What an amazing experience! IM puts on a world-class event for sure. Here are some quick bullet points I noted during the week:

-Tools/repair supplies are a must; I gave away a tire lever and used my wrench (critical need)

-I’ve got to build my swimming confidence; lack of crushed my swim time in the cold water

-St. George volunteers are amazing

-Thanks to my aunt in Washington who did an amazing job of providing a roof and perfect logistical support

-Ironman doesn’t mess around with finisher gear-you don’t even see it until you cross the finish line. The way it should be.

Before this event my wife touted to all that “this is Brian’s lifetime dream,” and it made me wonder if that would be it after I finished this. If I just wouldn’t want to do any more triathlon events. Three days after completion I honestly just want to do more. I’ve looked at options for doing a 70.3 later this year and almost went running today. I’ll be on a bike or on a run tomorrow for sure. Completion of this has built my confidence and reinforced how much I really like doing these things. It motivated me to work harder and made me think that I really could be a little bit faster. In short, I hope to keep working at this and doing some more events at a faster pace in the future.

After the finish

Looks like I forgot more than I remember, but man, I have great feelings towards the event. Despite the grueling difficulty I look back with fond memories of it all. I had a genuine fear of swimming in that cold reservoir but I still went and did it. My hydration plan had to be adapted on the bike course but I worked it out and finished without overcooked legs. I ran nearly the entire run course and miles seemed to really just tick by while I was running with Jordan (new found amigo from Alberta). I had a great time and look forward to more events down the road.