Tag Archives: running

November Adventure – Ironman Arizona – part 3

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I left off in the last post with Chris starting the marathon, the third part of the Ironman that was two weeks ago.

This photo is about a half hour into the marathon.

This is a screenshot from my phone very nearly at the end of the whole thing, but I’m including it here to show the course and to show how spectators are able to track their athletes through the day on this app. The blue line in the river (which is truly more of a lake here because of a dam) is the swim course. The green line is the bike course and the red one is the run. It was complicated. The runners first went out and back on the red line that goes to the top of the photo. Then they cross the river and make the loop where it says 129, go down to the bridge at the bottom, run along the river, do that out and back part again and do this whole course three times. On the last one they turn where it says 123 and run to the finish. As spectators we try to position ourselves in strategic places to cheer them on.

This view shows the transition area where all the bikes are and where the athletes had lined up along the river before the start of the swim

Meryl and Katie and the kids and I walked across a bridge to position ourselves where we’d see Chris twice as he went around the loop on this side of the river. Kasen made sure he got a High 5 in when he could.

This was the best place to be with the Kasen and Kirby because there was a sandy beach for entertainment. It’s a long day for everyone, but especially for the kids.

More High 5’s for Uncle Chris from the kids. This is about two hours into the marathon.

At this point I walked back over to the other side of the river where Dan had been greeting Chris as he ran by. Meryl, Katie, and the kids stayed here until closer to the time Chris would finish.

The view back across the river. That arched bridge is the one I had just walked across and the kids were on the beach below there.

This is at about 3-1/2 hours.

The marathon finish.

Total time for the whole event: 11:49:56.

Meryl and Chris wearing a well-deserved finisher’s medal.

The family (except Dan snuck out of the photo). We went back to the hotel where they were all staying. The grandkids played in the pool and the big kids sat in the hot tub while we all rehashed the day. We got together Monday morning for about an hour and then we all had to go our respective directions. Katie had to get a rental car to get back to Safford, Arizona where her car had been towed the previous day after breaking down about 2-1/2 hours from Phoenix (and I had driven to pick up her and the kids, but that’s another story). Meryl and Chris visited a friend in the area for a couple of days and then made a trip to the Grand Canyon. Dan and I had to get home by that evening.

I took this photo just inside California at 11:40. We got home about 8:30 that evening. I sure enjoy hanging out with my kids. I wish we could do it more often.

November Adventure – Ironman Arizona – part 2

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In the last post I described the swim portion of the Ironman and saw Chris leaving for the bike portion. That was about 8:25.

Katie, Kirby, and Kasen found us after walking from their hotel.

The bike route went from downtown about 18 miles east. (At least hat’s what I calculate from the total of 112 miles.) The cyclists turned around at that point and came back here and did that loop three times. Notice the hill in the background and the unicorn along the fence to the right.

I don’t know if people wear costumes to provide amusement to the competitors, so they can be spotted by their athlete, or because it’s warmer inside a big balloon.

Just down from that hill in the earlier photo and still in sight of the bike course there was a clearing. Kasen had chosen to pack a football for his entertainment. Katie, Meryl, and Kirby were talked into playing catch.

About two hours into the bike portion Chris showed up here for the end of the first loop. The streets had been blocked so there is a lane for bikes and a lane for car traffic going west.

It was just bikes going east. They made a tight turn-around. When we were watching for Chris we looked for a white helmet, white jersey with the blue patches on the chest, red socks, and the red tape on one knee.

We had six hours to wait from the beginning to end of the bike portion. We wandered some. This was written on the back of one of the signs at the Ironman Village. One of our family slogans is “Move faster.” Chris has give us his own words of advice: “Don’t get off the bike.” “Forward is a pace.”

It was time to climb the hill…because it was there. There was a sign that labels it Hayden Butte Preserve and the Leonard Monti Trail. It is also known as “A” Mountain for the 60-foot gold A painted on part of it that we did not see from our view.

There is quite a view from the top. The street to the left in this photo is where there is one lane of traffic and one lane for the cyclists.

Walking down the mountain back to the course. The white bridge over the river (dammed to be more of a lake here) will be part of the marathon course.

After the third out and back loop the cyclists rode into the transition area where volunteers took the bikes as they dismounted.

A change of shoes to start the marathon. Now we needed to watch for a red cap.

Only 26 miles to go.

There were felt pens and paper at a table in the Ironman village. During the six hours we waited for Chris to finish the bike course the kids made signs.

To be continued again…