man of iron

2009 Coeur d'Alene Ironman

The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man's determination.


I can only imagine the determination it takes to train for and complete an Ironman. The race consists of three legs: 2.5 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run. Yeah, that's right a full marathon after all that other stuff. I was a spectator at this year's Ironman in Coeur d'Alene supporting a good friend that trained all year for this one 11 hour day. So much relentless work goes into hundreds of days of preparation for one single day's performance. What if you had a stomachache? bowel issues? a cold? an injury? I don't think it would matter. The athlete's determination would endure and he would complete the race regardless of any obstacles.


From the sidelines I was overwhelmed by the energy, the athleticism, the diversity...it was one of the most inspiring days of my life. If I was crazy (like four of my friends) I would have signed up and paid the $600 entry fee the next day for the 2010 race. Luckily, I have some of my mom's head on my shoulders and knew better (at least for now). But I did walk away from the experience with a renewed and energy and joy towards life and training for my small "Olympic" distance tri in July. Watching people of all shapes, sizes, and ages battle through the day with perseverance and endurance makes you realize that anything is possible when you put in the work to prepare...there is a reward - the finish line.

There are so many races in life...and so many finish lines to cross. All I need is determination.

A lot of waiting for 30 seconds of cheering Brian on 10x

Brian "airplanes" in to finish strong in 10 hours and 55 minutes