I want to dedicate my final review in 2015 to a person whom made me believe a challenge is not simply a proof of physical demand, but endurance of a man’s integrity. I was inspired by a young man who was eager to meet the challenge of his lifetime with this extreme sport. His name is Eddie«IRONMAN» S. of Houston. He kept his words of doing it. I have been following him on his Facebook about each practice meet and taking pride on each achievement. He made an announcement when he received his bib number 493 before the trip to Austin. I arrived at the expo and tried to find him. But there were over 2,000 participants. My eyes could hardly catch everyone riding by. We were fortunate to have a sunny day after a series of rain on that Sunday morning. It was kind of cold for me as compared to Houston’s weather. I gave myself a tour of the finishing line at Travis County Exposition Center as well as the final 3-loop run course at Luedecke Arena. I think this facility is perfectly made for Ironman. Although I didn’t stay for the entire event. I heard the emcees announced as few walked through an archway with their bikes and picked up their clothes bags before the final run. I must say, Ironman is one exciting sport to watch and I plan to catch more of these events.
John F.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Houston, TX
2010 This was my second attempt at a half iron distance triathelon and boy things sure are a lot easier when you know what your doing. I registered for this race a few days before the event because that that’s how I do things. Check in. I arrived a day before the race. Registration went smoothly. Participants received a nifty looking gear bag and tech t-shirt in addition to bib numbers, number labels and timing chips. Right after you register, athletes would enter the Ironman store. I was browsing through the bike and tri jerseys for the event and they were sold out within minutes. People really like to buy stuff when they go to these things. I just bought a hat because I didn’t receive one in registration. I’m used carrying all my gear in my triathlon bag and preparing my area in one transition area. But things were different for this triathlon as there were two separate transitions zones(swim to bike located near the lake and bike to run located near the stadium) and no transition setups were allowed(everything had to be in a bag or on your bike before and after you leave transition). Everyone had to prepare 3 bags(morning, bike and running) for this purpose. The swim course was open for all who dared to swim without support but I was too exhausted after checking all my gear in and spent the rest of the day sleeping in my hotel. Race Day School buses, I mean the shuttles, operated at 5am but I arrived around 6am. I should have arrived earlier as cars lit up the road trying to get into the parking lot near the stadium. Everyone took the shuttles to get to T1 that was about 1 – 2 miles away. I saw one guy who decided to warm up by running over the T1 instead of taking the bus. There was a huge line for the male porta potties and surprisingly the female section didn’t have a line. Some guys went ahead and used the female porta potties but I patiently waited in the males section. There is something about a guy going into a pink portapotty that is just not right. Swim The lake wasn’t cold at all but I was thankful that I was wetsuit legal. I don’t swim well so anytime I don’t drown is a good outcome. I figure that I’ll be able to make up time on the bike and run portions. I made sure that the volunteers applied suntan lotion to my shoulders in addition to the suntan I applied prior to the swim. Bike Only carried one water bottle on my bike as gatorade and water would be served on the course. This was a one loop course with several turns, hills, cautions and a no passing zone. There was some headwind at times but I’m used to fighting head winds back home. There were lots of cyclists drafting, blocking and passing dangerously close to me. I had to concentrate on the road as there were several cracks in the road that were marked with pink tape. I tried to eat 2 Clif bars during the ride but was only able to eat half a bar. I probably should have taken in more gels than I did during the race. Run Two loops that was part road run and part trail run. There were stretches where you would be going downhill knowing that you would have to go uphill. I held back my pace for the first 6 miles, thinking that I would kick it into high gear for the second half. The weather was cool and I was wondering if I really needed to use the icy sponges. Unfortunately, the sun came out and it felt like the strength from my legs disappeared. I attributed to the fact that I hadn’t be utilizing gels/energy bars efficiently during the race. There was alot of support on the course as they offered bananas, oranges, gels, gatorade, water, ice and ice cold wet sponges. There was a band playing outside the entrance of the stadium before you go in. The finish line was inside the stadium where they give you a medal, a hat and take your picture. Had I known that I would receive a hat at the end of the race, I wouldn’t have bought a had at the expo. Post Race They gave athletes pulled pork bbq sandwiches, doritos, lays potato chips, vanilla/chocolate blue bell ice cream, various sodas and beer. I sat in the stadium to eat my food and watch others cross the finish line. Everyone had to pick up their morning and bike bags over at the expo building in addition to gathering their bikes and running bag over at T1. Overall: I enjoyed the experience and actually PR’d for a half-iron race. I just need to work on the swim, nutrition and brick training for future races.
