"I told you Koenigsmann couldn't maintain this pace.
Look at his blood chemistry, his blood sugar is bottoming
out and he has been eating the whole time. I think he is
headed for a huge blowup like Mark Allen when he had that
huge lead on Dave Scott, was that 1987?" One of the
bike shop guys commented as he watched the telemetry monitor
to the right of the video.
"Be sure to punch up Fernando's blood chemistry when
he gets to Hawi" Jim Smith was not convinced Koenigsmann
would fold.
"Hey, check out Koenigsmann's heart rate, its ten
beats higher than it was an hour ago at the same speed and
the wind hasn't picked up yet." The bike shop guys
were certain Koenigsmann had gone out too fast. It could
be cardiac drift, or it could be that Koenigsmann is headed
for a big blow up.
GPS transponders on each of the competitors' bikes enable
people at home watching the race on HS media to follow their
friends in the event. The bike shop guys look up their customers
and see what kind of races they are having today. Each one
goes through the blood chem collection and the guys back
in Dearborn can see who needs to eat more, who is getting
dehydrated, who is low on sodium, etc.
Sunday, October 19, 2008.
11:48 hrs. Local, Hawi, Ironman bike course, Highway 19,
Big Island, Hawaii.
The General Atomics RHQ-40C Birdseye camera drones pick
up movement among the leaders. The darkhorse American, Enrico
Fernando, has been moving steadily toward the lead. His
blood chem at the turnaround seemed as if he weren't racing
at all. His blood sugar, potassium and sodium levels and
hydration are perfect. He is poised for a perfect run as
he eats into Koenigsmann's lead.
16:50 hrs. Local, Dearborn, Michigan. Triathlete's
living room.
"Fernando is coming on strong. I knew he would. Look
at his heart rate at 26 mph, it is only 144 bpm. Wait until
the marathon" one of the bike shop guys said. The American,
Fernando, had started doing well in 2005 on the international
circuit. No one tipped him as a favorite for Ironman Hawaii
but the people at home knew he was in the best form of his
life.
Sunday, October 19, 2008.
12:04 hrs. Local, Hawi, flight level one four zero over
Ironman bike course on board HS Media Network CH-17M Viewmaster
production aircraft, Big Island, Hawaii.
The HS Media broadcast producer sees the images from drone
9 and the telemetry on the big board as they orbit quietly
above the bike course in the big four-engine production
aircraft. The Boeing CH-17M Viewmaster is a civilian version
of the military C-17 cargo plane. In addition to carrying
the entire production suite and crew, it is a signal repeater/transmitter
to the communications satellite in geosynchronous orbit
that carries the HS Media signals to broadcast participants.
With four jet engines and in flight refueling capability
the HS Media Network's aircraft will remain aloft for the
entire duration of Ironman until the midnight cut-off. The
18-person production crew monitors the images and telemetry
from the drones while the producer, Tony Svenson, on board
decides what images will be made available to the HS Media
viewers all over the world.
Svenson notices the movement of Fernando 14,000 feet below
and calls another drone back from the leaders to cover his
progress. Sensing that Fernando may be making a tactically
significant move in the race they put two camera drones
on him. Svenson spins a track ball on his production console
and pulls up Fernando's physio telemetry on the big screen
in the Viewmaster. Fernando's heart rate is only 145 beats
per minute. His current speed is 25.17 M.P.H. His position
is 29 miles from the second transition area at the Kona
Surf Hotel. Telemetry fed into the main race CPU indicates
he will catch the lead pack by the time they all reach the
transition area.
Then the race will really start.
17:09 hrs. Local, Dearborn, Michigan. Triathlete's
living room.
Jim Smith and the guys from the bike shop watch in silence
as a big image of Fernando fills their screen.
"He looks awesome, he is barely
sweating. Look at his position, it's perfect. He's totally
dialed."
The guys tap a few buttons on their view controls and pull
up Fernando's physio telemetry. They look at his blood chemistry,
heart rate, body temperature, current speed on the course,
wind direction and speed. A graphic of the course shows
the position of Fernando along with small icons that show
the positions of Koenigsmann and the others near the front.
The guys in front of their flat-panel HS Media screens
here in Dearborn see that Fernando is making up time on
the leaders quickly. He is catching them. As they get weaker,
he only gets stronger
Sunday, October 19, 2008.
12:17 hrs. Local, Hawi, Ironman bike course,
Highway 19 before turn off to Alii Drive, Big Island, Hawaii.
Enrico Fernando, the American underdog, has caught the
lead group of cyclists as they enter the final 20 miles
before the run transition in the 2008 Ironman Triathlon
World Championship. On either side of the road two of the
small General Atomics RHQ-40C Birdseye drone remotely piloted
helicopters fly sideways at eye level next to him. The drone
pilot, seated 7 miles away and 14,000 feet up in the Boeing
CH-17M Viewmaster, uses his joystick like a Nintendo game
controller to bring the drone in close to Fernando. Once
Fernando enters the city the drones cannot operate at low
level due to power lines, trees and other obstacles. But
here, in the open spaces of the lava fields, the drones
can use their 400X remote control zoom lenses and camera
turrets to get any shot they want. They can even land to
get static shots and then leap back into the air at the
direction of the broadcast producer.
The video image captured by the drone pilots is exactly
what the producer wants: A beautiful "below eye level"
shot of Fernando bent over his aerobars streaking toward
the final transition with another Birdseye drone and the
ocean in the background. This is the stuff multi-media broadcasters
win the new "Omni" Award for. The Omni is the
biggest achievement in multi-media broadcast awards, and
producer Tony Svenson knows it. He wants to earn it for
this broadcast. Because it represents a mix of creativity
and technological excellence previously unattainable in
broadcasting, the Omni is much more significant than the
old, decrepit Emmy award. Since the birth of HS Media and
the death of television, no one cares about the Emmy.
Hurtling back into Kailua-Kona at over 26 M.P.H. Fernando
goes to the front of the group of leaders. As he passes
them, their draft proximity alarms begin a low buzz. The
ultra-miniature devices use ultra sonic frequencies sent
and transmitted from a transponder mounted to the bottom
bracket of every bike in the Ironman. When two competitors
get too close to one another, in violation of Ironman drafting
rules, a low tone begins to sound. If they do not leave
the draft zone quickly enough the tone becomes a high-pitched
squeal until a piercing tone like a car alarm sounds 5 seconds
before they have committed a penalty. Once they have committed
a penalty the draft proximity alarm logs this in its memory.
Back at the transition area, as the competitor crosses the
timing mats, memory in the draft proximity alarm automatically
adds three minutes to their chip time for one offense, another
six minutes for a second offense and disqualifies them if
there is a third violation. Draft marshals are obsolete
now.
Fernando reaches the bottom of the grocery store hill across
the street from the Keahou-Akai Condominiums on Alii Drive,
pounds up the climb in his 54/17 and gets ready for the
bike to run transition. He makes the right turn down the
steep hill into the parking lot of the King Kamehameha,
makes the quick left and crosses the timing matte. When
he does a wealth of information is downloaded from his timing
chip. Because Fernando is a Timex sponsored athlete, he
uses the new Timex Clair (short for clairvoyant) cyclocomputer
system. A Timex representative plugs a fire wire connection
into the Timex Clair's output port and dumps the telemetry
from Fernando's ride into a CPU that produces graphs and
charts for broadcast on the HS Media. Viewers at home can
punch it up from their view menu if they are interested.
Fernando enters the changing tent. A volunteer hands him
his changing bag. He shoves his finger into another Accutrend
Endurant 140.6 portable blood analysis unit and it draws
a drop of blood that will reveal his condition as he enters
the marathon.
18:02 hrs. Local, Dearborn, Michigan. Triathlete's
living room.
Jim Smith and the guys from the bike shop have been waiting
for the upload from the Timex Clair units on the athletes'
bikes. A small Timex icon appears on the screen signaling
the data is ready for viewing. One of the guys from the
bike shop hits a button on the view controller keyboard
and the bike telemetry comes up on a 42" monitor. Fernando
averaged 324 watts of power output on the bike. His average
heart rate was 154 bpm. His average cadence was 91 rpm.
Several graphs appear that show the peaks and valleys of
his efforts over the entire 112 miles of the bike course.
The information is available from all of the athletes using
the new Timex Clair cyclcomputer on line almost instantly.
Sunday, October 19, 2008.
12:27 hrs. Local, Bike to Run Transition Area, King Kamehameha
Hotel,
Ironman Triathlon World Championship, Big Island, Hawaii.
Thor Koenigsmann seems unsteady when he climbs off his
bike in the hotel parking lot. A Kokua Crew volunteer takes
his bike as he heads for the changing tent. All the fancy
computer internet data in the world cannot show the most
obvious sign of Koenigsmann's impending problems as much
as the video image does. Koenigsmann is walking. There is
stiffness in his lower back. He is hurting. He seems to
have some reservation about putting his finger in the blood
analysis monitor, as though he knows the news won't be good.
All the information collected and distributed over the HS
Media network is not available to the athletes in the race.
They still race in a virtual "information vacuum".
The viewers at home on their HS Media have much more information
about the race and the competitors than do the competitors
in the race.
18:31 hrs. Local, Dearborn,
Michigan. Triathlete's living room.
"Dude, punch up Koenigsmann's blood
numbers!" One of bike shop guys nearly shouts as they
watch the video image of Koenigsmann wobble out on to the
start of the run. The other 42" monitor shows Fernando
already has a two-minute lead and building.
Jim Smith hits the numbers on the view controller and Koenigsmann's
numbers come up on the screen. Some of them are in red letters.
One set is flashing. Thor Koenigsmann is becoming hyponatremic.
The sodium concentration and serum osmolarity of his blood
is well out of optimal range. Sodium is a required element
for normal body functions, voluntary and involuntary. It
is lost in sweat and urine and is replaced in a race like
this with food and sports drinks. The body has a remarkable
ability to maintain sodium and water balance throughout
a variety of conditions, but these conditions are too extreme.
Ultraendurance events throw this survival mechanism into
chaos. Koenigsmann's body is entering that chaos and beginning
to protest. The bad news shows on the blood chemistry screen.
Even before he realizes it, viewers at home know that Thor
Koenigsmann has lost the Ironman.
Sunday, October 19, 2008.
12:43 hrs. Local, Run Course, Alii Drive,
Ironman Triathlon World Championship, Big Island, Hawaii.
Enrico Fernando has attacked. With none of the chase group
in view he enters the small downtown area of Kailua Kona
where a 40 foot Sony Mega Screen is set up for spectators
to view the race. He went through the last mile at a 6:10
pace. Before he makes the right turn to head up to the lava
fields he tries to see his competitors on the Mega Screen.
Race organizers should know to black the screen out when
the leaders go by, but Fernando got to the corner more quickly
than they anticipated. The image he sees on the screen is
of Koenigsmann, over four minutes behind him now.
The big German is walking.
14:54 hrs. Local, Finish Venue, Alii Drive,
Ironman Triathlon World Championship, Big Island, Hawaii.
The crowd and the viewers knew it almost
two hours ago. Enrico Fernando, the formerly talented age-grouper,
has won the 2008 Ironman Triathlon World Championship. His
charge down the finish chute is a formality, a victory lap.
Viewers from all over the world see his finish in real
time. When he gives his last blood sample the telemetry
reveals he is barely dehydrated. His heart rate begins to
fall the moment he crosses the finish line.
Out on the run course Thor Koenigsmann is on his back with
an I.V. in his arm. His race is over. Viewers at home see
his blood numbers qualify him for a spot in the emergency
room from extreme dehydration and hyponatremia.
As a procession of other competitors file past on Highway
19 a miniature helicopter comes in close to hover near Koenigsmann
as they load him to the ambulance.
HS Media viewers get a birdseye view
of what it means to win the Ironman, and what its like to
lose it.
