Since I got here, it seems like all people talk about is the triathlon. It's one of the first things the islanders ask me about when they meet me, and it's what people talk about instead of the weather, TV or politics when there is nothing to say.
"Say, did you hear about that triathlon?"
"Yeah."
"So are you doing it?"
"Yeah."
"Nice! You know, it's going to be a good one this year...."
Yesterday, I finally got to experience it for myself, and it was 100% worthy of all the hype.
I trained sporadically for about 2 1/2 months, and wasn't prepared. For a race that includes a 2 kilo swim, 66 kilo bike, and 20 kilo run, I only biked and ran more than half of those distances on one occasion. I don't blame myself too much, though. I've had a lot going on.
The Race
Imagine if everyone - everyone - who lives in your neighborhood came together in a spirit of brotherly love to plan, prepare, and host a huge weekend-long party, and you'll get an idea of the spirit of the Izena Triathlon. As the ferries arrived, the elementary school children were there to greet everyone in full traditional costume with drums and Eisa dancing, and even the most elderly people gathered to greet and cheer everyone on at every corner. One of the advantages to being on a small island is that there is a marked separation from the rest of the world, resulting in an automatic bond to everyone else there with you. Even the people who come in for a day or two are part of the island while they are here, and just their presence has a noticeable effect that I am becoming more aware of the longer I stay.
In the days before the race, I had a lot of responsibilities. First off, the Friday before the race was Halloween. Since I am the first American to have lived here, part of my job is to teach the kids about our holidays. So I planned and organized Halloween parties for both the elementary school and junior high. Second, I was in charge of the "friendship meeting" for foreign athletes. This involved singing songs in English with the Junior High kids and creating a game for about 100 people that both Foreigners and Izena kids could play together. Third, I had to prepare my own equipment for the triathlon. And finally, I had people staying over, so I had to make sure my place was cleaned up and ready for them to be comfortable and taken care of. By the night before the race, I was sore and exhausted... but everything from Halloween to the friendship meeting to my guests went amazing and I was having a great time.
The race itself was one of the greatest 6 hours 57 minutes of my time in Japan. And by far, the greatest moments were those when a group of elementary school kids would recognize me, get super excited, and start yelling, "Roy Sensei! Roy Sensei!" Really, that filled my heart every time.
I finished the 2K swim in 32 minutes and came in 34th place out of about 600. My original goal was to finish in under 30 minutes, but ocean swims aren't really like pool swims, mostly due to the constant kicking and clawing going on everywhere (especially during the frantic start!) The swim is 2 big triangles out in the ocean with a short run on the sand in between, so the absolute best "Roy Sensei! Roy Sensei!" moment was being one of the first to run out of the water after the first lap and having the whole elementary school right in the front row yelling for me.
Also noteworthy is that out of the entire field of swimmers, I was one of two people wearing a Speedo, which must have added a great deal to the spectacle of a white English teacher guy in a crowd of mostly ripped Japanese athletes in black wetsuits.
As for the biking portion... well, I actually did OK for 4/5ths of it despite never really having biked before. There are 5 laps around the island, each about 14km. I lost air in my tire at the end of the third lap and almost wiped out, so I had to stop and fix it. I had the great bike shop guys look at it at the repair point and it seemed fine. Then 10 minutes later, I had a total flat, and having insufficient equipment to repair it, had to walk my bike the last 10K+ as all but the slowest athletes passed me. But I actually enjoyed the walk, especially on the quiet stretches, and really kept my goal of no complaining intact without much effort.
Important to know is that the time limit for finishing is 7 hours, and with losing about an hour and a half on the bike (and... yeah, I'll admit I was already really pooped at the start of the run), I was cutting it close. The run was in the rain, but the support from the people never stopped. At the last aid station, 4 elementary school boys started running alongside me, and as we rounded the track towards the finish line, stomping through mud, my Izena friends saw the spectacle of me and the boys and started going nuts. My supervisor, Naka-san, handed me a big flag as I rounded the corner, and as I crossed the finish line, waving the flag, boys in tow, the crowd burst into laughter... as I had slammed the big clock overhead with the flagpole.
That night there was a huge party. I was a bit tired but got out a dance or two. Sunday morning, everyone boarded the ferry back to the real world. As a tradition in Izena, when someone leaves the island, they hold one end of a line and the person they are leaving stays on land holding the other end. As the ferry heads for the sea, the line breaks. I've seen it a bunch of times, but on this day there must have been a thousand of them.
All in all, an unforgettable race and weekend. I'll be doing it again :)
