Race Day!

Race day=Sunday, July 27, 2014

Ironman Lake Placid

Rich, Lindsay and I were up bright and early by 4:30 and out of the cottage by 4:45 so we could get Rich checked in, warmed up and in race mentality.  Thankfully my mom offered to stay at home with the kids so we didn't have to wake them up that early and since rain and thunderstorms were supposed to hit that morning we didn't really want them cheering in that weather.  The energy on race days (whether an Ironman or just a local road race) is always so high and exciting and this morning definitely didn't disappoint.  It was fun to take the shuttle in with him and watch the volunteers get the athletes ready with their numbers and gear.  

We dropped Rich off at the athlete tent and Linz and I found a Starbucks and then roamed around town a little bit before walking down to the start line.  The sun was coming up by then and there wasn't any rain in sight (for the moment) so it was a beautiful start to the day.  

We caught Rich as he was walking to the start of the swim for one last hug and good luck wish!

All of the swimmers ready to go!

The swim was in Mirror Lake and was a two loop course in the water.  After the swim they had a 800 meter run to the transition area for the bike so we were able to see him get on the run to the bike and then rushed over and also caught him leaving on the bike.  By the time he was out of the water it was thundering, lightening and raining so everyone was a little anxious knowing that they were getting ready to go on a 112 mile bike ride in these conditions on a very tough course.  There were some athletes who actually didn't get to finish the swim due to the weather so the official Ironman times only counted the first lap of the swim.  My Aunt Kathy and Uncle Derrick found us before Rich left the water so they were to cheer him on as well.  He finished the swim in 1:07 minutes which is right where he wanted to be (although only the first lap of 31:58 will be counted for his official time.)

After we saw him on the bike we headed back to the cottage to dry off and to pick up the rest of the cheering crew.  We hooked up with the Conleys and all headed back into the town for the afternoon/evening.  

We made it back in time to see him finish on the bike.  Pretty neat spot as they rounded the finish right in front of the Olympic Center!  Thankfully the rain had stopped so we stayed pretty dry for the afternoon.  

He finished the bike in 6:05:32 which was slower than he wanted but he is proud of his ride considering the conditions with the rain, thunder and lightening and especially because of the course.  People kept telling him that the bike and run course were hilly but he had no idea as to how "hilly" they were until we arrived (although I supposed he should have known considering the race does take place in the Adirondacks Mountains!)  He got up to 50 mph on the downhill which is just SO fast and SO crazy (especially on wet roads.) He took us on the bike course the day after the race to show us what it was like and was definitely insane!  I am just thankful that he came off the bike all in one piece!  

Heading out on the run with a smile on his face...that was a good sign!  

After seeing him transition off the bike and begin the run we headed back to the park area to let the kids play for awhile.  We were able to see Rich around mile 13 which was good and although he looked tired he was still moving strong.  

I headed over to get a good spot on the course for the run and while I was there the kids saw a pirate on the beach.  Joseph was SO excited especially due to his current obsession with Jake and the Neverland Pirates and was totally his highlight of the day!

After grabbing a bite to eat for an early dinner we headed towards the finish line.  My friend from college, Diana, was in the area for her honeymoon and she and her new husband, Chris, came to cheer Rich on and to hang out with us during the day.  It was so great to see her and fun having her there!  

The finish line was in the Olympic stadium which was really neat and so beautiful, especially since the rain had stopped and the sun was shining.  

There was a huge hill right behind the finish line which Joseph ran up and then roll or run down over and over.  He was having a blast and getting lots of energy out.  He took kind of a rough spin down one time and after that he decided he was done and went and climbed into the stroller and passed out for the next hour!  He missed  Rich finishing but I wasn't going to wake him-it had been a long day for everyone!

A final smile before naptime!

And he's out!!  

And, here he comes!!  Rich finished the marathon in 4:02 which is faster than many people finish marathons in without swimming 2.4 miles and biking 112 miles prior to running.  His finish time was 11:23 overall (thirty minutes faster than his time from the previous year in Texas).  With half of the swim time removed due to the weather though his actual time as listed on the Ironman website is 10:42:45.  He finished 267th out of 2278 participants so in the top 12% which is just awesome and was 50th in his age group. He had hopes to possibly qualify for Kona with this race but after realizing how crazy the hills were on the course and then with the weather conditions also affecting the race it was just too much...he says he is done with Ironman races for awhile but knowing my husband the bug will bite again and his drive to make it to Kona one day will come back...we'll see. 

Love this picture of him that my Aunt Kathy took.  It was SO fun having everyone at the finish line together! 

We are so thankful that the Conleys made the trip from Ohio.  They were such a HUGE part of our Ironman Texas experience that it just wouldn't have been the same at Lake Placid without them.  

Here is the entire support crew.  We are so blessed to have such amazing family and are so appreciative that everyone made the drive up for the race and were there to support our whole family (bonus that they all made shirts!!)

And, Joseph was still passed out.  Love Ella's little leg draped over his body!

We headed to a fun outdoor bbq restaurant for dinner that night  which was right by our cottages.  The kids played on the pirate ship playground attached to the restaurant as well as hid under chairs!

Joseph finally woke up and got to pet a live lobster that one of the employees brought out for him. 

Ella had no interest in petting the lobster-just preferred watching it from a safe distance!  

After dinner we all headed back to the cottage to shower and then Rich and Joseph went down to the Conley's to roast s'mores...Ella and I passed out quickly as it was a long day for everyone.  We are so proud of our Ironman!!  What an awesome journey it has been!