I was dumbfounded at the swim. My friend Brian Travis was doing it with his whole family. A family of triathlon freaks. His father had turned 60 this day and was doing his twenty something IronMan. The swimming event was the best. An insane amount of people started, like 2300, jumping into the blender together. Brian had got hit in the eye, someone hit his ear and broke his ear drum, he was nauseous and dizzy the whole swim. They cut the swim off at 2 hrs 20 minutes. If you cannot finish it, you nicely get the axe from the race judges when you exit the water. We were witness to about 4 people that got cut out of the race because of that. There is also a bike cutoff time and a run cutoff time. Brian’s mother Carol came in about 1130 pm. 58 years old.
Total the swim is 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and a marathon=26 mile run.
IronMan is my ultimate goal of 2010. I will register next year 2009 this time. 500 dolores 8(. But well worth it considering the last end of the gantlet run when you pass spectators cheering you on and some guy on a mic yells YOU ARE AN IRONMAN. They cut the race off at 12 midnight due to safety reasons. The last person is was a 60 something male with a gut. He made it in about 11:59, with the whole crowd singing and dancing the Y M C A song.. We cheered him in. Ten minutes before, some delirious 40 something guy was running in, dizzy smiling slapping fans hands then 10 yards before the finish line, BAM fell on his chest and bounced off the ground like a fish. He stumbled onto his feet and crossed the line; every one cheering him on. He was smiling.
This is the swim.
A total BLENDER.
I found a pic on the site, this is what you would look like if you crossed.
More pix of the event here on flickr. Check out the ending shots with parents crossing over into heaven with their kids and family at their sides.
Here is the a partial video of the start of the swim. The gun went off pretty fast, and I did not get the very start.
Also, I ended up splurging some cash out for a top of the line suit. A 2xU suit, Their homepage is here.
Brian with his mother, father, and brother did the Ironman together. A family Affair!
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Me in my new Batman at sea suit. Peter, a young and upcoming triathlete like me and the stepson of my friend Brian were trying out our suits in the cold water of lake Coeur d'Alene.
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