Ironman Louisville Race Report:
Ironman Louisville is in the books! What a day! Thanks so much for all of your prayers and support throughout the race. I am so grateful for all of you who committed to this cause. It was an honor for me to race and it was so encouraging to know that 260 iJoiners were behind me!. While Ironman Louisville was my slowest Ironman finish, it was also my best "race". How can that be? Well, allow me to give a brief recap of my weekend.
We started the race
weekend off with our IronPrayer service on Friday evening. It was a
wonderful time, and really allowed us to put our focus on Jesus, the reason why we race. I was also really convicted that this race was about so much more than me. I was racing for our brothers and sisters suffering from the effects of HIV/AIDS in Africa. So, I went into race day with a much more relaxed spirit than I've ever had. I was truly excited for the race, and anxious to endure whatever hardships came my way.
On Saturday, I reported our fundraising totals to Janus. I was a little disappointed with our total of just over $30,000.
While that is a lot of money for this great cause, I honestly felt (and
still feel!) that we could do better. However, to my surprise, this
total was enough for 2nd place in the Janus Charity Challenge, earning the CRWRC another $8,000 from Janus! Praise the Lord! $38,000 will go a long ways for our brothers and sisters in Africa! Thank you to everyone who donated to this cause! Your sacrifice and commitment will make a huge difference!
Later on that evening, I received another
pleasant surprise: My sister Joy and her daughter Meikea drove down
from Michigan to cheer me on! It was a total shock to see them in my
hotel lobby, and Heather and I were so grateful for the additional fan support.
Sunday brought beautiful weather and great conditions. The swim in the dirty Ohio River was an "experience", to put it kindly. Heather took pictures of tires floating down the dirty river, and I couldn't see more than 2 inches in front of my face in the
murky water. It was rather filthy and warm (83 deg. F). Since it was so
warm, we were not allowed to wear wetsuits. Nonetheless, I felt like I
was having a very solid swim. I felt strong the entire time, and was totally relaxed. However, I came out of the
water in 1 hour 24 minutes, 10 minutes after my typical 2.4 mile
Ironman swim time. I was a bit disappointed, but was looking forward to
the bike.
I had a smooth transition and felt great getting onto the bike. However, as the day went on, I kept thinking about the reason I was racing. I was racing for our friends in Africa. The race wasn't about me. So, I felt very convicted to make this a race where I put aside personal time goals and focus on helping others get to the finish line, just like the CRWRC is helping our African friends get to their finish line. So, I started to pray for ways that I could help others on the
rolling 112 mile bike course. Well, there were a number of flat tires
(I found out later that some anti-Ironman citizen was spreading tacks
on the road!). So, I started stopping and
helping repair and replace flat tires. It was so much fun to just offer
help to people. I helped one first-timer save his race by giving him my CO2 cartridges and flagging down another rider to get a spare tube, then helping him change the tire. He was so grateful, as he had thought his race was over. I lost about 25 or 30 minutes of time on the bike, but I didn't care and it felt so good to help some people. By the end of the bike I was feeling rather nauseous for some reason (perhaps the nasty Ohio River water that I drank!), but I was looking forward to helping more people on the marathon.
The 26.2 mile marathon took us through the
beautiful streets of Louisville. It was a flat course, and conditions
were perfect - mid-70's. I decided I'd run until I saw someone that
needed some help. So, I ran the first 7 miles
or so and was feeling pretty good. I was running rather slow, but was
having a great time. Shortly after mile 7, I saw an elderly gentleman
who was struggling. He was cramping pretty bad and walking. I felt I
should walk with him. His name was Jerry, and he had competed in 8
Ironmans prior to this one, though he had only finished 4. He was
cramping and having blisters on his toes. So, we walked together for the next 3 miles. I told him all about Join the Race and the
struggles in Africa. He shared his experiences with me. Periodically,
I'd help him take off his shoe and stretch his foot to help his
blisters. It was such a blessing to serve this inspiring man. By mile
10, he was doing better and I decided to run for awhile. I saw a gal I
met at the triathlon in Alaska who was also at the Ironprayer service. She was having a great race! I ran with her for the next 3 miles and we encouraged one another. I continued this pattern of running and walking with people for the remainder of the marathon. What a joy it was to serve and help others accomplish their goals!
At the end of the race,
I felt better than I ever had after an Ironman. Of course, that's
probably because it was my slowest Ironman, but I think it was more
because the focus wasn't on me, but on others. I still was nauseaus at the finish, but not like I have been in previous races. I crossed the line in around 13.5 hours, but my finish time didn't matter. I had a higher goal in this race, and that made the day so much more fulfilling. Again, to God be the Glory!
