http://www.metrosportsny.com/features/my-china-race.html

With three Hawaii Ironmans under her belt, this local athlete went after another at the inaugural Ironman China.

As soon as I crossed the line in the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii on October 13, 2007 I knew that I wanted to compete in this race again next year. To qualify for the 2008 Ironman World Championship I had to find an April or May race that would allow me sufficient preparation time. Ironman China was an inaugural race in April this year and I knew it would be a great experience.

I arrived in China a week before the race to acclimate to the weather and time difference. My achilles injury from January was still hurting and I wondered whether I would even be able to finish the race. I was, however, armed with top-notch pain medications, which I hoped would get me through. For added uncertainty, two days prior to the race there was a typhoon that hit the island of Hainan, where we were racing. The storm passed by Saturday afternoon.

At 7 a.m. on Sunday, I began my eighth Ironman. The water was calm although there were strong currents and the buoys shifted as we swam. We had to sight frequently to avoid swimming head-on into one another. When I got to T1 I saw some bikes from my age group were already gone. Three of us raced in the 2007 Ironman World Championship, so F25-29 had a competitive field.

The bike was a two-loop course through the countryside, a duck farm, a small village and through the city of Haikou. The scenery for much of the course was breathtakingly beautiful. The countryside was green, slightly hilly and quiet. By the time we were cycling through the narrow street of the village, the spectators lined the road and everyone was cheering for us in Chinese. For me, this was the highlight of the bike leg.

By the end of the first loop the wind was howling. Leaves and other debris blew by me and I felt as if I were standing still. The gentle hills of the first loop turned into out-of-the-saddle, smallest-gear-possible attacks that made me want to get off my bike and walk. At the aid stations I saw people pulling over and dunking bottles of water on themselves and sitting in the shade. The 95-degree heat made most spectators seek shelter, and we were left on our own. At the 93 mile mark a girl from my age group passed me and she looked strong. I told myself that an Ironman is a long day and anything can happen during a race; that I shouldn’t ever feel counted out until the finish line is in sight.

She and I left T2 side-by-side. I was worried because I didn’t know whether my achilles would hold up and where my legs were after three months of no running. After 100 meters, I didn’t hear her footsteps or her breath anymore. I kept my pace and continued running scared, but also enjoyed the beach scenery as we ran on a track-like surface next to the boardwalk. It was a clear, cloudless, hot day and I was leading my age group and feeling great.

The most beautiful part of the race came at 35K. We ran through a harborside park and two bridges, enjoying exotic views of fishing boats and the harbor. As we approached the city, the air became heavy with pollution and the streets became crowded with locals who stopped to cheer us on to the finish.

The final kilometer was heavy with spectators cheering and with 400 meters to go I was running side-to-side high-fiving all the outstretched arms in front of me. I knew I had won my age group and survived a challenging race. As I approached the finish line, I recalled the many moments when I felt tired and wanted to stop or quit, the weeks of worrying about injury, the months of anticipation and training and the many workers and volunteers who made this day possible. The last 10 meters gave me a huge rush or joy, satisfaction, relief and accomplishment. I was really proud and grateful that I was able to achieve what I set out to do. I qualified for the 2008 Ironman World Championship.

Lidia Rekas is 27 years old and is currently in business school at NYU Stern, studying for her MBA in Financial Markets & Instruments and Global Business. She lives in Manhattan.