It was a brutal day in Boulder with The HERD battling the elements, the course and themselves. The temperature rose well above 90 degrees and that coupled with a venue that took place at high elevation made for a challenging day for even the most seasoned athletes. Full race report below...
~ Observations from Ironman Boulder 2018. Minus the heat and the altitude, the course was actually not as challenging as anticipated. Adding the heat and altitude the course is a ball buster.
Ryan continues to impress....Kona is in his sights. Bryce keeps inching his way down in times, hard work paying off. Let’s get you to Kona along with Ryan. Ty way to step up and rep the 360. Your a beast. Perseverance award of the Day goes to Stan. He reached down deep on this one and pushed himself further than he ever has....truly showing that the body can do amazing things. The never give up award goes to Parker.....9 hour bike ride is an ironman in and of itself. I know your disappointed that you didn’t finish, but your a Champ in the Herd’s eyes. Joe O posted a solid time for his first ever ironman, with his first ever open water wet suit swim. I know he took a little longer to finish than he hoped, but experience is the best teacher. Look for Joe to throw down a serious time in IMAZ 2018. The General....what can we say. Shows up, stays out there all day in 95 degree heat, part cheerleader, part medic, part dad, part friend. When I missed the turn and stopped tracking, Dave mounted up and went to look for me out on the course. Im not even sure Joe would have done that. Blair and Candela also were outstanding throughout out the day with tracking updates, supplies, and encouragement.
As for me, nothing like an 18 hour drive to relive the day, assess what went right and what went wrong. I have my suspicions, my excuses, and analysis but at the end of the day a DNF is a DNF. Bring on all the shit that I deserve. Im ready to wither the ridicule. I will register for Boulder 2019 as soon as it opens up for registration. There is unfinished business there, and I intend to finish it.
The Herd is a great group of folks. I hope we all realize how lucky we are to have each other support, cheer, give shit to, make fun of, and occasionally train with. Good Luck to Joe in Whistler, you will kill it. Keep training for those that are doing IMAZ.
Ken V.Big Red
