Bike to Run Transition T2 (Ode to Karen)

The crowds on Main Street as I finish the bike leg are awesome, I pretty much have totally lost track of time and with the crappy weather it actually feels much later than it is, it’s darker than the clock would indicate, like when we turn back the clocks in the fall. As I head into T2 it feels like 5:00 or later when I hand off my bike to the volunteers, grab my T2 bag and head to the changing tent. Once inside it’s dark and humid, but warmer than outside and I realize I could very easily nap at that moment, I’d like for it to be over now. As soon as I enter the tent a volunteer is on me asking what she can do to help, and honestly I have no idea – she looks like she’s in pretty good shape so I’m wondering if I can hand her my race belt and send her out to polish off the marathon for me! I hand her my bag and start to take off my shoes, when finally, after nearly 7 hours I have to pee – so I head back out to the port a potty while she places reflective stickers on my running shirt – I thought about doing it before the race but optimistically calculated that I would be finished long before dark, not.

I come back in and Karen, my volunteer whose name I later commit to memory has the contents of my T2 bag laid out and I sit down take off my cycling shoes – the ground is still muddy, but I sensed that they’ve done some cleaning and rearranging since I’d been there that morning – maybe it was just less crowded and less chaotic, no matter I was glad to have space and the individual attention. So I was told the volunteers would do anything for you, but they truly were amazing, and T2 was definitely another defining moment. Karen had already put a towel down on the ground for me to change my socks and shoes on. She hands me my now legal, reflective shirt and I change and she takes my soaking, sweaty bike shirt so she can get all my stuff back in my T2 bag for after the race. I’m sitting there on the verge of tears wondering how I’m going to run a marathon, I’m kind of shaky and very stiff and I start to take my socks and shoes off and I can hardly bend over. I’m checking out my shriveled feet when the next thing I know Karen is drying them off for me and putting my clean socks on for me.


I was just amazed, I had to believe that that was above and beyond the call. I’m still kind of staring at my now clean and dry feet when she hands me my shorts – same as what I was wearing but clean and dry. I stand to change and she helps steady me and takes my sweaty, smelly bike shorts (though to be fair, I think she was wearing gloves, at least I hope so!! ;-) Putting on the clean pair wasn’t easy in the conditions, much like pulling back on a wet bathing suit, so as I struggled to get them up she helped me with that too … I was so grateful to have gotten so much help. Karen started handing me the rest of my stuff – my hat & headband, my fuel belt and enduralytes. I grabbed everything and got them on and finally asked her name – I told her I’d remember and after a quick hug told her to check out my blog if she could remember. And I’m so glad she did. Keep and eye out for a future post with more info about Karen and her perspective on race day! Did I mention that she dried my feet?!


Ok, I’m finally ready to go, I grab the powerbar I had left over from the bike head toward the exit of the tent. At the doorway I stop and look out and tell a volunteer that I don’t want to go back out there. She basically yells at me to get going, to “finish this thing” and tells me it’s not hardly raining anymore, at the moment it wasn’t, but it wouldn’t last long.