Well, it finally happened! After 5 years of trying, I finally punched my ticket to Kona. It happened at Eagleman 70.3 in Maryland on June 8th. I went into the race as a prep for Ironman USA in Lake Placid (a spot I secured at Ironman California 70.3). Knowing the conditions were going to be brutal (close to 100 degree temps), I played it conservatively on the swim and bike, and then just tried not to completely melt down on the run. As I approached the finish, I had a pretty good idea that I had done enough to get the Kona spot, but you never really know until you get it. It was far from my best race (see results). In fact, I was over 15 minutes slower than last year, but it did turn out to be one of my best days. I don't know who was happier, me or Jenn, who has been patiently waiting to go to Hawaii since we got married (I wouldn't go until I qualified). Although I'm the one out there training and racing, she has sacrificed a heck of a lot more than I have. So, it was a very emotional day for both of us. With a Kona spot in hand, I decided with withdraw from Ironman USA (no reason to do 2 ironmans). However, I did go up last weekend to train, cheer on my teammates and volunteer. It was actually very cool to actually watch an ironman, rather than race. I had never seen one, other than on tv. The other cool thing was working the finish line from 9-midnight and seeing the last finishers come in. Very inspirational. I honestly don't know how these competitors do it for 16-17 hours. I've never volunteered before, and it was very satisfying. I also figured I needed some good Karma for Kona.
I thought I'd share my journey to Kona with my family and friends. Over the next few months, I'll periodically post about training, racing, and life in general. As October 11th approaches, I'll post more frequently, including many pictures during race week. It should be a fun journey!
-Pat
