Wildman Biathlon

A runner competing in a biathlon is like a little kid sticking a penny in a light socket: You do it once to see what it is like, then you learn not to do it again.

My experience with the Wildman Biathlon in Shelburne and Gorham, NH is one I won’t forget. The race started at 8 AM in Shelburne. The first part is a 10k run on a rolling hilly course. Leg 2 is a 22.3-mile bike ride up to the top of Pinkham Notch to the Wildcat Ski Area. Leg 3 is a 3-mile hill climb up the Polecat trail on Wildcat.

Warm-Up

My warm-up consisted of a 2-mile bike ride solo and 3 miles of running with Paul Kirsch and Mike Laracy. We were cracking jokes about not knocking all of the bikes over in the transition and not crashing at the railroad crossings. I placed my bike on the rack in its position and headed for the start. I felt a little out of place in my running singlet and hairy legs.

Leg 1: “Think you can run with me?”

I had one strategy and one strategy only at the start: go out hard and see if anyone goes with me. Surveying the start I didn’t see anyone that looked like they could stay with me on the run except for the 3 time defending champion of the race, Sean Ion from Pennsylvania. The gun went off and I was out in the lead immediately. Sean raced up to catch me only a couple of hundred meters into the race. He asked me if I was on a relay or running individual and all I said was “I’m going solo.” I threw in a little surge. I was a little surprised by his friendliness when he asked me the question, but I dropped the hammer anyways. We came through the mile mark in 5:04. He said, “That’s a little quick, and I think this mile is marked long.” I felt good. I dropped the hammer again. At about 1.5 miles we hit a little hill and I was able to drop him. I strung it out at this point dropping a 5:15 second mile. I came through “5k” in 16:30. All of the bikers claim they’ve measured the course to be 6.4 miles and not 6.2. Either way I knew I had to go. I was able to see Sean after I got around the turn around. He congratulated me and I gave a quick wave. All I could wonder is how can someone be so competitive and friendly at the same time. As I approached the transition I was feeling pretty good and cruised over to my bike. I finished the “10k” in 33:47. I got quite a few cheers from the locals who knew who I was and still couldn’t believe that I was hopping on a bike. I still couldn’t believe it either. I made it through the transition without too many troubles.

Leg 2: “You Idiot.”

The bike started out with a 7-mile loop through the town of Shelburne on US Route 2 and some rolling back roads. I hopped on the bike that I borrowed from Don Fries and felt pretty good as I cruised down the open road. I tried to keep hydrated as I rode knowing that I had a long race ahead of me. Sean caught me at about 5 miles and reassured me it was due to an equipment advantage. I’m sure that was part of it, but the fact that I rode a bike twice all summer wasn’t helping either. Either way I felt comfortable and was sticking to my game plan of damage control on the bike. I was convinced that if his lead was only 3 minutes after the bike that I would have a chance at the win.

Coming into Gorham I was still feeling pretty good and was in 3rd place as I rounded the corner onto Rt. 16. It was fun leaning the bike into all of the sharp corners and bombing down some hills at 30-40 MPH. The fun stopped when we started climbing for the last 10 miles. Route 16 up to Wildcat is mostly uphill, with the last pitch near the ski area being really nasty. Running uphill is something I am good at. Riding a bike uphill is something I am not good at. I tried to just keep a consistent effort as I climbed up through the notch. Steve Piotrow went by me near Dolly Copp and offered some encouragement. I was working hard and just trying to stay in contact with people. The last climb up to Wildcat was nasty. I had to get out of the saddle for the whole thing, which my ass appreciated. I was glad to see the gravel parking lot at Wildcat. I locked up my brakes as I entered the transition area in 10th place, about 11 minutes behind Sean in 1:19:09, 35th fastest bike time. I knew any chances I had at winning were gone but I still had a chance at a respectable finish, especially for a runner.

Leg 3: “I reiterate, you idiot.”

Hopping off the bike onto solid ground was quite the experience. I almost felt seasick. I took down 2 cups of water and headed out for the hill climb. Hal Goolman from Lancaster stormed out in front of me onto the trail. I didn’t know if he was running solo or as part of a team, but I wanted to stick with him. I would have followed him if I hadn’t gotten lost. Apparently quite a few people got lost at the gondola at the bottom. We were supposed to bear right up the ski hill, but a large concrete barrier with “WILDMAN” and an arrow on it pointed us into a parking lot. I figured I was off course when the road started to go downhill. At this point I was getting a little delirious and decided to wait for the next runner to come through. No one showed up for about 5 minutes. I asked him if he knew the way and he said it was his first time on the course. Great. We continued down the road looking for the trail until we ended up near Rt. 16. At this point I quit. I literally quit. I took off my singlet and walked to the gondola. I threw in the towel.

As I approached the gondola I realized my Dad was waiting at the top. I decided to keep going, that little nagging voice in the back of my head told me to get to the top. I started to run up the ski trail and felt ok, but most of my energy was gone after the 10-15 minutes I spent lost and walking. I really wasn’t trying to gain any spots or be competitive; I just wanted to get to the top of the mountain. I took 2 cups of water at each of the 3 water stops. Many of the locals passed me, and many people who recognized me as “the guy who was leading after the 10k.” I had to suck up my pride and keep going. As I came around the next to last corner I saw the familiar face of Paul Kirsch, running down the trail with a Gatorade bottle in hand. 2 volunteers were following him on ATV’s who looked like they were ready to carry someone off on a stretcher. I was sorry to disappoint them. I walked the majority of the climb, all the way to the finish line. I Finished the climb in 1:09:00 for a total time of 3:01:55 for 51st place out of 123 individuals and teams. I rode down on the gondola with my dad, sucking down Gatorade and inhaling a PB & J. When I got home my parents had to childproof the electrical outlets, hide the pennies, and lock my bike up until I have the ability to play with them correctly.

Kevin Tilton