He still looks like he is having fun!
As James started out on his 112 mile bike tour of the island, so did 1, 853 other people! Some were ahead of him, some were behind, but only 1,818 of them would make it to the run!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
112 Mile Bike!
Now that the swim is over, it is time for a little ride around the Big Island of Hawaii on a bike!
James looks like he is really enjoying himself!
It was a beautiful day in Kona. I heard some of the pros say that this was the best conditions they had seen on race day, in Kona!
Friday, October 28, 2011
James’s goal was to be out of the water in one hour and thirty minutes. With a time of 1:22:30, he came out of the water ahead of schedule and feeling good!
Dolphins and Rays
An ocean swim for a race like this often involves nature at it’s finest. One lady I talked to was out swimming a practice swim. She looked down, and there was a manta ray swimming below her!
On race day, though, nature pulled out all the stops! When I got back to the hotel, my dad and Aaron said they had seen dolphins out in the water. One of the kayakers said that there were dolphins jumping over some of the swimmers! James even said he heard something that sounded like the clicking that dolphins make!
I feel it is moments like these, when you least expect it, that you realize how incredibly awesome God really is! Who else would have created a world where dolphins swim alongside racers in the Ironman? What a wonderful way to start the race!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Bird's Eye View of the Swim Start!
There are were 1,859 athletes that started the 2011 Ironman World Championship! The first 200 numbers are reserved for the professionals. The pros start their swim thirty minutes before the age group athletes do. So, at 7:00 am on Saturday, October 8, 1,600+ Ironman hopefuls started their swim in Kailua Bay!
Of the 1859 athletes that started the race, only 4 did not make the swim cut-off time! That is amazing to me!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
The Race Begins!!!
After saying good-bye, James went to get in the water, and I went to find a place to watch the race. Unfortunately, I had lingered too long with my soon to be Ironman, and was unable to fight my way through the crowds to watch from the seawall. So, I ended up watching on the big screen! This did set me up for an excellent viewing position for the bike start, though!
What's that in the Old Banyan Tree?
Spectators climbed up in the banyan tree to get what I imagine was an exceptional view of the swim start!
After checking and making sure everything was ready with the bike, it was time for James to get ready for the swim. Wet-suits are not allowed in this race, but certain “skin suits” are. That is what he is wearing. He was eager to get the race going, and quite frankly, so was I! The professional racer would start at 6:30 am and the age-group athletes would start at 7:00 am. James kissed me and headed off into the bay…sounds like a romance novel!
Race Morning!
Race day dawned bright and early! Well, not so bright at 4:00 am, but it sure was early! My dad had stayed the night in our room, and the plan was for him to stay with the boys while I went to the starting line with James. We got ready and took the elevator down to the ground floor. As we were leaving the building, I hear this heart wrenching scream of “MOMMY!!!” I ran back toward the stairs and there was Aaron, in his pajamas, running down the stairs screaming my name! I ran up the stairs to him. He said in a weepy voice “I want to go with you!” I loved on him and talked with him for a little bit, finally convincing him to go back to the room. My father was standing there with the door open. He had heard the door shut once when we left, and again when Aaron ran out. He could not leave Rylan, so he was just caught in a state of limbo as to what to do!
We finally made it out of the hotel. James had slept fairly well and was ready for some coffee! We stopped by “Java on the Rock”, which had opened at 3:00 am! We continued on down the road, and were soon joined by hundreds of people headed to the same place we were.
As we approached the starting line, a bunch of people started walking down the street with surf boards! These were some of the volunteers who would be patrolling the water during the swim. It was extremely cool to watch them carrying their surf boards. They seemed almost as excited as the athletes!
Meet me back here in 14 hours!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Pink Skirt for Breast Cancer
This is Steven (and Steven’s friend). We first met Steven and his sweet wife, Kathy, in LAX while we were delayed flying to Hawaii.
Yes, Steven is wearing a pink skirt! I thought that he was wearing it just to fit in with the craziness that is the “Underpants Run”in Kona. Believe me, I saw much stranger things than this running down Ali’I Drive that morning!
Turns out there is a much more serious reason he is wearing it. He is wearing this pink skirt in honor of “Breast Cancer Awareness Month” and in tribute to 3 ladies in his own life that are recovering from breast cancer. His story of the pink skirt touched my heart. You can read the full story here: www.thedoorknobchronicles.com
Most of us do not have a chance to wear a pink skirt while running down Ali’I Drive in Kona, Hawaii. (And would we really have the nerve anyway?) Yet, each one of us has something we can do, though, right where we are. Today, I challenge you to find your own version of the “the pink skirt”. Just go out and do it!
Quiet Friday
Friday was a quiet day. The Ironman World Championship was the next day! We were all walking around in a little bit of disbelief. Could it really be the day before the race? It just did not seem real.
James had another training session with his coach. Rylan and I were going to go down to watch him, but discovered it was raining again! So, we just crawled back into bed and went back to sleep. Ummm…no…that is just a dream of a sleep deprived mommy! In reality, Rylan was not letting me go back to sleep. We shared a muffin, then waited on Aaron and my dad to come down on the trolley from his hotel.
After his brief training session, James spent most of the day relaxing and keeping his feet up. We went to lunch and got an early pasta dinner and James was in bed by 8:00. The rest of us soon followed.
Saturday…IRONMAN!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
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