what’s an ironman?
What is an Ironman?
A 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bicycle ride, followed by a 26.2 mile run… sound tough? Here’s what my 2004 race looked like…
It’s just another Sunday…
7:00am: The cannon goes off
swim. swim, swim – 2.4 miles
8:15am: I exit the water to change from swim suit to cycling gear.
ride, ride, ride – 112 miles
5:00pm: I trade my bicycle for running shoes, wondering if the sprained ankle will continue for 26.2 miles of running
run, run… err, walk, walk, walk for 26.2 miles
8:30pm: It’s dark and lonely, but I’m walking/running as fast as I can
11:46pm: I run the final 50 yards to cross the finish line. 13 minutes before the 17 hour cut-off!
It’s close to 24 hours from the time I wake up on race morning to when I finally get back to the hotel to sleep again. The day is veeery long, with loads of thoughts running through my head, it really serves as the one day where I have time to ponder the many happenings in life.
So why would someone ever want to do an Ironman?
I had watched 2 consecutive Ironman competitions in Canada, riding my motorcycle up to support my friends on Team in Training’s Ironteam. The first was to support my close friend Louie Bonpua, who participated in the 2001 while he was being treated for Leukemia. Louie passed away in January 2002 from his battle with Leukemia. In August 2002, I returned to Canada to cheer on his teammates, all of which have become close friends since his passing. It was while watching this particular event that I decided to participate myself.
During Louie’s short life, and long battle with Leukemia, he became a hero to the many he touched. He was a hero that day in Penticton, British Columbia, when he crossed the finish line an Ironman. Ever since Louie’s passing I’ve been trying to inform people that being a hero is easy, it’s within each of us.
Therefore, I challenge you with… “What’s your hero status?”
I laugh and joke a lot. This is completely serious though, I have completed 2 Ironman competitions and each year is different, where you quickly learn that you won’t be able to depend upon your past performance to get you through the current year. I now know I can complete an Ironman… it’s within me, I will conquer this challenge each year I set out to complete it. Is it easy… NO!. It’s definitely a tough challenge that requires a lot of dedication.
The support is amazing, as with all things… the support is what gets us through the challenges.