I got a few goodies that I had put in the bag - a few protein and carbohydrate bars then put my socks and running shoes on and headed out for the final leg...
Sharn and Craig were busy doing more interviews in the tent so Ben and myself waited around 11 Minutes for them out on the road just past the transition exit.
There really isn't much to talk about only that the crowds at various points in the course were just so enthusiastic and supportive in such cold and wet conditions! At times it was so overwhelming that it was hard to fight the emotion.
There was one lady, some random tourist who just stood there in the middle of the park cheering people on. It looked like she was out for a walk. She certainly wasn't dressed to be part of the event or supporting a loved one. She just looked like a passer by that was interested in what was going on. She stood there for at least 2 of our 3 laps.
One female competitor who came first in her age group did the whole run in bare feet. She got to the ride to run transition and could not find her shoes!
Some of those surfaces around the docks would have been very uncomfortable with weathered wooden decking and gravel rocks. Amazing!!!
Well what a finish! Sharn got out of her wheelchair and walked her way with the help of Craig and Luke down the Finishers Chute to the finish line where her husband Russ was waiting to present Sharn and Craig with their Finishers medal.
While my 8 year old son Liam was waiting for us to finish a Japanese competitor who had just finished his Ironman, gave him his medal saying that he always gave his Ironman medals away in the hope that he would inspire the next generation of Ironman.
Liam didn't take the medal off for 2 days!
The 2014 Cairns Ironman event was such an inspiring experience that I can see why people get addicted to the sport and continue on to do more Ironman events.
The circumstances around my first Ironman - being there in support of Sharn in her first full Ironman was a very special experience for me. I doubt that an future Ironman I do will be able to top that.
Between the 17th of February and the 7th of June 2014 (16 weeks) I trained for over 130 hours, covering almost 2332 kilometers by swimming, riding and running (based on Garmin reporting). I had been base training for a lot longer however the 16 weeks was almost everyday for 2 to 4 hours.
[Swimming 23h:03m/70.1km | Cycling 72h:07m/1969.69km | Running 23h:20m/284.87km | Gym 11h:30m]
Even though I was not going to finish the race in a time reflecting the training I put in over that 16 week plus period and my abilities, I paid respect to the process of becoming an Ironman.
Becoming a true Ironman is not something you can just turn up on race day and do... Of course you can literally do that but it does not pay respect that Ironman deserves!
Being an Ironman is something that is earned through months and months of - day after day, night after night training, hurting, cramps, lonely 1 hour plus sessions in the pool and ocean, running in the rain, cold, heat, riding in the bloody time trial position for several hours while your family have to put their life with you on hold so you can do the work it takes to cross that finish line on race day knowing you deserve to get that medal and hear those words - "YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!".
Race day is a celebration of your transformation into an Ironman and the recognition of all you hard work!
I start the 16 week preparation on Monday the 8th of December.
Between now and then I will review and tweak the training plan I used for Cairns.
I am now 67 days away from a mountain bike race I do every November called The Camelbak Highland Fling south of Sydney where I am focused on a personal best time for the "Full Fling". I normally do the "Half Fling" which is around 58km. I have done the "Full Fling" once. It took me just over 9 hours. I am a lot fitter nowadays... We'll see how I go...
Thanks for spending the time to read my blog. I hope you found something interesting in my journey to becoming an Ironman.
If you would like to help raise awareness of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) - also known as Motor Neurone Disease (MND) or raise funds to find a cure, please consider visiting the Shining4Sharn website: http://www.shining4sharn.com.au
Cheers,
Pat Halloran
There was one lady, some random tourist who just stood there in the middle of the park cheering people on. It looked like she was out for a walk. She certainly wasn't dressed to be part of the event or supporting a loved one. She just looked like a passer by that was interested in what was going on. She stood there for at least 2 of our 3 laps.
One female competitor who came first in her age group did the whole run in bare feet. She got to the ride to run transition and could not find her shoes!
Some of those surfaces around the docks would have been very uncomfortable with weathered wooden decking and gravel rocks. Amazing!!!
The Finishers Chute:
Well what a finish! Sharn got out of her wheelchair and walked her way with the help of Craig and Luke down the Finishers Chute to the finish line where her husband Russ was waiting to present Sharn and Craig with their Finishers medal.
What an amazing day!
While my 8 year old son Liam was waiting for us to finish a Japanese competitor who had just finished his Ironman, gave him his medal saying that he always gave his Ironman medals away in the hope that he would inspire the next generation of Ironman.
Liam didn't take the medal off for 2 days!
The 2014 Cairns Ironman event was such an inspiring experience that I can see why people get addicted to the sport and continue on to do more Ironman events.
The circumstances around my first Ironman - being there in support of Sharn in her first full Ironman was a very special experience for me. I doubt that an future Ironman I do will be able to top that.
Between the 17th of February and the 7th of June 2014 (16 weeks) I trained for over 130 hours, covering almost 2332 kilometers by swimming, riding and running (based on Garmin reporting). I had been base training for a lot longer however the 16 weeks was almost everyday for 2 to 4 hours.
[Swimming 23h:03m/70.1km | Cycling 72h:07m/1969.69km | Running 23h:20m/284.87km | Gym 11h:30m]
Even though I was not going to finish the race in a time reflecting the training I put in over that 16 week plus period and my abilities, I paid respect to the process of becoming an Ironman.
Becoming a true Ironman is not something you can just turn up on race day and do... Of course you can literally do that but it does not pay respect that Ironman deserves!
Being an Ironman is something that is earned through months and months of - day after day, night after night training, hurting, cramps, lonely 1 hour plus sessions in the pool and ocean, running in the rain, cold, heat, riding in the bloody time trial position for several hours while your family have to put their life with you on hold so you can do the work it takes to cross that finish line on race day knowing you deserve to get that medal and hear those words - "YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!".
Thank you:
None of this would have happened without the love and support I have had from my family and friends!
Firstly... Thank you to my beautiful wife Michelle who had to put up with and without me through the 16 plus weeks of training! She is truly an amazing woman and I love her and my kids more than anything in the world!
Thank you to my kids for being so tolerant of daddy not being there on a weekend when they woke up and at bedtime when daddy had to swim, ride or run instead of reading them a story. I very much missed their kisses and cuddles.
Thank you to Michelle's mum Lyn and dad Steve for always being there for us and helping with the kids and feeding me... and coming to Cairns with us... Beautiful people...
Thank you to my sister Jill and my niece Jessie for coming up to Cairns support me.
Thank you to Sharn for the life inspiration. When training got tough, all I needed think of was what it was taking for you to prepare yourself for race day not to mention your everyday challenges. My pain was easily trivialised at the thought! Thanks too for accepting me into your S4S support team. It was an honour to experience my first Ironman with a great group of people!
Thank you to Craig Gruber for being an awesome guy and doing such an amazing gesture for Sharn.
...And thanks to all Ironman Asia Pacific, all the supporters out there on the day that helped to make an unforgettable experience!
What Now?
I now set my sights on the 2015 Ironman Melbourne - March the 22nd, only 200 days away!I start the 16 week preparation on Monday the 8th of December.
Between now and then I will review and tweak the training plan I used for Cairns.
I am now 67 days away from a mountain bike race I do every November called The Camelbak Highland Fling south of Sydney where I am focused on a personal best time for the "Full Fling". I normally do the "Half Fling" which is around 58km. I have done the "Full Fling" once. It took me just over 9 hours. I am a lot fitter nowadays... We'll see how I go...
Thanks for spending the time to read my blog. I hope you found something interesting in my journey to becoming an Ironman.
If you would like to help raise awareness of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) - also known as Motor Neurone Disease (MND) or raise funds to find a cure, please consider visiting the Shining4Sharn website: http://www.shining4sharn.com.au
Cheers,
Pat Halloran
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