Tim competed at the Whirlpool Ironman 70.3 triathlon in Benton Harbor, Michigan at the beginning of this month. (Ironman 70.3 means a half-Ironman distance race). He did amazingly well, considering that he had only been training for about 2.5 months. He earned 11th place overall, but he was the first amateur to finish the 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run with a time of 4 hours and 12 minutes. His placing qualified him for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Florida this November, so we're definitely looking forward to that.
Although the boys and I didn't attend the race, we were able to follow the live results online. As soon as we learned that Tim had finished first in his age group (30-34), which is typically the toughest of all the age groups, Tyler clapped his hands and said, "Yay! Daddy won his age group! I so happy, I so happy!"
We got to talk with Tim on the phone just minutes after his race, and one of the first things out of Tyler's mouth was, "Daddy, did you get me a trophy?"
One of the perks of being the son of a fairly successful endurance athlete is the hardware--medals, trophies, plaques, etc. Tyler has come to expect such things after Tim's races because he knows that Daddy almost always performs well enough to earn them. He doesn't realize, however, that for most of the long races (marathons, half-marathons, Ironman and half-Ironman triathlons) everyone who completes the distance gets a finisher's medal. Tyler just knows that Daddy comes home with a lot of cool stuff after a race.
It's a good thing Tim does well at these races because he now has two boys who enjoy the hardware. At this particular race, he received a finisher's medal, a first-place medal and a plaque for winning his age group. Nathan doesn't really care about the trophies and plaques yet, but he does appreciate a medal around his neck, so thankfully Tim brought home one for each of his boys.
Showing off their new medals, the new plaque, and a trophy from Tim's previous race (see below)
Lately when I take Nate's picture, he blinks his eyes over and over. I think it's because of the flash. I have to take 5 photos to get just one of him with his eyes open. Silly boy.
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Tim did a sprint triathlon the week before his Ironman 70.3, and since it was within driving distance, I took the boys and my dad. I had to wake up Tyler and Nathan so we could leave our house by 6:30 am (never an easy task), but since we don't get to see too many of Tim's triathlons, I didn't want them to miss it.
This was Tim's third consecutive year competing in the Buckner Mission Man Triathlon. I like this particular event because: 1) we can drive to it, 2) it's spectator friendly, and 3) the proceeds go toward missions.
Of course Tyler was excited about the race because, as previously established, he loves everything to do with triathlons. He loves watching all the bikes as the athletes head out on the road. Nathan liked watching all the athletes, too, but he was also just happy to have his Papa Rudy there to play with him.
Tim had a good race, especially considering that the sprint distance isn't really his thing. He finished third overall and one of his Raleigh Running Outfitters teammates finished second, so it was a good day for the team.
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