August, 2002 Ten years after I first thought of doing one, and a few years after more serious contemplation (and training!), I finally completed my first ironman. The event is not a qualifier for the Hawaii race, so instead of seeing a thousand entrants there are only about 100.
3.8 km of swimming, 180 km of bike riding, and then at the end, a marathon, 42 km.
The hardest part is the training. I still believe that Tucson is a great place to train; you never have to worry about the weather. However training for over 6 hours at a time (like you *have* to when preparing for an IM) is tough. Once the temperature is up around 100 F running around is not the first thing you usually want to do... for good reason.
This is the day before the race and scouting out the venue.Just how cold is the water going to be?. As is the usual ritual, everyone is marked up prior to therace. Oneof two crazies that did the swim without a wetsuit.Half way, swim and half the bike done.Last dash to the finish. "So Matt, where do you think you lostthe race?". The best thing about finishing early (fifth will do) is thatthere is no line at the massage tent at the end.This is the transition from running around for 11 hours back tosomething a little more sedate.