The finish at the Ford Ironman World Championships is truly indescribable. Hundreds and hundreds of people are in the crowd cheering, the lights are so bright that it looks like daylight and the music is pounding to up tempo rock. I enjoyed every second of it. I slapped hands with people coming in, raised up my hands to have them make even more noise and experienced a major rush of adrenaline as I heard Mike Reilly, the voice of Ironman, say to the effect “ And now, Mark Fischer-Colbrie, 53, from Cupertino California. YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!”

(The finish clip is at:

http://liveupdate.ironmanlive.com/ppv/wmf.php?rid=261&bib=455 )

The day started out at 4 AM with breakfast and last minute preparation. I wore a tee shirt from a JDRF fundraiser from the premiere for the Pixar movie ‘The Incredibles.” The shirt never ceases to get a reaction and shout-outs from kids to adults saying “ Hey look…It’s Mr. Incredible!” Off to body marking by 5:30 and then on to pumping up the bike tires. (All the bikes and gear had to be turned in the day before so they were all ready to go.) At 6:30, I went into the water to warm up, to enjoy the sun rising up over the mountains and to watch the thousands of people lining the pier, sea wall and main road through Kona. I watched the Navy Seals parachute into the event prior to the Star Spangled Banner and the cannon going off for the start of 200 pros at 6:45. A few minutes later, the start area was full of 1600 other participants getting ready for the next cannon at 7 AM. I enjoyed the moments and let it all soak in. Not too many times can one be a part of a World Championship event.

At the start, it was pretty hectic with a lot of bodies crashing into each other. Generally, people would try to avoid contact as they knew it would slow them down, but hard contact was inevitable; I was just hoping I wouldn’t get my swim goggles knocked off or get some other injury. After a few hundred yards, the contact subsided and I was able to get into a good rhythm. Every five hundred yards or so, clumps of swimmers would cause freeway pile-ups by having slowed down after starting out too fast. The hard contact would start all over again until things got sorted out. Never knew swimming was a contact sport! By the halfway mark at 1.2 miles, everything opened up. At that point, my speed suit started chaffing my torso as I hadn’t put enough of a lubricant called Glide in that spot. Each stroke on that side was an irritant, but I ignored it as I was happy with my swim time. Pulling in for shore, I swam over a diver lying on his back filming the event and gave him a thumbs up sign. Reaching the steps up to the pier, I felt strong and came in at the top end of a hoped for range of times.

Ran to showers, rinsed off, grabbed my bike gear, ran to the changing tent, dried off, threw on my bike clothes…including my JDRF jersey from my first 100 mile bike ride in 2006…., ran to the bike, got going and somehow it still took 13 minutes. The pros do it in two minutes. Headed out for the bike start to enjoy the crowds, the cheers and the shouts from my wife, Lisa. The first two hours of the bike, we were taught in camp to take very easy and to consume more calories. I wisely took the advice as I usually like to really push hard on the bike leg of the half-Ironman. But by 10:30 AM, it was already 96 degrees, high humidity and slated to get much hotter. I nonetheless enjoyed the journey. Along the way, I thanked the volunteers, tried to toss my empty water bottles into trash containers as people loved it if you made a basket while going by on the bike, grabbed new water bottles on the fly…like a relay race baton hand-off…. and interacted with the crowds or volunteers. At one point, people at an aid station cracked up as I was going by saying in a kid-like voice, “ Are we there yet? I am thirsty. I have to go to the bathroom…” In the meantime, I diligently stuck to the nutrition plan of powerbars, gels, a peanut butter sandwich, salt tablets and water consumption that I had put together before the race. (400 calories per hour and 500 to 750 mgs of sodium for every liter of water.) More than half of completing an Ironman relies on getting that formula right and my focus was on getting to the finish line. On the ride, I got to see the pros hammering their way back on the bike and to enjoy a participant’s view of the race.

The winds started to pick up as I approached the turnaround in Hawi. Had a few side gusts after the turn-around that were scary and really not fun, but the tips from the camp helped as I tried to put a lot of weight on the front tire to keep the bike stable. Through mile 65, I continued to hold back, trying to save my legs to deal with more headwinds on the return and to be able to run the marathon. The aid stations at mile 70 and 75 had run out of water, which definitely set me back. The winds picked up and were apparently around 15 miles per hour for the last 40 miles. The last 6 miles were tough, especially as I was watching the runners headed out on the other side of the road for the marathon, but I easily made it to before the cut-off time. (I use a road bike, even though that costs me a lot of time, as I have not yet been able to get comfortable with the extreme aero position, a lot like a downhill racer position, that a regular triathlon bike is set up for. ) I got some more laughs at the end of the bike leg when I insisted, “But nobody told me I was going to have to run a marathon after the ride!”

Into the changing tent to put on run clothes and headed back out on the run, with no idea what to expect with a marathon to go. I started the run and actually felt decent. The first 5 miles went by fairly well. Somewhere around mile 6, however, I started getting progressively worse knife-like stomach cramps. In between cramps, I watched a beautiful sunset while overlooking the ocean during that part of the run. By mile 10, where Lisa saw me again, the situation was not good at all. I had to fight the cramps the entire rest of the marathon.

It is pitch dark along Queen Kamehameha Parkway after sunset. Runners are required to wear Glo-Sticks and reflective clothing, but even with that it took a conscious effort to avoid not running into other people who were on the return. There was nearly a full moon, but the cloud cover blocked it(and provided more humidity!) As I moved along, counting the miles down, I thought about and was inspired by all lot of different things, mostly around the theme of determination. Images of my kids came to mind. Matt, who walked / ran the distance of a marathon in a school walkathon over the course of a day while in the 4th grade. Tyler’s determination of being a CCS-honored, All-Star water polo player and All-American swimmer while managing his diabetes. And Lisa and Megan’s determination in reaching the Olympic Swimming Trials. I thought about the heart transplant patient who missed the swim cut-off time by eight seconds and the double-leg amputee who missed the bike cut-off by 8 minutes and their determination needed just to get here. I saw a person who had muscle spasms so severe that  she was nearly bent in half. While she and a gentleman who was recently on the “Biggest Loser” program missed the final cut-off time by minutes, I admired the effort I saw with still 8 miles to go. Another person I saw gamely trying to finish the marathon at mile 15 who had no hope of getting to the end in time, but kept going until pulled off the course at mile 23. Finally, I thought about people in the type 1 diabetes family to whom I had dedicated this race to and it all made the things I was dealing with seem inconsequential. The conditions, the cramping and the fatigue were all forgotten as those images helped drive me forward….and on to the finish line.

I actually felt better after the Ironman than after the San Diego Marathon, my first, last May, other than the cramps. By the next morning, just a few hours later, I was fine with no after-effects other than two blisters. I was fortunate to have no problems post the event as a number of people were dragged off to the medical tent and / or collapsed at the finish.

At the awards banquet the next night, in front of thousands of participants and their families, I received the recognition of Janus Investments as being the number two fundraiser and receiving an extra $8,000 from Janus Investments. And I am even more determined than ever that we will find a cure for type 1 diabetes. So thanks again for your help and support; I could not have achieved my goal to finish an Ironman and to have raised $25,000 for that cause. Mahalo!

Mark Fischer-Colbrie, 53, of Cupertino earned the title of Ironman on Saturday, October 10, 2009.  Mark completed the Ford World Ironman Championship in Kona, Hawaii in 16 hours, 17 minutes and 22 seconds.  He returns to the Bay Area a champion.  Australia’s Craig Alexander, 36, added a second consecutive World Championship title to his resume, finishing nearly 8 hours earlier than did Mark. Craig Alexander joined the exclusive group of three other men who have ever managed to repeat as winner of Ford Ironman World Championship.

As the world watched Alexander’s incredible drive to the finish line, Fisher-Colbrie was looking strong, although he would not finish the cycle portion for more than an hour.  Weather conditions for the 31st Ironman were hot, with temperatures reaching well above 90 degrees Fahrenheit during the bike and run portions. Once he completed the 112 miles of biking, Mark still had to run a full 26.2 marathon.

Fischer-Colbrie’s wife, Lisa, was on hand as Mark crossed the finish line after swimming 2.4 mile in the Pacific Ocean in 1 hour and 20 minutes; biking 112 miles in 7 hours and 55 minutes and running 26.2 miles in just 6 hours and 31 minutes. Sixteen hours and 17 minutes earlier Lisa yelled “good luck” as Mark plunged into the ocean. I was not there but I imagine Lisa yelled something.

The Fisher-Colbrie’s return to the Bay Area as champions and unsung heroes. Mark has earned a title that most of us can not even consider.  He is an Ironman at age 53.  He adds Ironman to his impressive list of titles that includes corporate president, founding family, board president and, of course, head of household.  Mark is not a professional triathlete as are the Ironman elite.  Mark trained when he could find the time — in the evenings and weekends; between his role as husband and father; after serving in a demanding role as captain of industry and as community leader on the JDRF Greater Bay Chapter Board.

I completed the Chicago Triathlon in ’90s (or was it the ’80′s?).  I remember asking myself, “what were you thinking?” as I pulled myself out of Lake Michigan and transitioned to cycling.  After swimming nearly a mile, the last thing I wanted was to get on my bike.  I can not remember my finishing time though I do remember that others crossed the finish line after me.  I remember distinctly saying, “never again.”  I am humbled as write this and as I do the word hero comes to mind.  Mark is a real life hero and I am proud to staff his charity.

The Fischer-Colbrie family is a JDRF Family which means they are heroes of JDRF.  For nearly a decade they have brought countless benefits to JDRF in the hopes of finding cures for diabetes.  Mark and Lisa are heroes to those who benefit from research aimed at finding cures for type 1 diabetes.  They are heroes to many they are not likely to ever meet:  people who wear CGMs and have lower A1Cs, people enrolling in CD3 Trials who are enjoying prolonged good health, people who look forward to wearing the artificial pancreas; people who are encourage by the therapeutic potential of ATG and people who have hope that one day there will no longer be type 1 diabetes.

Part of Mark’s motivation for competing in the Hawaii Ironman was to increase awareness of type 1 diabetes by raising funds for JDRF.  The mission of JDRF is find cures for diabetes and its complications through the support of research.  While he completes the ironman, as if this is not enough of an accomplishment, Mark also raises $25,000 for diabetes research and JDRF.

Did you know that Craig Alexander has his own iPhone App to give fans the unusual “spur of the moment” personal access to a professional triathletes’ life?   With that same iPhone, I can reach Mark by just giving him a call.  I can’t wait to hear all about the Ironman from a professional, a triathlete and a hero.

As I bring this blog entry to conclusion, I am reminded what Mark said as he looked forward to the grueling competition. “What I continue to be  amazed about is how well people who happen to have type 1 diabetes deal with adversity ever day and in a manner much better than I ever could.” Mark continued, “an Ironman may be tough to do, but dealing with type 1 diabetes is way tougher.”

I have not met Mark and Lisa’s son, Tyler.  I am certain, however, that his parents are his personal heroes.  Just as they are to all of us at JDRF.

First and foremost, it is official that we are the second largest fundraiser for the Janus Charity Challenge. This means that a total of nearly $ 25K was raised, with $16,140 in donations….THANKS TO YOU!….and $8,000 being donated by Janus Investments for a total of $24,140!!!

As I prepare the for race, I am finding that I really don’t have the pre-race jitters that I was expecting. Was near the medical tent after a practice swim yesterday and saw a woman getting coated with antibiotic gel. She was all scrapped up…arms, shoulders and face….from getting blown off of her bike! I will use the fact that the wheels on her bike have a aero feature that makes the bike much more susceptible to side wind to say that won’t happen on my bike! (Whether it is true or not, it is a great rationalization!) The weather is ever-changing here, but the forecasts for Saturday were showing less wind (yeah!!!) more heat (a few degrees) and way, way more humidity (hot and hotter.) The forecast can change again, but it looks like wind may not be in the life threatening range…but maybe the heat will be. And sure enough writing this part later it turned out to be both hot and windy this afternoon…go figure. Who knows what tomorrow will look like?

The classes have helped a lot with getting more confident and getting to enjoy the event.  The caliber of the top athletes here are amazing in terms of what they can do. And yet the thoughts are similar. I don’t know if I already mentioned this or not, but the fifth top woman last year, who was the top US woman, gets off the bike and is mentally saying to herself and practically in tears saying,”There is no way I can run a marathon”. ( I can relate!) After getting going, she then proceeds to rip-off a sub 3 hour marathon (wish I could do that!)

There are 1800 participants, but less than 400 are doing Hawaii for the first time and an even smaller group have this event as their first Ironman.
Most are very surprised to hear that that this will be my first. One person, a seven time Ironwoman, ominously said, and really meant this as words of encouragement, that actually it is good I haven’t done an Ironman  because you don’t have the worry and fear of knowing how bad it can really get. Ignorance is Bliss. So I am feeling very comforted by that knowledge!

Part of the reason that I am not as nervous as I should be is that the same issues of “what can happen and what can I do about it?” are things that people and families with type 1 diabetes are successfully dealing with every single day. One of the focal areas of the training camp was all about how many carbs per hour, what are the right foods to eat, how do conditions effect the processing of the fuel needed  to move forward, for example. Other areas were how to minimize risk on injury and what to do in various challenging situations. As inevitable low points are reached during the event, I will be thinking about all the kind donations and all of the support. I will be thinking about all of you. Best wishes, good thoughts and prayers are always welcome so thanks for all the calls, texts and emails!!     Mark

My first 100 mile bike ride was memorable as the temperature hit 105 degrees….and I was doing the ride on a mountain bike (which is much harder to use than a regular road bike.)  On the ride, I met a number of people who had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. One of them was also a top notch athlete who had completed the Ford Ironman World Championships and other Ironman events. The conversation began after I watched him take a glucose reading and give himself a Novopen injection all while pedaling at 25 miles per hour. For the Hawaii Ironman, he would check his glucose during the swim at the boat that represented half-way into the 2.4 mile swim. He could manage the 112 mile bike ride quite easily and did well while doing  the marathon. I was very impressed with his accomplishments and his ability to maintain his diabetes control in such ridiculously strenuous conditions. I will be thinking about his achievements during the race on October 10.

Yesterday was a good training day as part of an Ironman Camp. We swam for about a hour in the ocean and the conditions were perfect, especially as there was not the crush of 1600 swimmers all breaking out together at the start. It promises to be a free for all. One veteran describes it as being inside of a washing machine and another very strong swimmer thought ” I am drowning.” The practice swim felt very good, with the salt water providing even more buoyancy that lake swimming, which I am more familiar with. On the swim, the water is so clear that one can see the fish and corral going by, another big difference over a lake swim. For my next practice swim, I plan to swim out to a platform where they serve coffee!

Later that day, we did a one hour  practice run through what is called the Energy Lab. The location is in the middle of a lava rock, desert area and, naturally, it was hot!

During the classroom sessions, various stories came out about the participants. One woman cracked three ribs on a fall in a previous triathlon and still finished first. Another was competing in Hawaii despite having recent surgery on an ovarian tumor. During the swim, one person went by me who was missing his right hand and his lower left leg. A coach shared his story of completing multiple marathons and full Ironman events. He was then hit by a car on a training ride, had to have brain surgery; at one point they thought he wouldn’t make it. He was told after getting through that critical period that he would never be able to run marathons or do triathlons again. He completed his first marathon a few months later and a full Ironman one month after that. Other stories included a woman recovering from a car /car accident that had her in a hospital bed for two months and one man who recently lost 120 pounds over a twelve month period.

Today we did a forty mile ride that started 20 mile from the turn around for the bike leg  in the town of  Hawi, one of the more difficult parts of the ride. As I mentioned in a previous blog, the winds can be really insane. A few days ago, the gusts were so bad that my car was being buffeted and moved around the road. I can’t imagine what it was like on a bike that day. One of the pros who was helping out at the Lifesport Ironman camp showed us pictures form that day with bikes leaning way, way over in the wind.

Today, the ride to Hawi was tame by comparison. The winds were mostly steady, until after making the turn at Hawi and heading back. The winds shift so often is Hawaii that it is not uncommon to have a headwind on most all of the course, but his time we enjoyed a nice tail wind. Then the cross wind gusts started –  which was not fun at all as we were confined to a very narrow shoulder. One woman made a miraculous recovery after being pushed off the shoulder and into some gravel. I have to admit the gusts for me were pretty hairy. And yet they were considered to be moderate! At least for the race we will have the use of the road and not just the shoulder.

The common theme is one of overcoming adversity. What I continue to be  amazed about is how well people who happen to have Type 1 diabetes deal with adversity ever day and in a manner much better than I ever could. An Ironman may be tough to do, but dealing with Type 1 diabetes is way tougher.

I dedicate this race to all of those in the Type 1 diabetes family. On race day, look for Bib Number 455 and follow my progess on October 10 at www.ironman.com.

-Mark

Mark Fischer-Colbrie is set to compete in the Ford Ironman World Championship on Saturday, October 10, 2009, on the Big Island of Kona, Hawaii and he is simultaneously raising money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).  Fischer-Colbrie is one of 1,800 world athletes who will via for the title of Ironman earned by completing 2.4-miles of ocean swimming, 112-miles of biking, and a 26.2-mile marathon run through challenging lava-covered terrain in less than 17 hours.  A self described former ‘couch-potato’, Fischer-Colbrie decided to use the event to raise awareness of type 1 diabetes by raising funds for JDRF through the Janus Charity Challenge.  Janus makes an additional $10,000 contribution to the charity of the top Ironman World Championship fund raiser.  Mark hopes to earn the contribution for JDRF in addition to what he is able to raise. Follow this link to Mark’s personal web page to help him in his efforts to support Janis Charity Challenge. The money goes to a great cause JDRF, with the ability to help people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes as well as potential others with autoimmune diseases.

I made the mistake of viewing the NBC 2008 World Championships video with my wife, Lisa.  In the first few minutes, after watching all the people collapsing during and after the race, Lisa turned to me and asked, “So why are you doing this?”

The question persisted with the descriptions of the wind that ” routinely knocks people off their bike” and that shift during the race “so that you are usually facing a stiff headwind for most of the race”. The Athlete Information Package described the wind as, “these winds blow 5-35 mph and, in extreme conditions can gust up to 60 mph….”

I looked it up on weather.com and saw the wind patterns and confirmed the wind shift.

That was another mistake as I then saw the heat and humidity scales for an normal day in October. ( 86 degrees at least 65% humidity = 93 to 98 degrees.) The national weather service helpfully states ” Extreme Caution — Likelihood of heat disorders with prolonged exposure or strenuous disorders. ” The  Athlete package says, “while air temperatures may register in the high 80s to low 90s, temperatures along this section of the course may exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit due to the reflected heat from the lava and asphalt.” Great.

Apparently some people who inflate their tires to normal levels may have them blow out later as the temperature rises. It is also ‘reassuring’ to see the winner of the Ironman doing the marathon with two bags of ice under his shirt.

The good news is that now I am more concerned about the heat than about the winds!

( For reference, my first marathon, the San Diego Marathon in May was a cool 62 degrees….and I still got dehydrated even with drinking water or Gatorade most all the way across the course.)

Eating the right foods, getting the right level of hydration and electrolytes while avoiding debilitating gastro-intestinal distress will be critical for even having a shot at completing the event. That’s why my father-in-law no longer calls me by name; he just calls me “Crazy Man.”

So why I am doing this?

To help raise money to find a cure for type 1 diabetes.

Follow this link to my personal web page and help me in my efforts to support Janis Charity Challenge. The money goes to a great cause JDRF, with the ability to help people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes as well as potential others with autoimmune diseases.

Thanks for your help!

Mark Fischer-Colbrie

Mark Fischer-Colbrie is set to compete in the Ford Ironman World Championship on Saturday, October 10, 2009, on the Big Island of Kona, Hawaii and he is simultaneously raising money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).  Fischer-Colbrie is one of 1,800 world athletes who will via for the title of Ironman earned by completing 2.4-miles of ocean swimming, 112-miles of biking, and a 26.2-mile marathon run through challenging lava-covered terrain in less than 17 hours.  A self described former ‘couch-potato’, Fischer-Colbrie decided to use the event to raise awareness of type 1 diabetes by raising funds for JDRF through the Janus Charity Challenge.  Janus makes an additional $10,000 contribution to the charity of the top Ironman World Championship fund raiser.  Mark hopes to earn the contribution for JDRF in addition to what he is able to  raise.

Tyler Fischer-Colbrie ended up in the Pediatric ICU as we were one of many families who had no family history and who didn’t know the warning signs of diabetes. Knowing that excess thirst, drinking lots of fluids and going to the bathroom a lot are some of the signs of diabetes can save a life. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease with no known cause that affects as many as 1 in 300 school children. While it can strike at any age, with nearly half being adults, the fastest growing age group are children ages zero to 5.

Shortly thereafter we learned about JDRF and discovered that JDRF is the leader in diabetes research; it offers the best opportunity to help find a cure.

Fisher-Colbrie at the JDRF Hope Gala

It is a world-class organization, with over 80 cents on the dollar going to research and education about research.

Our  family made a pact that we, as a family, would do whatever was necessary to raise funds  to help find a cure while Tyler did what he could to constantly monitor his blood sugar levels ( requiring a drop of blood 7 to 10 times per day to be placed on a test strip and read in a glucose monitoring device) and to stay in shape (swimming and water polo). The objectives are to take advantage of a cure when it is found, while staving off the insidious complications of diabetes.

The family quickly became involved with JDRF, including co-founding the Silicon Valley Branch (Mark), running the Silicon Valley Walk (Lisa) and becoming Chapter President for the Greater Bay Area (Mark). This picture of me was taken at the Hope Gala in 2008.  Tyler, now a college senior at UCSD, has given numerous talks for JDRF, was a full-time summer volunteer for JDRF, participated in Walks and in lobbying Congress, as have my other children, Matt and Megan.

The Fischer-Colbrie family is a JDRF family.  JDRF is motivation for competing for the title of Ironman along with the titles of Branch Board President and Chapter President.  This year I began as VP, Research Education an official new position of the Chapter Executive Board.  More on this next time.

Follow this link to my personal web page and help me in my efforts to support Janis Charity Challenge. The money goes to a great cause JDRF, with the ability to help people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes as well as potential others with autoimmune diseases.