American Zofingen: A Cult Classic

One of the most famous dualthlons is held in Zofingen, Switzerland. A duathlon includes both running and biking, usually in the format run/bike/run. There are no accepted standard distances, with the course and location determining how far one must go. I recently competed in the US National Long Course Duathlon Championship in Enumclaw, Washington, running 5.12 miles, biking 29 miles, and running 3.85 miles.

The American Zofingen triathlon is held annually in late May in the southern Catskill Shawangunk range near New Paltz, NY. The race is postured as the antithesis of the modern multi-sport event. It has an outsized following relative to its actual size (fewer than 200 participants), partly due to the eccentric nature of the course, the race director, and the ancillary services. For example, the run portions proceed through an open air gazebo which house both the finish line and an aid station containing water, gel, beer, and whiskey laid out neatly in small shots.

AmZof has achieved further mythic status through the efforts of Chris G., a Philadelphia lawyer who evangelized the race for its quirky “roots” atmosphere. After Chris died, 11-11, in the last mile of the Philadelphia Marathon, one of the four races which make up AmZof was rechristened the Chris Gleason Middle Distance Duathlon. The shorter course is namedthe “Canadian Women’s Division” (no one gets any respect for attempting this one, which nonetheless often takes 3.5 hours +/- to complete.) The longer duathlon is called simply the Long Course. Further complicating things, there is also an “Iron TT”, starting and ending at another location, which is simply 4 loops of the bike course, or 112 miles. That version has a total elevation gain of 12,500 feet.

Chris G was an Endurance Nation afficiando, and had quite a following among the OGs of our team for his humor, wisdom, and endless search for the true nature of our sport, which was just as likely to be found in Podunk, PA as in Kona, HI. Last year, a number of EN athletes, mainly from the East Coast, participated in his honor. When it became apparent this was to become an annual pilgrimage, I signed up last September for this year’s race, shortly before it sold out.

For me, this was a big effort. Traveling, despite a direct flight SEA-EWR, still took up two days. Another day was spent getting my packet to race, and scouting the course. ANd the race itself took all day Sunday. Here is my report as published on the EN forum:

Here’s what my last two and a half weeks consisted of:

  • Fly to Utah, drive to St George, race the 70.3 there (as reported previously), then drive total of 1200 miles in 4 days through southern/Eastern Utah, visiting 4 nat’l parks in 4 days.
  • Fly home, do three 24 hour call shifts in the next seven days. In the middle of that week, develop a severe toothache requiring Percocet, bike 70 miles in a diabetes charity ride, visit the dentist, doctor, and endodontist for an emergency root canal after deciding I did not want to be an oxycodone junkie.
  • Fly to Newark, drive to Kerhonkson New York in the Catskills.
  • Meet with a bunch of ENers I’ve known for years but never met: Thanks for the memories, Mike, Cary, Jess, John, JT, Keith, Evan, Pete, and others whom I’m probably forgetting, but I get to do that at my age.
  • After the vets start telling all the scary stories about how hard, how much of a slog, how *desperate* one feels during this “race”, I come up with a new aphorism:

“Proper pacing and a positive mental attitude will conquer any race conditions.” I proceed at dinner that night to show how mental jujitsu can turn any seeming negative thought into a positive, and then on race day how the principle is to be applied.

  • Run/Bike/Run/Bike/Run 5/28/5/28/5 miles in 52F drizzerable weather, covering 6150 feet of elevation gain on wheels and 1750 on foot much of the uphill on slippery clay, rocks and roots. This took me 7.5 hours, and involved a bout with hypothermia on the first bike loop (I wisely wore my heavy waterproof fleece IM finisher’s jacket on the second), and a truly messy bike tube change on the second.
  • Drink Irish Vitamin Water (a shot of Jim Beam added) from my giant first place finisher’s beer stein commemorating my day in the ‘Gunks. It must be noted there was no second place finisher in my AG; indeed, I was 5 years older than any other finisher.
  • Take a shower with my bike to get us both clean and warm again.
  • Drive back to Newark, and thence onto SeaTac the next day.
  • Whew! I need a day off, so I do laundry and pedal for 4 (four) minutes on the trainer, before I realise that’s a dumb idea.
  • This morning, spend another 2 hours with the endodontist for the permanent root canal filling procedure.

OK, maybe I overbooked myself a little bit, but that’s kinda the story of my life. In all seriousness, I added the American Zofingen to my schedule this year despite the giant hole it put into my life for two reasons: see a bunch of ENers I would not otherwise get a chance to meet, and more important, race for all those who no longer can.

This race IS called the Chris Gleason Middle Distance Duathlon. I never met Chris in person. But I’ve felt a huge bond with him, not simply because we’d chat in forums and I’d always learn from him, but also because, on the day I “came back all the way” and won again at IM AZ, the first thing I found out on entering the tavern to celebrate is what happened to Chris G. earlier that day in Philadelphia. (For those who don’t know, this gregarious, giving 40 year old collapsed and died in the final mile of the Philly Marathon.) During the race last Sunday, as I finished up the final run, I went over in my mind all the people I’ve known, my age or younger, who gave so much to help me and others in life, who are no longer with us, and especially those who’d want to be racing that day but can’t. It’s our job, those who remain, to carry on in their memory. I’m reminded of a song from 40 years ago, one I’d forgotten all about until I heard it on my iPod last month on a long run. It’s by the Eagles, and it’s about a long-lost singer who influenced them and many others, and whom I still listen to all these years later, Gram Parsons:

“No man’s got it made, till he’s far beyond the pain; and we who must remain, go on living just the same.” (from “My Man”, On The Border)

For a heartfelt, in depth sense of just what this race does to people, read this long report @ reserveaid.org/wp-content/uploads/amzof-13-v2.pdf from someone who finished nearly dead (in both senses) last in 2012, and came back for revenge.

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1 Response to American Zofingen: A Cult Classic

  1. Jennyfer Gleason says:

    My sister, Karrie Borgelt who lives outside Philly, just forwarded this article this morning. Thsnk you sincerely for your thoughtful commentary, for your kindness, for honoring my late husband, Chris, and for participating in the crazy race that is AZ!!

    Congrats on your outstanding races and glad you took care of your mouth! My FIL is a dentist so good job! Ha ha

    Thanks a ton and happy racing,
    Jenny Gleason

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