This was a race twelve years in the making. When Jeremy first said he wanted to race Ironman, it wasn't just a full distance triathlon he wanted to complete, it was Kona he wanted to experience. When we volunteered at the race nine years ago it just cemented his desire to make it to that start line one day. He raced 14 full distance races (and many others in between) to make that happen. I like to joke that he did it the hard way, because the dedication he showed this last decade was inspiring. The boys had been playing with the Rogers all week, but the night before the race we wanted to keep it a family affair. We rented a little condo down on Ali'i so that we could be as close to the action as possible.
There's something special about the Ironman World Championship energy, so we took a quick little tour around Ironman Village.
Bike check-in. Jeremy took his time meandering around the pier, because you only get that first time magic once.
Before tucking in for the night the kids got to work on motivational chalk messages that Jeremy would see on his final approach to the finish line. Don't they look amazing? We talk a lot about if we've been good examples to our kids and if our actions might motivate them to greatness in their own lives. When I see them take these messages seriously, "I'm so proud of you." "Good job Dad," I think maybe we've done something good there.
One final sunset.
Race morning! It's go time! I walked Jeremy down to transition bright and early, just loving the anticipation in the air. I knew that he had some butterflies, but was just so happy to finally have his Kona dreams come true.
Once he was in the swim corrals and there was nothing to do but wait, I went back to the condo to grab the kids. A quick two-minute walk took us to a fabulous vantage point to watch the swim. Jeremy told us he was going to wave his arms around like crazy so that we'd be able to see him. Miraculously, we saw him in that crowd. Once that gun went off the nerves kicked in for me and I was really hoping he was going to have the day he wanted.
Out of the swim in great time, and now he's off on the bike. He was most excited and most prepared for this segment. My fingers were crossed that the trade winds would cooperate and that there wouldn't be any accidents. We weren't able to hop around the course to see him again until he got off his bike, so we went back to the condo to rest up for the rest of the day.
To pass the time, and to have the best chance of hanging out with Jer, the kids and I volunteered at the run aid station on Palani. We reported way earlier than we needed to, but it meant that we were able to help out all of the pros. The kids thought it was awesome when past winners and Olympic medalists took their ice.
We finally saw Jeremy come by and he looked so good! He looked strong and happy!
After he passed he "just" had the climb out to the Energy Lab, the slog through the Energy Lab, and the return trip back. It was going to be awhile. Luckily the kids and I were incredibly busy making sure these guys were all hydrated. While we were working it started to rain a lot. I have never seen it rain like that during the race and was shocked. I could only hope that Jeremy had rain out on the course to keep him cool (he didn't even know it rained). By the time our shift was over we were just as wet as the athletes who were dumping ice and water over their heads for the full marathon.
After passing out cups for six hours, the kids were finally off shift and we headed straight to the finish line. I had no idea how Jeremy would be feeling. According to the tracker his splits were slowing down and he was suffering. But all he really needed to do was finish this race, and with each step he was getting closer and closer to doing that. We found a spot right on the red carpet where we could cheer and scream as he passed.
He looked tired but happy! Yay! I was so, so proud of him!
His parents volunteered as finish line catchers so they were able to be there right at the end to give him his necklace, towel, and walk him to the recovery area.
I knew it might take him some time to feel well enough to come out of the recovery zone, so we made ourselves comfortable in the lobby of the King K hotel to wait. Bruce had his phone available so Jeremy was able to call me as he rested. He sounded absolutely spent. So when I finally saw him walking out of the gates and he was walking slowly and so fatigued I wasn't too surprised. He gave it all he had out there on course. I guess he started feeling sick around mile 13 on the run and even threw up a bit. Once you do that it's really hard to come back from that. But he kept going and that's what mattered the most. The kids were so, so, proud of their dad.
Swim 1:17:01, T1 5:01, Bike 5:20:58, T2 4:23, Run 4:34:36, Overall 11:22:59
We took the long, slow, wet trek back to the hotel where we all promptly put on dry clothes and fell asleep. The next day we were able to enjoy his success a little bit more. Look how tough this guy is! I'm so grateful for his dream that has opened up so many opportunities for our family.
