By Sara Rennie Heretick, NCTM, CMT
Clinical Sports Massage Therapist
http://www.handsonwellnessmt.com
Ultra athletes push through just about anything, but if their nutrition gets off it’ll throw them for a loop.
When ultra athletes start to fail because they don’t have enough fuel, that will also not only mess with their equilibrium, but it will cause muscle cramping. I can work on those muscles, but only if I’m allotted enough time to loosen things up. Muscle cramps can cripple an athlete and knock them out of a race.
While at some other competitions I might be part of a competitor’s crew, at the Lake Anna Double and
Triple IRONs I’m there for all the athletes. I provide message therapy and stretching before, during, and after the race.
Occasionally, an athlete will want a massage before the race starts. At the 2011 Lake Anna races the only person who came to see me before the race was Kamil Suran, who was not only doing his first Triple IRON, he won it, and beat the record.
Kamil’s approach to message therapy was smart. When he saw me before the race we agreed that I would work on him between the bike/run stage. This allowed him to relax, eat, and rest for about 10 minutes. And yes, these ultra athletes can accomplish a lot in a short period of time. Unfortunately, many athletes don’t come to see me until they are cramping or have another issue.
Interestingly, Kamil had never had massage therapy before during a race, but it paid off. Ghislain, who was winning the Triple by quite a ways, was an athlete I worked on in 2010, and when I saw him in 2011, I could tell when he tanked out. He stopped eating and drinking and then it was just a matter of time before he really slowed. Kamil on the other hand, restored himself on my table, and during the night, Kamil caught Ghislan, who was now cramping. Kamil was able to pass him and ultimately win the Triple IRON.
The best advice I can give to athletes is to not make any new adjustments while on the bike in particular. Doing that could cause back issues or other cramping. Staying hydrated is crucial of course, normally the quads will cramp when someone is dehydrated. During the bike or run, many athletes will have issues with calves cramping or have issues with hamstring pulls. Rarely do I see anyone for a message after they finish the swim.
The best advice I can give athletes is to give me more time, for a 5 or 10 minutes is rarely enough. Athletes don’t think they have the time to spare but when you consider what can happen if they don’t spend that time with me, I could be the difference between finishing strong, or even finishing.
I’ve been working with Steve Kirby since 2007 when I watch the Double and Triple IRONs for the first time and I was hooked. The races are so mental, and athletes must dig deep into themselves. I want to help with the physical part because pain and/or injury will wreak havoc on someone’s mental stability during the race. I don’t want to see that happen.
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