Consequently there is a big push at the end to get the last finishers over the line. The drama is palpable, the tension electric. The pros, who generally finish in the 8-9 hour region, are back at the finish line to cheer on the normal people struggling to get over the line in time. The music is blasting, the crowd is cheering, and moment is overwhelming.
The tears are for real. The passion, the pain, it’s all there for the world to see. When the highlights of this race are shown in December, you can see that this race really is life-altering.
Epilogue: One of the truly cool things about triathlon is that the pros, the super fast people, are out there at the same time as the turtles like me. There is no way I would be allowed to play wide receiver for the Seahawks during the Super Bowl, throw pitches to Barry Bonds, or play goalkeeper against David Beckham. But in triathlon, I met and talked to Chrissie Wellington, the women’s winner for 2007 and 2008, Craig Alexander, 2008 men’s winner, and sat down to breakfast next to Chris “Macca” McCormack, the 2007 men’s winner. I talked to them all, face to face, person to person. It was an amazing thrill for me, especially when Macca recognized me at the airport and waved. The pros understand that in the end, triathlon is not a race against the other person. It’s a race against yourself.
Details: If you would like to volunteer for an Ironman race but can’t get to Kona, there are a ton of them out there now. Go to www.ironman.com to find the one close to you. There will be a volunteer link on the race page. Or you can volunteer at a local race; www.racecenter.com and www.active.com have listings of races all over the world. Volunteers are the lifeblood of triathlon and athletes know that without the volunteers there would be no race so they are very quick to thank every volunteer they see. You will get the satisfaction of helping, the recognition that you are important, the thanks of everyone there and at the very least, a cool t-shirt to wear with pride. Hope to see you on the course!
Article comments
1 - Broke But Still Drinking
I think it is cool that you can mingle with the sport's best athletes but this will be a thing of the past as the sport continues to grow in popularity. I think we are only a few years away from seeing different race days for professional and amateur participants.
2 - Jim B.
Well written. Thanks for the support! #439
3 - Russ Evenhuis
Thanks!
I really enjoyed the experience and look forward to be on the racer side of it someday.
#3, to answer your question, I run in Asics, Saucony or Nike pretty much exclusively. For the bike, I have been using Shimano or Forte.