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August 19, 2025
Ironman at 18: Conquering Lake Placid
- August 19, 2025
- Guest Author: Charlie Baker
When I first thought about doing an IRONMAN I was only 17, not even legally old enough to sign up.
My first step in this challenge was to convince my parents to let me do one. It took some persuading and promising, but soon enough I was hitting submit on the IRONMAN Lake Placid 2025 page.
I started my training in late December, about 8ish months away from race day, and realized I had some work to do. I couldn’t even swim a 100yd length without stopping!
Over the winter I juggled a job, high school, and my training, and I loved every second of it. Come spring time, I did my first tri ever, an olympic distance in Brighton, MI. This was the first time I was able to see the fruits of my labor, and it felt good – 11th place overall. Going forward, I had some notes and things I wanted to learn to do better for my IRONMAN in Lake Placid.
Working through my IRONMAN Jitters
The best choice I made on race weekend was to get there on Thursday night, when the race was Sunday. I highly recommend the extra day to get situated.
On Saturday, I did a little swim and bike, and felt terrible. My heart rate was high on the swim and I went slow, almost falling over when I came out of the water and my glutes were super tight on my bike afterward.
I shook off those bad feelings and dropped my gear into the transition area. There are so many bags – I’d recommend picking out a landmark for where your bags are (ex. row left of the light post close to the cone), to help you find them!
We went back to the Airbnb in the afternoon and just chilled for the rest of the night.
Race Morning: A Nerve-Wracking Start
4:30 wake up, catch the shuttle, and get into the transition area right as they announce wetsuits are legal. First win of the day!
I got my nutrition and bottles on the bike along with some air, and did the long walk up to the swim start. I was super nervous and could not choke down my overnight oats, but by the time I got to the start line, I was ready.
Swim: Faster Than I Ever Expected
The swim was two laps, with an Australian exit (you exit the water, run on the land, and jump back in for the second lap).
After the first lap, I checked my watch and was 9 minutes faster than planned… Oh well, let’s go with it! Lap two was more congested, I got a few punches but nothing terrible. My goggles were so foggy I couldn’t see the finish arch 10 feet in front of it.
I finished the swim 15 minutes faster than planned, a 1:15 swim.
(The famous ‘white chain’ underwater is very underwhelming. It was an algae-covered little string!)
T1: No Time to Waste
I hustled down the long carpet into T1.
I found my bag quickly thanks to my landmarks and went into the tent. Got slammed with a wall of stink and humidity. I was in and out pretty quickly, and got onto my bike 9 minutes faster than I thought I’d be out of the water.
Bike: Surviving the Storms
It was not our original plan, but due to a mechanical issue a few months before the race, I rode my road bike and added clip on aero bars. And I did just fine. You don’t need a nice TT bike to go fast at Placid. I honestly was passing a lot of people on really nice bikes who just looked out of whack and uncomfortable, comfort over aero on this challenging course.
The first lap was going well. It was way more crowded than I imagined, but I guess I had no idea what to expect. I was passing lots of people and I settled in pretty well. Lost a bottle of nutrition about 5 miles in, so I only had 3.
Everything was going smoothly and calmly until the rain hit. Hard. Water currents flowed hard on the road. It was insane, easily the gnarliest rain I’ve ever seen. It came and went, just in time for the Keene descent. Lots of fun. I honestly wasn’t able to see a whole lot of the scenery because I was so focused on not slipping out, but for the parts I was able to see it was amazing.
I came in and out of bike special needs quickly, just grabbing 4 new bottles and a ziplock full of nutrition. I ended up biting this bag in my mouth for about 3 miles, until it was finally flat enough to transfer food into my kit.
Things were going well by now, the sun was out… until it wasn’t. The rain came again, longer and harder this time. Probably lasted about ¾ of this lap. Finished in 5:55, about where I thought I would be.
T2: Ready to Run
I came into T2 feeling great.
I jumped off my bike and jogged over to the bags trying not to slip. Took off my waterlogged socks (about 3 pounds each) and put new ones on, along with my shoes.
I headed out in about 4 mins total.
Run: When Mile 13 Feels Like Mile 8
I really had no idea what to expect going into the run, I was thinking I could do a sub 4 marathon or be right around there. I was wrong.
I started out with a buddy I met on the bike, but I was feeling good so I picked it up. I was trying my hardest to not look at my watch for pacing, next thing I knew it was mile 10 and I was running 7:40’s. I remember saying “woah there buddy you’re not even halfway,” but I couldn’t make myself slow down. Seeing my mom, girlfriend, and dad did not make me want to slow down either, I got fired up every time I passed them.
Lap 2 came, and that meant the long finger out and back. Mentally brutal. Every little bend the road had, I thought it was turn around time. I was wrong. Finally, I did my U-turn and was ready to get off that out and back. Honestly, mile 13 felt like mile 8, which I heard was a bad sign. I was waiting for a blow up.
Somehow I was able to pound food at every aid, only walking once at about mile 20. There was no feeling like rounding the last turn around and heading back into town. I flew down the hill and went right, towards the chute. I stomped through the flooded olympic circle, rang the bell, and went down the red carpet. 3:22 marathon.
Final Reflections: Coaching, Gratitude, and What’s Next
1:15 swim, 5:55 bike, and a 3:22 run (+ transition time) a 10:44 final time. Placid was definitely hard, but as a beginner IRONMAN I highly recommend it to other first timers.
The day before, my girlfriend and I were sitting under a tree looking out at the swim course waiting for my parents. I was running times out loud to her: “Ok, ok, let’s say I have a really good swim, like a 1:20. Then an ok bike takes about 6 hours and somehow pull off a 3:30 marathon. Anna I could do it, I could go sub 12.”
Not once did a sub 11 time cross my mind as an 18-year-old. The only thought I had on the 16-hour car ride home was “when is my next full.” Sub 10, here we come :)
I absolutely could not have done this race without coach Kari. Working with someone who knows every little bit about this sport was an absolute game changer. Without Kari’s plan and training peaks I would’ve been totally lost. Just about everything we talked about from January-race day helped me on the course, I highly recommend getting a coach if you’re going to race an Ironman!
