This was probably the most relaxed I have ever been going into an Ironman distance race. Again for those of you not quite sure what an Ironman triathlon entails, it consists of a 2.4 mile swim (3.8k) 112 mile bike (180k) and a full 26.2 marathon (42k) all done in succession on the same day. The Quelle Challenge is the biggest Iron distance race in the world. More than 2,000 individual competitors and over 500 relay teams for a total of over 3,500 athletes. However, the big draw to this particular race are the crowds. In no other endurance event anywhere in the world will you find more people excited about a triathlon. All of the communities on the bike and run courses come out in full force to cheer and volunteer. Wearing your starting bracelet around the week before the race, you are treated almost like a pseudo celebrity. People come up and ask "You make the Ironman?" and when you reply in the affirmative, they want to know your number and say they will be at spot x out on the course and will be cheering you on. There is ruly no better atmosphere to race in period.
In the days leading up to the race, I did manage to get in a few sites. After all I was in a country I had never been to and the triathlon starting to become only a small part of my overall expereince on this trip. There just happened to be an old castle or "burg" two blocks from where we were staying, so my parents and I ventured up there one afternoon. The castle was constructed in 1142 and today plays host to a Shakespeare festival in the summer. The interior of the castle was actually closed, but one of the individuals working on the sets for the festival was kind enough to let us in for a closer look. We were even offered the opportunity to climb the creaky wooden stairs to the top of the castle tower which offered an amazing view of the village of Hilpoltstein and the larger cities of Roth and Nuremburg off in the distance.
Another side trip included a stop at the Documentation Center in Nuremburg. My parents, Bob Swift (aka Bob Fast) and his wife and I spent about 3 hours touring the facilities and parade grounds that Hitler built to energize the people during the Nazi movement in Germany. The site was home to massive parades and political demonstrations meant to rally, gain and maintain support for the Nazi machine in the 30’s and during WWII. Nuremburg and the Bavarian region was known as the spiritual center of the Third Reich, and walking around on the parade grounds and through the remarkably well planned museum chronicling the rise of the Nazi’s in Germany was quite a sobering and somber experience. One can read about Hitler, the Nazis and the National Socialist movement in textbooks and can view it in films and documentaries, but until you see it first-hand, it really does not sink in the power of persuasion and the ability to destroy millions of lives these people had.
The entire race preparation phase was not aided in any way by the fact that it just so happens we were in Hilpoltstein during their annual Strassefest or "street fair." Two days before the race, the main street was shut down and basically turned into a giant beer garden complete with live music and a never ending flow of the golden nectar. Needless to say I enjoyed the culture and the company of many new German friends I had made over the course of the last few days.
