You know the saying that sometimes words can't describe what you are feeling. This is not that time. But just in case, I have videos to help.
My quads are killing me, I am in love with the Ironman Lake Placid bike and swim course, the spectators, volunteers and athletes were amazing, I absolutely love what I can make my body do when I train it to perform, I never realize how strong my mind can be until I need it to be strong, I love creating memories with Karel and sharing experiences with other athletes, my quads are killing me (oh - I already said that), I am so grateful to have another IM finish to my name, I never thought I could dig so deep before, cheers from the crowd can be so energy-giving, my husband is amazing.
Sunday was a great day for both Karel and myself. Sure, we trained hard for this day but the day was all about execution, perseverance, determination, confidence and the understanding that we choose to do this and we can do this with our body. There was rain, wind and plenty of difficulty on this incredible course but it was just as beautiful as it was challenging. Never would I think that an Ironman run course could be so hard but Placid didn't let us down as we knew what we wanted in our first Ironman together. Easy is boring, we love a challenge! With plenty of hills, climbs and rollers from the moment we exited the swim, until we finished the run, we certainly got what we paid for...and a finisher medal to show for it.
140.6 miles - 2.4 miles swimming, 112 miles biking, 26.2 miles running.
Karel is now a member of a very exclusive club that is not easy to get in to. He has earned his Ironman finisher medal, t-shirt and medal and no one can ever take that away from him. He overcame obstacles on race day and as a rookie, he was still very impressive. Sharing this course with Karel made me so happy as I always need him to keep me going when I race an Ironman but when I could see him pushing hard, I ignored the many voices in my head that tried to convince me to give up, slow down or stop.
We would like to thank all those who cheered for us from afar and on the course, sent us text messages, emails and facebook posts. We are completely amazed by the support of our friends and followers and we are extremely grateful for your support. I only hope that our performance inspires you to set a goal, work hard for it and enjoy the journey along the way.
The race report will come soon as I need to gather some thoughts in my head when they fresh in my exhausted body and mind but for now, a few quick stats:
Marni race results - IM #6
| Swim: | 1:01:02 |
| Bike: | 5:46:11 |
| Run: | 3:48:36 |
| Overall: | 10:43:14 |
21st overall female (including pros)
12th amateur female
Karel's race results - IM #1!!!
| Swim: | 1:10:20 |
| Bike: | 5:16:26 |
| Run: | 3:26:19 |
| Overall: | 10:03:26 |
66th male (including pros)
