On race morning I woke up early and hustled down to board the buses that would take us to the race venue on Copacabana Beach. The bus was full of nerves and eerily quiet. I sat next to Kathy Rakel and we chatted a little about a few race items, but for the most part, it was a quiet ride. Upon arrival, things got really busy with getting everyone situated. I was running around trying my best to be helpful, but with the exception of applying a few tattoos (race numbers) on a couple of the girls, they had it down and were ready to roll.
I had no expectations of any of the team members other than they race their hardest and be happy with their effort. I could tell they were all ready to get started and it was most likely a relief for them when the cannon sounded, sending them all into the water. Laura was the first to emerge from the water for our team and I got busy from then on. The race went by in a blur and before I knew it, they were all finished and I was hustling back for the men’s start. Kathy was our top female at 21st and Laura was next, followed by Jolene, and then Big O and Lil O. Rachel quickly filed in after Lil O. I was ecstatic with all of their times and especially their efforts. The swim was choppy and they all, with the exception of the O’Connors, wound up in lousy packs of riders to work with. The only reason the O’C’s were fine, was it was the two of them and a straggler or two at times. Poor Kathy got isolated between packs and did a 7 lap TT solo before finally catching the pack in front of her. She rode tough and I was proud of her for catching that pack.
So the girls got home and I was happy and off to watch the men go at it. Oskutis had a monster swim and was able to get himself into the lead pack within a few laps. Bales and Tonder took a bad line to the first buoy and paid for it on the swim and had to ride hard all day in lethargic packs, but both finished it off with great runs. Brad P raced his guts out and had a breakthrough performance, finishing third among the US team. Weasel raced tough all day and got home in style. Like the women, most of the men found themselves in packs with athletes who didn’t want to work on the bike. Everybody just wanted to sit in and wait for the run. This format of triathlon has that aspect to it and can be frustrating for those strong on the bike.
All in all, it was a superb showing for the US Team. One has to remember that other countries bring professional athletes, not real military members, so I judge our performance by an objective standard, not based on the overall field. Some of these athletes here came straight from the ITU (pro world cup series) circuit and watching them struggle to be comfortable in a military uniform they never wear was interesting to observe during our time together at the Opening Ceremony. It is what it is, though, and we know the drill. I did find it interesting that there were some Brazilian athletes here that had military ID cards that were issued in the last days of June 2011. The Polish male team could not produce military ID’s and were not allowed to compete.
My favorite thing about our stay in Rio would have to be our time spent with some of the other teams. By far, our overall favorite team was the Irish. We met up with them in the airport before we ever got to the Blue Village. Their Team Captain and Coach, Derek Nugent was introduced to me by my National War College Classmate, Ireland Defence Forces Colonel Michael Beary. Michael and I had taken a couple of classes together in grad school and became fast friends. His experiences as an Irish Colonel in many multi-national forces scuffles around the world give him a credibility that I truly respect. He just happened to be in Rio as one of the Chiefs of Mission for the Games and it was great to reunite with him.
Along with the Irish Team, we also spent a lot of time with the Canadians. They are just good folks and we really enjoyed their companionship. We knew all of them as they came down to Armed Forces Nationals in April and used the race as their qualifier for their National Team as well. Other teams I enjoyed were the Colombians, and especially India. I knew a few of the Indians from Mumbai in 2007, and they are a team that is still developing. They remind me of Marines, in that where you see one of them, you see all of them. That is a terrific quality in a team. I loved the time I spent with the Indian Team. We traded emails and I look forward to staying in touch.
In looking back on my 13 days in Rio, I would have to say I grew weary of the logistical snags we experienced with the Brazilians. As I have posted earlier, they got left high and dry by the contractors in charge of things and they rebounded nicely, but an area I grew impatient with was timeliness of travel. I tried twice to go on tours while there and both times the delays with buses and the inability to stay on schedule forced me to abandon the trip and just go back to my room. The bus ride back from the race took us 4.5 hours. It really did. That is not an embellishment or exaggeration. My athletes were absolutely starving and being trapped on a bus after racing contributed to extra muscle soreness for them as well. I would have to give the host country of this year’s CISM a C- for logistics. I have faith that they will get it right for the Soccer World Cup in 2014, followed 2 years later by the 2016 Olympic Games. They know they have work to do. The organizers of CISM cruised through the crowd during the after party that they threw for all the athletes, shaking hands and thanking folks for their patience with the snags here and there. I respect that.
In being so harsh on the Brazilians for logistics, I would have to give them an A++ in hospitality. Brazilians are lovely people. Friendly, warm, enthusiastic and an absolute thirst for any pin, garment, jacket, or patch with USA on it was refreshing. They literally swarmed Scotty Tonder one afternoon when he pulled out a pin for a child at a soccer game. We were greeted warmly at every single meal and the friendliness was genuine. They also took their role in protecting us very seriously. I always felt safe during travel. We always traveled with armed security and a motorcade, which was kind of cool. I will always remember Brazilians as fantastic folks.
One doesn’t get many opportunities like this in life and in sport. I don’t take the last 17 days for granted. For me personally, it came at a bit of a cost in that my schedule does not flex easily to accommodate 16 days away from real work and my business, but we made it work. It only worked because my wife took up all of the slack, as did a few of the folks I work with back in my navy headquarters. Thank you to my dear Teresa, as it is our anniversary today and I am hours from being able to see her and the little brown dog. I am counting the minutes. Thank you to Commander Matt “Burro” Grahl, USN for covering my six back at the Navy so I could come live this wonderful experience. I am blessed in many ways. My time with this team is among the many blessings I enjoy. They, along with Brazil, will be in my heart forever.
Thank you to the All Armed Forces Triathlon Team. They put up with my idiosyncrasies, which are considerable, and they made me laugh until my belly hurt more than once. Rio 2011 is in the books, as is my time with this team. A life experience I will never forget.
Thanks for reading. Train with joy or not at all!
Jonser
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