ironmantra by Shannon Thompson

All packed.
#organized #lakeplacid #holyshit

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I’m a day or two early arriving at Lake Placid, and the athletes have not yet descended on the town. A band plays on the lakefront for a crowd of locals and normal-looking tourists. But the Olympic speed skating oval is full of Ironman tents, and Ironman flags hang from local businesses every where. It’s surreal and beautiful and so incredibly wonderful.

I’m just crying all the damn time.

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Damn, but I’m a good vacationer. Slept late, went for a bike ride on the Saranac road and cultivated a new appreciation for Maine drivers (generally don’t drive on the shoulder, rarely honk, don’t try to hit you with their beamy boat trailer). Stumbled upon the farmers’ market, dug out my list of low-residue/low fiber foods I’m allowed to eat this week (basically 1% of my usual diet, but critical for keeping my gut in shape on Sunday) and bought a gorgeous supply of local plums, cucumbers, carrots, beets, and spinach.

I’m staying at a cute little mom-and-pop motel owned by Anna and Bogdan, a couple originally from Poland. Bogdan has a bike shop out by the tiny swimming pool where he’s watching the Tour de France, and he’s got a bike stand set up out front under an Ironman tent. Anna says she likes it when “the Iron people come home”, and she gave me a free employee pass for all the Olympic venues. 

The Olympic ski jumping complex has a “summer splashdown” freestyle demo series on Wednesdays, so I headed over to watch the kids show their stuff on the jumps above the pool.

They demo was almost over anyway when thunder and lightning chased us all indoors, where I chatted up all the members of the junior Olympic volleyball team who were saying at the training center nearby. The storm cleared, and they opened up the chair lifts for rides up to the big jumps, and a few Olympic team members did what they do on the 90-meter jump. Can I just tell you? No I cannot. Holy crap.

LOOK HOW COOL:

And THIS:

And oh my: