THE SURFACE FAMILY: Ironman Louisville

Tim's biggest and longest race of the year was on August 31st at Ironman Louisville. The boys and I didn't go because traveling to Kentucky with the two of them would have been difficult. Plus, a race that is over 9 hours is long for any spectator, let alone a 2-year-old or a 4-month-old. I would have loved to have been there otherwise, and I know Tyler would have been so excited to see all the athletes swimming, biking and running. All the finishers received a highlight DVD, which Tyler cannot watch enough times. He has watched it everyday, except one, since Tim brought it home with him 2 weeks ago. Several times a day I hear, "Me watch Daddy's race?"

So, on to the race itself. For those of you who aren't married to a man who has been training for an Ironman triathlon for the past year, you may not know that the race consists of swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles, and running a marathon (26.2 miles). You won't hear Tim tooting his own horn, so I have to do it for him. =) Not only did Tim complete all of that on a day when the high was 95 degrees, he came in 20th place out of 2,100 athletes with a total time of 9 hours, 53 minutes, and 27 seconds. He was 2nd in his age group (24-29 years old), which qualified him for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii next month. He turned down his spot for Hawaii, however, because he wants to take another year to improve so he can have a shot at winning the amateur title at Worlds. In case you don't know Tim that well, he doesn't do anything halfway. He's extremely driven and competitive, and he isn't satisfied with second best.

Tim worked so hard over the past year to improve his swimming and biking, and it has really paid off for him. I am so proud of him for completing his first Ironman (the successful results are a bonus) and I'm grateful that my boys have a daddy who can teach them that there are no short-cuts when working toward a goal.

Although the boys and I were not at the race, Tim was not without support. His parents and 2 best friends, Jason and Ryan (and girlfriend Katie), were in Louisville to cheer him on. Tim's mom sent us some photos that she took during and after the race (thank you, Geraldine), and I'm sharing a few here.

The transition area

Coming out of the Ohio River after the swim portion