Ironman Texas 2011

It was June 25th, 2010 a little after noon. I was at work and received a phone call. It was Ronnie Reeves asking, "Did you get in?". "Get in what?", I responded. He was talking about registration having just opened up for the inaugural Ironman Texas set for May 21, 2011 in the Woodlands and I knew it. I was just being evasive. To that point I had only done 2 sprints and 1 sort of duathlon (an Oly where the swim got cancelled). With only 2 full events under my belt and only 3 more planned for the remainder of 2010, a race of 140.6 miles wasn't really something I was considering. But Ronnie has this very persuasive way about him. He made me an offer I couldn't refuse and minutes later I was officially registered to do an IRONMAN. What the What?!

I had nearly a year to prepare, so the task didn't seem quite so daunting when I thought about it that way. I quickly realized that my winging-it, do whatever feels right approach to training would no longer suffice. I heard great things about the customized plans that Coach Jeff made for the Performance Membership Group and decided to join. I also added a 70.3 race to the end of my 2010 season as a bench-mark. The timing of it all seemed to be working out. I followed my plan the best I could, but still came in under-trained at Ironstar (my fault, not the plan's). Then, I had a period of six weeks from mid-December until late January when I had to stop swimming and biking and ran only very little. I considered pulling out of the race, feeling as though I had lost too much ground during my time off. Ultimately, I decided, after lots of encouragement, to go through with the plans to participate. I ordered my race-prep plan at the absolute last minute and Coach Boo somehow got it to me overnight. What dedication he has!

16 weeks to go and I stepped it up. I missed as few key workouts as possible and also got in most of my other workouts. I didn't know how I would do it around 12-hour shift-work, driving more than 200 miles for visitation with my kids, and lots of other important obligations, but God provided me with what I needed to get to the starting line. I had a good taper and felt rested going into race weekend. I headed up to the Woodlands Thursday afternoon with my training partner and friend Ricardo. We got checked in, took in some of the expo stuff and enjoyed the welcome dinner with tons of other Ironman hopefuls and their families. Friday morning I went to check out the swim start, had a good breakfast and packed all my race bags to turn in with my bike. I stressed a little at running behind schedule getting to bike check-in, but John Mayfield helped get me settled down. Dinner with some Tri4Him friends was fun and relaxing that evening, then it was time for bed. I woke before the alarm, still feeling at ease rather than nervous and anxious. Ricardo and I drove over to get the last minute details in order with our bikes and transition bags. I met with Tobey, Kelly and Chad to walk over to the swim start. We had a great turnout for the Pre-race devotion and prayer. I just love when believers gather to share a moment giving thanks to God for what He has given us the strength, ability and talent to do. Heading to the water, Tobey, Kelly and I stayed fairly close despite the huge crowd of racers being herded toward the lake. I kept thinking of what Chris Lieto told us in April and how he was so calm just before the start of Kona 2009. I felt much the same way as he described despite the long day ahead of me and the scared looks on many of those around me as we tread water. I lay back and floated for a bit, focusing on God and keeping my breathing "easy like Sunday morning". (Thanks Kelly!)

Finally the gun went off. The swim was like an underwater kick-boxing match with unknown opponents. I never knew from where or when the next kick to the goggles, gut or groin was coming, but they came nonetheless and I was helpless at blocking them. I got a big toenail in the forearm from some guy doing water ballet. I T-boned another guy zigzagging his way through the 2.4 miles, though to be honest I did my fair share of zigzagging too. Swimming down the canal I saw and heard Mike Williams cheering and was energized. Minutes later I climbed out of the water only a little off of my projected time of 1:30 and feeling good. I think I heard Matthew, John and Kyle's encouragement as I was headed to the bike bag area. I was able to remember right where my stuff was and grabbed it on the run. A quick turn in the changing tent and I was on my way to the bike accompanied by more cheers, this time from Cindy and a few others. I found it without any trouble, as the bike rack was curiously absent of many of the bikes that had been there when I left for the swim start. I've got to work on that swim.

I executed a flying mount with precision, which is to say no one around me crashed and neither did I, and was off on the little 112 mile ride through the woods. For a while my heart rate was a bit off target. It seemed that I couldn't go slow enough to get it lower. I tried to be patient and it eventually settled down to what I was familiar with in training. Soon I saw Karen blaze past me and a few minutes later Tobey did likewise. I decided to push my pace a bit and try to hang with him for a while. We chatted for a minute or 2 and I finally and sensibly slowed to my planned zone. I felt capable of a faster ride, but tried to remind myself that I had another 26.2 miles to go after the riding was done. That kept me mindful of sticking to my race plan. I have some wonderful memories from this ride. Somewhere out in the middle of nowhere I began to hear cheering. I looked over and saw that it was a bunch of Tri4Him folks; Cindy, Matthew, and Katy were the only faces I could make out as I streaked by. Ok, I wasn't really going all that fast, but it was at a turn so I couldn't take a good look. That surprise and their enthusiasm gave me a jolt of energy that lasted for miles. Another fun memory came from when a truck passed me and ran over a bike bottle causing an explosion of water to shower me right when I needed a little cooling off. Near the end of the ride I saw a sign that read, "This seemed like a good idea a year ago." I got a good laugh from that too. Finally, coming back into town from the more rural area, I saw a passing car whose passenger was showing his frustration with the traffic conditions using a fairly recognizable hand gesture out of his window. I laughed and laughed and shook my head. Then I laughed some more. 6 hours, 31 minutes and 40 seconds after hopping on my bike I was jumping off. Right on target. Fueling and cooling had been just right and I was feeling good if not a bit warm.

T2 was a bit slower than T1 thanks to a little extra hydration. The relative cool temperatures I experienced on most of the bike leg had been replaced by heat and was very noticeable early in the run. I was dowsing myself with water and ice in the effort to stay cool, but it backfired. Around mile 5 I felt the balls of both feet become pregnant with blisters. A mile or so later another blister sprouted on the inside of my left heel. The next 20 miles were exceptionally long. I quickly realized that my hopes of finishing in less than 13 hours were dashed. I decided to make the most of the remainder of my time on the course while alternately running and walking as the discomfort would allow. I goofed off, joked and in general had a good time. At one point on the back of the loop I saw a tent with 2 empty chairs next to a couple of occupied ones. I made a hard left heading straight for the chairs, telling the people sitting there that it was really hot and I needed a rest. I sat down for half a second, popped up and said that I felt better, time to go. They laughed. Mission accomplished. I chatted with a number of folks along the way too: Keith with Multisport Ministries, Wendi from our North group, Blake from our Tennessee chapter, and others whose names I either don't remember or didn't learn. A highlight of my laps was passing the Landry's back yard where our Tri4Him tent was set up and it seemed like dozens of our members, friends and family were hanging out to cheer for us all. On the first lap I stopped to hug my mom, sister, brother-in-law, cousin and aunt who had all come to support me. On the second lap through that area I noticed my brother-in-law's sister and her family had come out also. What strength the presence of all of these people gave me! On my last pass through that cheer zone, Cindy reminded me that everyone else was waiting for me at the finish line. I joked with her that she was trying to make me run even though my blisters were killing me. By this point though, the pain they were causing me almost made my feet numb and I was able to take a deep breath and run another mile at a bit faster pace. I walked 1 more minute and ran toward the finish line. My feelings as I entered that chute are indescribable. I felt every possible emotion and nothing at the same time. I heard more cheers and encouragement from my T4H family. Then I heard those words I had been thinking of and dreaming about since I signed up to do this crazy race back on June 25th: "Rik Cavaleseriss"-something or other , "you are an IRONMAN!" Good for him. Who is that guy anyway? I crossed the finish line pretty much alone, so the only thing I could figure was that Mike Riley was talking about me, Rik Cazares. Poor guy had the unfortunate task of trying to pronounce my last name without the benefit of a phonetic spelling and, as happens with regularity, got it wrong. At least that's what I heard. He may have had it exactly right. I could have been suffering some strange consequences of having been swimming, biking and running for the last 14 hours plus. Regardless of how my last name was pronounced, I'm still an Ironman.

I couldn't have done it without countless hours praying Philippians 4:13, Matthew 19:26, Mark 9:23, Hebrews 12:1, and Isaiah 40:31 among other things. I also couldn't have done it without the inspiration, encouragement and support along the way from so many of you, who were answers to many of my prayers. I know I'll leave out a few, so please forgive me if your name is one of them. Those that I can name include Coach Boo, Ronnie, Cindy, Ricardo, Tobey, John, Kyle, Theo, Slade, Todd, Kelly, Joe, Austin, Matthew, Katy, Karen, Mike, David, Piper, Molly, Blake, Keith, Mike, John, Angelica, Wendi, Greg, Christin and my Pathfinders group, Vicky, Lynn, Evangeline, Mike, Johnny, Ira, Cruz, Celine, Seve, Zion, Mom, Jenni, Andy, Benny, Pam, Trish, Shae, Lupe, and Dave. Most importantly, I couldn't have done it without my Lord, Savior and Master, Jesus Christ, apart from whom I can do nothing and without whom I am nothing.

Thanks for enduring my race report. Look for another IM story sometime in November 2012. Maybe.

Rik Cazares

First of all, I just want to say WOW! What a Glorious day May 21, 2011 was. His presence was truly shown during the entire IM TX through athletes, spectators, friends, and families. God is good!

My IM journey has been an AMAZING experience from day one of training to crossing the finish line after 140.6 miles. It would have not been possible without a number of people and words cannot express how grateful I am for each and every one of you.

I want to first thank God. He has been my strength, direction, purpose, leader, and coach in life and triathlons. He was with me the entire 140.6 miles and when my body couldn’t carry me anymore, it was then that he carried me to the finish with an 8:29 pace. My relationship with Christ has grown tremendously since I began this journey of accomplishing my dream of becoming an IRONMAN. I have had so much time, just me and him, during the multiple 1+ hour swims, 6 hour bike rides, and 3 hour runs. He has been there with me every step of the way leading me on the right path.

I want to thank my wonderful family for all their support, cheers, praises, words of encouragement, love, motivation, and understanding during this time in my life. I put my social life on hold while training for IM TX and I apologize to my entire family for doing something so selfish in order to obtain my dream. I am sorry for any activities, events, dinners, and time I missed with you all due to training. Mom and dad, thank you for traveling to all my races and supporting me in everything I do! Thank you for the signs, race cookies, buttons, pictures, and videos in order to make each race so memorable. It means the world to have you cheering me on at each race. Nannie, thank you for being a part of my racing life as well. I am so thankful to have a grandmother that loves watching and cheering for me in whatever sport or athletic event I participate in. Kim, thank you for being my sister, best friend, personal assistant, and training partner during my IM journey. You have had a huge impact on this journey and it would not have been possible without you. How many people would do a 3 hour long run, just because? Only you! You are truly amazing and I appreciate every mile you ran and every mile you kayaked alongside me during my training. You pushed me on days that I needed it, you gave me conversation and motivation on days that my body was completely exhausted, and most importantly you were there for me whenever I needed you. Dustin, thank you for being such a wonderful husband and understanding the commitment and how time consuming the training would be. You never questioned or talked me out of a single workout. You supported me every step of the way. You provided the motivation on days that I did not want to get out of bed for an early workout, you cleaned the house, cooked, went grocery shopping, you basically took care of everything the past 5 months and allowed me to focus on work and my training of becoming an Ironman. Our relationship grows stronger each and every day, and you allowed that to continue during this intense training time because you knew how important this was to me. I thank you for that and being by my side the entire journey. Thanks also to the rest of my family and friends that supported me on race day! What a support crew I have!!!

Lastly, I want to thank Tri4Him. Thank you especially to the League City crew Mike, Keith, Matt, and Greg for making numerous trips to The Woodlands to meet for group bike rides. Without you guys, I would have never survived the long bike rides. You all are truly amazing. Thanks for pushing me each bike ride to be the best I can be. I would not have survived 112 miles on the bike without you guys. Thank you. I also want to thank Jim Lieto. You have been my true inspiration and hero during this entire IM journey. I am blessed to have you in my life and thank you for making me a better person. You were a huge part of my motivation in getting to the finish line. It breaks my heart that you were not able to race with us physically, but God obviously had another plan for you. You did complete the race, in my thoughts and prayers the entire way! I look forward to racing with you in the future. It was a great pleasure racing with every Tri4Him athlete on May 21st and I am so grateful for the opportunity to be on His race team. His presence was everywhere and so unbelievable. I look forward to seeing God’s plan for this amazing group of athletes.

I apologize this is so long, but there is a lot to be said of this incredible journey. Now, for race day. I am surprised, but I was completely relaxed the entire week leading up to race day. I slept great the night before and was even calm race morning. I woke up at 3:00 am to get dressed, have my routine morning breakfast, and then head to the race site at 4:00 am. I arrived at transition about 4:45 am to air up my tires and drop off nutrition. You could sense the nervousness and anxiety in the air, but I was still calm. My family and I headed over for the swim start where we waited for the prayer and devotion prior to the start. I was somewhat emotional here, realizing that all the hard work and training was about to come to an end and my dream of becoming an IM was here. I gave my entire family one last hug before I headed toward the swim start. I figured this is when the anxiety would kick in, getting in the water for the mass swim start, however I was still calm. I had prayed for this race and prepared for this race for 5 months. I was ready and now it was time to celebrate this journey. I entered the water and made my way towards the front of the pack in order to tread water until the gun went off. That was an amazing sound that marked the beginning of the celebration. The swim felt like a washing machine turned on high! There were legs and arms flying everywhere. I swam the first minute with my head up trying not to get kicked and find my path in this cluster. This is when I began my prayers for the day. I could feel myself start to panic as I was kicked in the nose, chest, and stomach. All of a sudden, I put my head in the water, talked to God asking him to get me through this and help me relax, and then swam until it was time to get out. As I relaxed, the swim was actually enjoyable and not what I had anticipated. Yes, there were a lot of athletes, however everyone was receptive and kind to those around them understanding that this was going to be a long day and we need the support of everyone around us. I got out of the water feeling great and headed into transition where I was treated like a Queen by the volunteers. Thank you to all the volunteers, you made this race! As I headed out on the bike, I still felt great and knew that I had to give it my all the first half of the course because when you turned to head South, that is where the wind would get you. It was amazing hearing all the fans cheer. I was right on track with my nutrition, ahead of pace but felt great. I kept pushing and pushing to keep my speed above 20 mph the first half to make up for what I thought was going to be a terrible headwind on the way back. All of a sudden about mile 50, I got this excruciating pain in my right side. It hurt to breathe, it hurt to sit up, and it hurt to stay in aero position…I had no clue what was going on??? I had never felt this before. I kept praying and thinking it will go away, just keep pedaling. Well, it didn’t. I started questioning why? Why now? I had never had this feeling before. I tried to take in my nutrition, but I couldn’t stomach it. My nutrition had been perfect for multiple long rides in preparation for this day and why is it not working the one day I need it too. I knew it was going to be a tough marathon if I didn’t get the nutrition I needed. It was then that I realized, God is trying to tell me something. SLOW DOWN…PACE YOURSELF! I knew I could not run a decent marathon if I tried to maintain that speed the entire 112 miles. There may have been other signs, but I obviously wasn’t listening. God gave me a sign that would force me to listen. Sometimes we need that in life when we get so wrapped up in our surroundings. So, I slowed and started pacing myself. When I made the turn to head South, I was relieved that the wind was nothing compared to what we had been training with. My side still did not ease. I continued the entire bike course with a smile on my face thanks to the encouragement of my family at mile 80 and the words of encouragement from Keith and Mike as they flew pass me. When I arrived at T2, my legs felt amazing. I was once again treated like a Queen by the volunteers who took my bike and helped me in transition. I sat there in transition wondering how this marathon was going to go with my side killing me and the lack of nutrition on the bike. The volunteer asked me what she could do to help me get on my way and I asked her if she would pray with me. I asked her if there was anything she needed me to pray for and her response was “to get my life on the right path with God.” I thought, wow, this is amazing. This is exactly where God wanted me to be at exactly the right time! We prayed for physical and mental strength to get me through the marathon and for her to allow God to come into her life and lead her on the right path. I was then on my way to begin the last leg of my journey. I felt amazing, my legs felt the best they have ever felt and the pain in my side was gone. I started running and soaking up every smile, cheer, and words of encouragement coming from the crowd. This was amazing!!! Then I got to the other side of the lake, where there was no one. This is when the lack of nutrition hit me and I thought, how am I going to run this marathon on an empty tank? I begin thinking back to day one of this journey working my way up to race day. All the people that have come into my life and the impact they have made to allow me to be the person I am today. All the pain, sweat, tears, long training hours, and lack of sleep the past 5 months. I knew then that I had to trust my training and realize what I had already accomplished. Before I knew it, I was rounding the corner and saw the Tri4Him tent and my wonderful family cheering along the side. This was truly amazing to have so many friends and family cheering and experiencing this moment with me. I tried to thank, smile, and/or give thumbs up to every volunteer/spectator that provided encouragement along the way. As I finished my second lap around and came to the tent and my family again, I gave them one last hug before I became an IM. It was then that I knew the next time I saw them, I would be an Ironman. I ran the final lap with a huge smile on my face knowing the finish line was in reach. As I made it to the split of going right for another loop and staying left for the finish, I sprinted with everything I had left in me with my eyes focused on the finish line. This is my moment and the moment I have waited for so long. As I approached the finish line, I hear WENDI KIRKLAND…YOU ARE AN IRONMAN. Before I crossed the finish line, I slowed, pointed to God, thanked Him for getting me there, and then crossed the finish line to become an Ironman. Crossing the finish line was payback for the hundreds of hours of training. It was a pure 140.6 miles of AWESOME!!! I have no regrets or negative thoughts about the race or during the race. It was an AMAZING experience and I now have a new meaning of strength, discipline, dedication, pain, and commitment. With the help of God, my family, and friends, I FINISHED STRONG-Phil 4:13!

The first time I learned about Tri 4 Him was at the Tejas Tri last summer. I noticed the tent and thought "the HIM must be GOD" - I went over and talked to two guys, one of which I know now as Ronnie Reeves, he was so wonderful - I thought to myself wow - what a wonderful concept. I was already a member of another group but I have always had some anxiety in the open water so I thought maybe by changing my focus and by joining T4H, I could allow these people to help me let go of my fears. I contacted Cindy Reeves over the summer and decided to join the group. She was so open and inviting. I went ahead and joined the group.
My good friend, Leslie, had just finished IMCDA in June in 13:30. I was so inspired by her finish and knew that although she was faster then me, certainly I could finish one of these monsters in 17 hours so when IM Texas was dumped in my lap, I did not hesitate to sign up. IM was never on my radar. I was a sprint junky. As an avid runner, I started doing a few tris in the summers to cross train and change up my training. I am older and started to place in some races, it was great fun. But my sights grew as I signed up for Iron Star in 2005 and Austin in 2009 and Ironstar again in 2010 plus a couple of olys. But once Leslie did CDA and IMT was announcecd I was on my way. I met Cindy and the group at the Houston and Cindy was going to KONA - I was so impressed and she talked to me about Coach Jeff and his style of training/coaching that would keep me healthy and injury free on my journey to IMT. I decided to hire him. I was off..and it has been such a journey...one I will never forget. I had some aches and pains on the way...I was sort of encouraged NOT to run the Houston Marathon, but being my 10th and being rather stubborn, as well as wanting Veteran status, I went ahead and did it - joined a pace group and practiced my 5/1's for my IM run which really paid off by giving me so much confidence knowing I could finish a marathon w/out feeling like a total wreck. Anyway, memories like meeting Wendi and the others for the bike rides in the Woodlands even though for only a few short minutes because they would all be long gone after we started as I am a slow cyclist and the prayers at the banner, the constant encouageing emails and the Wed word have helped to make my training so meaningful not to mention Brad meeting me in Dallas where my daugther was attending college on weekends when i had to go there to show me the trails so i could get some bike rides in away from hom. I still have had some trouble getting over the open water difficulty so a couple of weeks ago, I emailed Coach Jeff and told him I was feeling some doubts and needed a pep talk. He sent me Matthew 14: 25-32 - have faith and do not be afraid. He took the time to type many wonderful prayerful and encouraging words that I have carried with me the entire way these past couple of weeks. Jim Lieto met me by my bike by accident on Friday and prayed with me and Ronnie saw me in the line going into the water and he prayed with me as I was upset I had missed the prayer with the group. My daugther was placed by God in front of my face at the start of the swim as I was looking all over for my family and said "mom where is your wetsuit", to which I said, I should not wear it - it is not WS legal...she said "go get it, you will be more comfortable". I was never so happy. I saw Nancy, Andrea and Scott with theirs on and felt much better. I was very glad I decided to wear it. I knew I would not come in under 16 hours and needed the added confidence for what I thought would be the hardest part of the race for me - it turned out to the be the easiest. There was a man in a kayak that had a orange vest on who led me so I could relax and do more freestyle - he did not know it but later when I passed him I told him what an angel from God he had been. My husband, who works in Iraq, was home for my race, was a volunteer in the water and at the finish line. I saw him as I rounded the corner into the canal - he was so reassuring. I ran out of the water and into the tent. The volunteers were amazing. It was such a gft to get taken care of. My bike ride was good, I had put some labels on my handle bars with some scripture verses and sang songs to myself. I got in a rythym and began to feel good - so glad the swim was behind me. I knew I would be slow but I felt good and made a decision to use my gears smartly and not tire my legs out too much. My chain came off at mile 55 and some wonderful man came over to help me, offered me food...it did not take long and I was on my way again. My bottle cage fell off at mile 80, landed on my tire and stopped my bike...it startled me at first but was able to get off, hold onto it until I saw my family who were chasing me back to the woodlands in the car on 149 - what a riot that was - they were taking pictures and movies and were so supportive. They really kept me pumped up. I kept a steady pace but my feet started to burn the last twenty miles and my neck hurt but I was determined to make myself relax and push through. I was so glad to get off of my bike and was so double glad when a volunteer took it from me. I spent a little more time in T2 then I wanted but needed a rest. I was ok on the first lap of the run, my 4/1's were working. It was oh so amazing to see all the people out cheering. When I passed Landry's and Cindy ran down to hug me, I was energized and excited. It was exactly what I needed. My second lap was a 3/2 and then the third lap was walk alot and run a little...my feet were burning and I could not put anything else in my stomach except ice. My mantra was "keep moving forward - God is leading you". I used a sponge on the head every aid station. I could hear Mike Reily's voice during each lap of the run and that was my motivation. So many people commented on my shirt. I ran for a bit with a girl and we both wondered how anyone could embark on such a challenge without total dependence on God. I made it to the finish. I was all alone in the shoot - MR called out "Mary Castellucci...YOU ARE AN IRONMAN" - all the discomfort was suddenly gone - I praised HIM for my finish. My husband put my medal on my neck, my daughter was my catcher and my son handed me my finishers shirt while my other daughter took pictures. It was an amazing experience and one I will never ever forget. I feel good. I was not going to sign up for next year but I just think I might. Thank you all..you are wonderful people. I look forward to many more races with you. If anyone rides slower and wants to join me let me know. Katy is a great place to ride.
Mary C

FROM RONNIE'S WIFE...A SPECTATORS VIEW..it is hard to go into a week after such an amazing weekend. as a spectator i can 100% honestly say that i was so honored to be able to cheer on so many amazing people. between our many team members and team friends racing i was able to share in their joy just by watching them race. you all stood out in the masses because of your postitive attitdue, large smiles and graciuos hearts. so many different stories about your journey's and not one more important than another(i could write a book about all of you and how you have made a difference in my life and the lives of others) ...they all were special and have changed me. cheerleading also gave me the chance to meet all ya'll family and friends and see them share in the high of an Ironman day. my dear friend karen and my sister-in-law kelly to whom i have shared many journeys in life with are now connected with me in our Ironman bond. they are such Godly women in my life and i constintly learn from them on how to be a better person..they showed such a light on the course. but who would believe that the best part of the this IM TX journey would be to talk about my husband, ronnie having to quit the race at mile 2 of the run. his walk with the Lord was streghtened when he had the make the decision to quit, but to quit with a positivity that just blew me away. instead of going to his room and sulking or getting mad, he came back and supported everyone and took away from the day that God's plan is higher than his. our children saw this and what a great lesson learned from his attitude. his journey also allowed him to form a friendship with another Godly man, Slade..they were training partners and i see where my husband has learned so much from Slade and not just tri related. i could not ask for a better husband. i am so captivated by this team and how we have been used to (what our church says) be "living proof of a loving God to a watching world) the tri community is watching us and what they see is good. so far 2 of our team members have signed up for IM TX 2012 and i count down the days when we can cheer these 2 men on.
Cindy Reeves

First of all I have so many people to thank for supporting me through this endeavor and coming out to watch me race on Saturday! The best part of the day was seeing my family and friends along the course and at the finish line. I was overwhelmed at the number of phone calls, text messages, emails and facebook messages I received wishing me good luck and praying for me.

On Friday I made my way to The Woodlands to meet Tobey, my brother, Slade and Mark. We turned in our bikes and transition bags and made ourselves familiar with the transition area. Next up was lunch, checking in at the hotel and a nap before dinner with some of our tri4Him teammates. To my surprise I still was not nervous at dinner. We sat at talked about what we were expecting from Ironman, how the Houston team was going to beat up on the other tri4Him teams in Waco () and what our next plans with look like with our coach Jeff as some of us are racing in Augusta 70.3 in September. At 7:00 we left for the hotel and it was time for bed. Lights out at about 9:00 and I actually got a good night sleep. The alarm went off at 4:00 AM but it was not needed, my brother and I were already up getting dressed at that point. We were laughing as we filled water bottles, checked our bags for goggles, swim caps, etc. Again I was surprised at the calmness in me. We headed out for transition about 5 AM and there was a quiet nervousness everywhere. People were airing up tires and checking bikes one last time in the dark. Then we headed to the swim start where we met up with our family, friends and teammates for prayer at the tri4Him tent. I was in awe at the number of people in tri4Him jersey’s and the amount of people surrounding our banner to pray. At the moment that Cindy gave the devotional and Jeff did the prayer everything else was still. I couldn’t hear the crowd, the announcer, nothing but God speaking to me.

Tobey, Rik and I headed to the swim start about 6:40 and stood in the massive crowd trying to get into the water. At most races this is where I get nervous. Anyone that knows me knows I do not care for the swim portion of triathlon. Still to my amazement no anxiety, even as I walked into the water I felt at peace about the whole day. I was very thankful that Tobey stayed right by my side and kept talking to me as we treaded water. It didn’t take long for that clock to wind down and the gun to go off. It was like a washing machine was turned on high out there. Even though I was in the back and took my time taking off I got trampled on. This is the time my nerves got the best of me. I started to panic about 200 meters into the swim as my googles were being ripped off and I was being run over again by another swimmer. I kept thinking to myself I can’t do this for 2.4 miles, I will never make it. I had a slight panic attack and thought to myself I was going to have to drop out. Then I started praying and decided to get to the inside, turn over and start back stroking. If I had to back stroke the whole race so be it…I was not giving up now. Once I turned over my heart rate went down and I got a steady rhythm going. I was then able to go back to my free style swim and start making some good progress. Once I made the first turn I felt good, breathing was perfect. As we made the last turn into the canal towards the swim out I could hear the cheers and I was so excited to know I was about to be out of the water and onto the bike, which is by far my favorite part!

As I headed towards my bike in transition I heard the cheers of my friends and was so excited to see all of them! As I headed towards my bike I guess I was a little caught up in the moment and I’m still laughing at my crazy mistake. My number was 222, but for some reason in T1 I had 522 in my head. When I got there I didn’t see my bike and told the volunteer my bike was gone. I even looked at coach Boo and told him my bike was missing. As the poor volunteer was in panic mode looking for my bike another lady reminded me I was number 222 and my bike was 3 rows up…OOPS Now onto the bike course. I have trained on this course 2 times previously and to be honest it kicked by butt both times. The hills and the wind out there can be brutal so I had been mentally preparing for it. To my surprise that course felt easy on Saturday. I felt like something was pushing me up those hills at times, my heart rate stayed in check and my nutrition was going according to plan. I tried to encourage everyone out there on the course and thanked all the volunteers which made my day go by much faster. I also prayed for everyone while I was out on the course. I received many prayer requests so I spent the time having those conversations with God. I also spent much of the 7 hours singing the same Casting Crowns song over and over. “I’ll go but I cannot go alone because I know I’m nothing on my own. The power of Christ in me makes me strong” “When I’m weak You make me strong, when I’m blind You shine your light on me because I’ll never get by living on my own ability”. I wore an ipod in one ear for many of my long training rides and on Saturday I didn’t miss it at all as this song was the only one I needed to get me through the day. There are two things I was very thankful for during the bike ride. One was the overcast skies the second was the light wind. When I came off of the bike in 7 hours I knew I was going to finish this thing up with plenty of time. As I headed into transition I could see a group of my friends there cheering me on with signs and nothing could wipe the smile off of my face. The bike handlers took my bike and I ran into T2 where I changed into my run gear and talked to Erika and we headed out to run.

When I hit the run course I saw John and Theo cheering me on and also notified me that my brother had to stop the race, he was in the medical tent but would be ok. Now it was up to me to finish this strong for both of us. My first thought was concern for him, what could have possibly taken him out? He was more prepared than anyone for this race. I had to get settled into the run but it was very hot at that point and my heart rate was spiking. I was already having to walk at mile two when Tommy passed and assured me it was in hot for everyone and just to take my time and keep moving, so that’s what I did. At about mile 4 I heard Todd calling my name from behind, he had hurt his ankle on the first lap and was having to walk. He too told me just to keep moving and I would get there. As I got to mile 5 and back onto the canal area my heart rate was settling in and I was able to keep my run going. When I got to the Landry’s where the tri4Him team was stationed I was hit with a wall of cheers and it was AWESOME! Everyone was there cheering and of course Cindy was on the mega phone! I was also relieved to see my brother out there cheering everyone on. These are the moments I run for during a triathlon. That is by far my favorite part of racing! As I headed out on the second lap I again see my Wolfpack gang and read their very funny shirts and have a quick laugh before continuing on. I ran and walked with many people, had many different conversations with them and tried to stay positive the entire time, even when it felt like my legs were about to fall off. On the last lap of the run darkness had fallen on us and my knees and hip were killing me. I had to walk way more than I wanted but I knew I had plenty of time so I just kept telling myself to put one foot in front of the other. At about mile 22 I ran into Tommy’s sister Lynne and we both decided we would NEVER do this again. One Ironman was enough for us, I think I have since changed my mind. The last time I hit Landry’s I saw my very best girlfriends standing there with their signs and Kim running alongside me, this is the first time all day that I started to get emotional. The tears hit my eyes and I again felt so blessed to have such wonderful people in my life. From there I ran on into the chute towards the finish line. As I hit that chute everything stopped hurting, my adrenaline kicked in and my pace picked up as I rounded the corner and saw the finish line I could feel my smile getting bigger and bigger and the tears started to hit. I could hear my friends screaming and cheering and in one brief second everything stood still as the announcer said “Kelly Ryan you are an IRONMAN”. That is one of the best feelings I have ever had. I looked over and had people running down the sides and my handler said “I think you have some people that want to see you pretty bad” I told her I was just as excited to see them. It was a great celebration at the finish line.

There is so much that went into getting to the finish line, race day is just a small portion of the journey to be an Ironman. I do believe that race day is where you can shine the most. This competition can break you, make you question yourself and God. I am proud of the way my friends raced out there supporting each other, helping others and encouraging others. I am especially proud of my brother for taking a disappointing circumstance and having a good attitude about it. For showing others that God had another plan for him and accepting it with grace.

Tobey reminded me a few weeks ago that I was about to do something that most people would never attempt to do, that this was going to be very special and to take it all in. I did just that, I enjoyed every single moment of it. You all have inspired me so much along the way and I hope that I can do the same for some of you.

Congratulations to all of the finishers, it’s very exciting to see so many new people we can call an Ironman! Thanks again for all of your support and for following me through this journey. I look forward to cheering many of you along your Ironman journey this next year.
God Bless,
Kelly