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| My last actual IMAZ finish in 2013 |
Is It Better to DNS or DNF an Ironman Triathlon???
It is an honest question. Truthfully, I hadn't really given it much thought until someone in a Facebook group asked the question. It struck me personally as I was in a similar predicament in regards to my own race, do I become a Did Not Start (DNS) or a Did Not Finish (DNF)???
But first a little bit of a backstory. For those who are not familiar, I have been racing Ironmans for a number of years. I was fortunate enough to finish 3rd at Ironman Louisville in both 2012 and 2013. In 2014, I went one better and finished 2nd to Chris "Big Sexy" McDonald, losing by only 16 seconds.
In 2015, Ironman Louisville was eliminated as pro race and I instead focused on training for Ironman Mont Tremblant. Unfortunately, in the lead up to the race I got an over-use injury, and although I did start, I ultimately had to DNF.
After that race I took some time off to let the body heal. Fortunately I live one block from the start/finish of Ironman Wisconsin, and as the Ironman parade came to town, I could not help but get nostalgic. Although, I hadn't done the training and I had no idea if I could even finish the race, I decided that there was little to lose by at least starting. After all, I could always pull out after the swim, or stop on the ride if the issue I was dealing with reared its nasty head. Fortunately it never did, and I ended up going 8:59:59 and took the overall win. Now I think back to that day and what if I had never even started?
Fast forward to 2016 and I have raced a ton of Ironman 70.3s, sprints, aquathons, even my first bike race. It has been a long season, and my body has showed signs that it needs some extended rest, but I wanted to close it out at Ironman Arizona, a race that is also near and dear to my heart. A race that was so wonderful in 2013, but then overshadowed by some despair in 2014 and 2015.
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All smiles at the start of 2015
IMAZ but I wasn't able to finish |
To say the the lead-up to the race was anything but perfect would be an understatement. It started with a strained piriformis. As a result, I took some time off running, got in very little running, and what I did do was all on the treadmill. I knew Ironman Arizona wasn't going to be a top-performance, but I felt like I did enough to make it to the start line. As a result I booked my travel and put my bike on a TribikeTransport truck, and then naturally it happened. Last Sunday, while putting on my wetsuit for a practice swim, I felt a sudden tightening in my back. My heart sunk. I knew right away it was going to be a problem, and was likely already a compensation issue from my piriformis as the pain was on the opposite side.
I took Monday and Tuesday off, and Wednesday I went to the Chiropractor for some x-rays and an adjustment. The recommendation from the Triathlete Chiropractor, was don't race. By Thursday, I was not only ready to throw in the towel, I DID throw in the towel. I cancelled my flight, treated myself to a pity party, and then actually gave it some thought.
Is it really better to DNS than to DNF?
The answer is certainly complex and is very individual and depends on unique circumstances. I won't go into all things one should consider, but I think a few things stand out. First is that you never know what will happen on race day. You can be in the best shape of your life, feel like you are going to win, and then have everything go completely wrong.
There will be people who go into a race in career best shape and they will fail miserably. That is the reality of racing.
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Big thanks to the Base crew in 2015 for keeping me hydrated
but it wasn't meant to be. |
On the flip side, you can go in with plenty of fear and doubt. Believe me, it is easily to get paralyzed by it, but I also have the confidence in knowing that some of my best days have come on the backs of those filled with the greatest fear and doubt.
As cliche as it sounds, "You do miss a 100% of the shots you don't take". I realize that there is very likely a DNF in my future, but I know if I don't start the race, that I will look back and regret it. I'll see you on the start line tomorrow.
Giddy up!!!
*** Update ***
This post was written the day before Ironman Arizona in 2016. I ended up not finishing the race but I started the race, swam 2.4 miles and then rode 112 miles with little issue. I started off on the run but it became clear after 9 miles that I was compensating heavily somewhere in the kinetic chain and I could tell it was straining my Achilles greatly. The Achilles is not something you want to put under stress when you are a professional and I opted at that point to pull out and become a DNF.
