada.In our series "Why Do I Do This?" we get firsthand accounts from women who tackle the toughest, most grueling and weirdest events on the planet. This month, espnW freelancer Erin Beresini tells us about the allure of participating in the Ultraman, a triple-distance version of the Ironman triathlon.
On the morning of July 30, twenty-nine athletes gathered on the sandy beach of British Columbia's Skaha Lake to begin a three-day triathlon odyssey called Ultraman Canada. Held in and around Penticton, B.C., since 1993, the invitation-only race covers 320 miles on the following schedule: Day 1 -- swim 6.2 miles, bike 90 miles; Day 2 -- bike 171.4 miles; Day 3 -- run 52.4 miles. Sound crazy? My friends, family and coworkers thought so, too. But as one of 11 women who swam up to the start line, I'll admit my perspective is skewed.
For me, Ultraman was like summer camp for adults. There was orientation complete with awkward introductions, the aforementioned race activities, bonding between everyone involved and an awards banquet with no actual podium, as each finisher is considered a winner. As a former camp counselor and an endurance junkie who likes to sleep and doesn't like to exercise alone, I thought Ultraman would be a perfect event.
My fellow competitors came from all sorts of professional backgrounds, from triathlon coaches to a lawyer and a restaurateur, all with a similar penchant for pushing themselves to their mental and physical limits.
"I'm driven by what the human body and spirit can accomplish if you focus on something," said John Bergen, 41, a business consultant and this year's Ultraman Canada champion. "I'm fascinated by the human spirit."
At this year's Ultraman Canada, 27 of the 29 athletes, including me, had never before taken on an Ultraman individually. Several of us had also never run more than a marathon nor swam 10 kilometers. Our newbie ultra-racing status led race director Steve Brown, 60, to dub this year's event the "Weekend of Discovery." He invited space shuttle Discovery astronaut and the 200th man to walk in space, Alvin Drew, to speak at the prerace meeting and cheer us on throughout the long weekend.
"Seeing the transformation of people as they go through the process gives me a lot of joy," Brown said. "I love giving people the opportunity to take on an event that tests them mentally, physically and spiritually and has a positive effect on them. It's about bringing people together and enjoying one another's company."
Ultraman began on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1983 as a swim/bike/run circumnavigation of the island founded on the Hawaiian principles of aloha, kokua and ohana -- love, help and family. Racers have crews of two or three who feed and take care of them, helping them cross each day's finish line before the 12-hour cutoff. My husband, my father-in-law and a former collegiate triathlon teammate handed me PB&J's and PowerBars and held up a towel as a make-shift bathroom stall as I rode and ran the rural roads of British Columbia.
On Day 1, racers follow personal kayakers who feed them and navigate across Skaha Lake. During the bike legs, crews leapfrog their racers, first letting their athletes get ahead, then driving by and setting up personal aid stations every five or so miles with whatever food and drink the athlete has requested. On Day 3, the run day, crews continue the leapfrog method, stopping about every mile to check on their athlete. Racers can also have crew members run with them; my husband ended up running 30 miles by my side.
Racers this year enjoyed three sunny days with temperatures in the low 80s, but nice weather didn't stop us from having mental breakdowns. Strong headwinds on 30 or more miles of the bike course had us moving at a snail's pace and wondering if we would miss the Day 2 cutoff. And several of us, including me, had stomach problems on the third day. I could only munch on Ritz crackers and noodle soup while another woman had to gut out the run one peanut M&M at a time. Bergen, a vegetarian who hadn't eaten red meat in more than two years, craved a cheeseburger at the marathon mark and scarfed one down promptly after crossing the finish line.
In the end, 27 of us finished, earning the relatively obscure title of Ultraman; to date, fewer people have completed Ultraman Canada (about 155) than have walked in space (more than 200). Having qualified by finishing Ultraman Canada, my next logical step, of course, is to race at the Ultraman world championship in Hawaii, as many ultra-athletes have gone on to do. The bond that develops between racers and crews is unlike at any other event and, apparently, highly addictive. If all goes well, you can look for me -- and several of my fellow Canada competitors -- in Hawaii in 2012.
For more information on Ultraman, check out these links for the Ultraman Canada website; the 2011 Ultraman Canada results; Ultraman Hawaii; and the inaugural Ultraman U.K.
