Ironman Race Day

My Dad and Brett's Dad took Brett down to the race start about 5 am Saturday morning. The rest of us caught a shuttle bus at the end of our driveway. We got to the race start about 6am and I wandered around a little bit trying to find Brett, but I didn't. We parked ourselves on a little beach near the race start. The sea wall was lined with people 4 or 5 deep.

An Air Force C-130 dropped three Navy guys off. They parachuted to the starting line, got into a boat, changed into their race gear and then did the Ironman.
We couldn't see the actual starting line, but we could see folks entering the water. It looked like chaos. The starting line was about 500 yards from this spot where they enter the water.

Swimmers going out.

This is part of the sea wall that was lined with people. We moved onto the wall after the start. After Brett's transition we came back to the beach for quite awhile. My brother swam out into the ocean and got to swim with spinner dolphins. He says it was an experience of a lifetime.

Mike flew in Friday night and all in one day he got to snorkel, swim with dolphins, see sea turtles and watch THE Ironman. I joked with him that after 36 hours in Hawaii, he could already go home because he had experienced so many new things.

Brett coming out of the water - he is in the middle of this picture and wearing only a swimsuit. (Most of the race participants had skin suits to swim in, so I guess Brett didn't have every piece of tri gear that he could have.) We were right there behind the swim exit. Some how I found favor with a race official. I asked her if we could get up in the bleachers; she said they were off limits, but she took us behind the fences and let us sit there until Brett came out of the water. Brett going out on his bike ride. He did not see the bike course ahead of time. At the banquet the race announcers said this is an advantage that first -timers have. Brett didn't think it was much of an advantage. He says it was the hardest bike ride he has ever done.
Our beach hang out. My mom made the banner - it hung from the porch of our rental house all week. I had our matching shirts made. The kids' say "Go Dad!" on the front. It was easy to spot them during the race in their matching shifrts.
Brett coming in from his long, hard, hot, windy bike ride.

Brett going out on the run - this was where he told us it was his hardest bike ride ever!
This was about 100 yards from the finish line. I don't have an in-focus picture of Brett at the finish line. He finished at 10:56:07 which was 6pm local and just about dusk. We'll get "official" finish line pictures later.