<< Back 10/9/02 Local veterinarian places in Atomic half-ironman By Larry East • The Smoky Mountain News will publish stories from readers about their exploits in outdoors events. The stories can be about first-time racers or the experiences of seasoned hikers or campers. Send stories to info@smokymountainnews.com or call Scott McLeod at 828.452.4251. As Nancy crossed the finish line, I smiled as I realized there would be no more 5 a.m wake-up calls. For the last 9 months, Nancy has trained early and diligently for this grueling event. As her husband and self-appointed coach, I was more proud of her than I have ever been. Dr. Nancy East, 30, a veterinarian at the Animal Hospital of Waynesville, plunged into the frigid waters of Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge, Tenn., on Sept. 29 as her friends and family stood by shivering in our woolly sweatshirts. She was joined by 285 tri-athletes from all over the U.S. competing in the first annual Atomic Man Race, a half-ironman distance triathlon deriving its name from the local Y-12 Atomic Energy Plant. The course consisted of a 1.2-mile lake swim, 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile half-marathon run. As she swam out into the lake, I remembered her first open water practice swim. She barely made it a few paces from shore because she feared a toe cramp would sink her. Now she was elbow-to-ear with the other 285 flailing swimmers racing for the best position. Forty-five minutes later she emerged from the icy lake smiling, numb and barely breathing, just getting warmed up. As she quickly changed out of her wetsuit into her biking gear, she realized that her fan club was watching on in amazement. Let me take a moment here to describe the fan club. Fourteen close friends and family drove through the night from Knoxville, Waynesville and Atlanta to show their support for the end of her long journey and the biggest race of her life. There were also seven family dogs in attendance to cheer on their favorite vet. The entire crowd loudly rejoiced, barked and waved signs each time she passed through the transition area, recharging her batteries. She and I had ridden the bike course several months before. She left me in the dust and occasionally stopped to ask — “are you OK?” — as I looked a little pale, out of breath and a mile behind. Since then Nancy has conquered hundreds of miles of Western North Carolina roads and mountains, encouraged by the many honks of friendly drivers, waving as they passed (wait, that wasn’t a wave!). The Atomic Man bike course was a series of rolling roads and “cry-baby hills” as the race director affectionately dubbed them. The hills were quick and steep, but passing over them four times intended to bring out the “cry-baby” in all of the racers. The next event was the 13.1-mile run. If anyone has seen a triathlete move from biking to running, then you are familiar with the concept of “Gumby Legs,” a sad but laugh stifling sight. Nancy had performed many bike-run combinations to combat this ugly common condition. As she overcame her shaky gait in the first mile, she passed by her faithful fan club one last time. Imagine this. You have just swam over a mile through frigid waters, biked 56 miles of tough terrain, run 12 hilly miles through late-summer heat and someone says, “OK, now climb Mt. Everest.” That is how the runners must have felt as they approached the last leg, a long, steep, gruesome, punishing and just plain cruel one-mile climb to the finish line. On “The Hill,” most runners walked, some stopped and then went on, a few vomited and an elite few continued their runners’ pace up the hill. From the top of the mountain, we could see Nancy unwavering as she charged up the hill toward her fan club and the finish line. As she exuberantly crossed the finish line, I thought, “Wow...no more 5 a.m wake-up calls!” Nancy finished third place in her age group with a time of six hours, 12 minutes. As she (and our dog Tattoo) accepted her trophy with tears in her eyes, the fan club let out one last victory cheer! Congratulations also to Pat Burgin, another Waynesville athlete, who completed the race in 5 hours, 57 minutes.