Trans Iowa Stories: A Sunny Day In The Park

Waiting on Luke Wilson to finish T.I.v14 in Miller Park Image by Craig Groseth

"Trans Iowa Stories" is an every Sunday post which helps tell the stories behind the event. You can check out other posts about this subject  by clicking on the "Trans Iowa Stories" link under the blog header. Thanks and enjoy!  

I used to think I had to stay awake all night. Trans Iowa required all my attention for the full 34 hours. And it really was that way for several years in the beginning. But by the fourteenth one? No.....I could have taken a nap. But by this point I just wanted to stay awake all night. It was a challenge of sorts, and since this was the last time I would get to do this, I was aiming for a PR on staying awake. 

I know. Dumb idea. But it was part of how I did the event and I wasn't going to change it up at this point. But this decision did not go without its consequences. I usually got to a point during Trans Iowa late into the event where I was pretty much in robotic mode. Emotions were not coming through because I was so tired and worn out emotionally anyway. This last Trans Iowa was no exception. 

Luke Wilson pounding out the final miles of Trans Iowa v14. Image by Jon Duke.

So, the early morning hours are somewhat of a vague memory for me. I was pretty much 'not really there', but apparently doing well enough to fake it. Luke came in and I shook his hand. I kind of remember that. Amazingly, I was on point enough that I was able to remember to shoot an image of each finishing rider. I guess I felt it was important to document the last people to ever finish a Trans Iowa. 

I do remember something about second place finisher, Mark Johnson. He was, as usual, riding a single speed. He wasn't too happy about the 120th cue thing before Checkpoint #2. I think I recall saying something to the effect that 'well, obviously you figured it out.', but I don't really remember. I just remember he wasn't happy about that. But we shook hands and he did thank me for the event. So.....

My picture of Mark Johnson from the finish of Trans Iowa v14.

I remember Matthew Kutilek looked flat-out destroyed upon finishing third. He said something about feeling 'near death' out there in the freezing cold. That made an impression coming from a man who nearly died in the Middle East as a Marine. 

I remember Jana Vavra finishing later on. To my way of thinking, what this woman had done at Trans Iowa was amazing and is one of the most underrated stories in gravel riding history. She finished four Trans Iowas, more than any other woman, but this last one was really something. 

See, we had the largest woman's field ever for a Trans Iowa. 21 women in all. Jana was the only one to finish! 

And I have to also say this again- We had begged and pleaded with women to come and do Trans Iowa for years. Many times we would have a single female, or maybe three. The year Jana first finished we had 'a record women's starting field of five'! Five women! 

So, when I had over 20 women coming to start I was ecstatic. That was one-fifth of the entire field. But when Jana was the only one of them that made it to the finish, I found that to be really quite amazing. Of all the things that happened during the last Trans Iowa, I was most proud of that finish. That made me very happy.  

Jana Vavra gets a handshake upon finishing Trans Iowa v14 from GT.

Then, well......I don't know.... Things kind of get blurry there for a while again, but this was when things were winding down. many of my volunteers and friends had left by now. It was getting on toward 1:00pm. One hour left of Trans Iowa, then it would be gone forever.....

Jason Sheerer, (R) was the second to last person to finish T.I.v14 at 1:04pm. (Image taken by bystander)

The second to last finisher, Jason Sheerer stands out in my memory. He was a rookie, first timer, and I recall that he thought Iowa was "boring" in terms of visuals. I remember being hurt by that statement, but I smiled and had my picture made with him anyway. Funny what sticks with you and what does not....

Not long before this, a very special person to Trans Iowa, and myself, Will Ritchie, who was working for WTB at the time, showed up at the finish area with a brown box and a handful of coffee cups. Coffee in a box, would I like any? Man! It was like an angel had come from heaven and brought the magic elixir. Will, in his typical low-key, almost sheepish manner, was my savior that day. That coffee was a godsend, and Will, well...... His being there at the end of it all was just poetic. Perfect timing, although he did not know it at the time. WTB, and Will Ritchie in particular, were so important to the success of Trans Iowa, and such a huge part of the event, that somehow this serendipitous appearance by Will and his brown box of coffee was just a given. It just was something preordained. And I loved that he was there, but I couldn't say anything about "The End". And that sucked, but it was what it was....

From a stop along the way home from the final Trans Iowa.

And in the end, after everyone was gone, I was left at Miller Park alone. I never got the chance to share that Trans Iowa was over with anyone, except Tony, MG, and Mike, of course. I was okay with that. I made that decision. Before 2:00pm, I stood and just looked over the few people who were still hanging out. They were spread out on the green April grass under the Sun. Just hanging out, enjoying each other, and sharing stories of the weekend. 

This was how I wanted it to end. With people enjoying the moment. Not sad that it was the last time. Not being forced into some kind of weird, 'gotta say goodbye to Ted and this event' situation. No, I wanted it to be like this. Like when Will just walked up on his own to do an act of kindness for me and anyone that wanted a cuppa joe. 

I stood there and really concentrated on what I saw. It made me happy that this would be my last memory of Trans Iowa. Not some melodramatic goodbyes, not some issue with a negative person, and nothing premeditated due to the event ending. After all the hand-wringing over how to do it, I was here. And I thought about it all. Was I sad that I didn't chose to share the news at the Pre-Race, or at the start line? No, this made me happy. 

And you don't often get to write your own script. I was super-blessed to have it end on such a high note. This is one of the main reasons I'd never entertain doing another Trans Iowa event. I could probably never end on such a note as I did. 

And then it was over.

Two o'clock came. I turned and looked at my truck and it dawned on me that no one had consumed any beers at all at the finish! So, I walked over to the truck, got in, grabbed a cold Dale's Pale Ale, and toasted the end of fourteen years of putting on a Springtime ultra-gravel event. Then I drove home. 

Next: The Fallout