After the smack that this lady took last year on ST after the so called Ironman LP “walkathon”, I’d like to just say that she was incredible today in Kona:
1:01:46 5:05:06 3:11:49 9:24:02
Gotta like those splits. Well done and well earned!
Dev
I’ll 2nd that. Her blazing talent is only surpassed by her sunny personality.
Watching her finish was one of my favorite moments of the coverage today. Too often you see second place finishers looking really disappointed and jaded and all that, and it was refreshing to see someone proud and elated to have done her very best! And she started crying during her interview! Gotta love that amount of happiness, it’s contagious.
Go Desiree!
She is easily one of my favorites in the sport. Her living in Austin is one big reason, but her sportsmanship and obvious love for the sport is very contagious and her gracious post race interview was very touching.
Good job, Des.
Good call. She really struggled with the heat at IMWI a few years ago and this really shows how work and experience pays off. Nice job.
Yeah, she did great. I can’t wait until she comes back home!
I met Desiree a few months ago at a book signing,and the lady is a class act.
Her podium finish is well deserved.
Congratulations Desiree!!
Couldn’t agree more Dev! I missed the IMLP ‘smack talk’, but with her hard work over the last few years, as well as her age and determination, it looks like she’s got an amazing run of IM finishes ahead of her! It would not be surprising to see her on the IMH podium (in FIRST place) and probably soon, too. It was great to watch!
Desiree was on fire coming out of the energy lab. You could see the determination on her face. Frankly I was surprised to see her that far up. I thought by then Natasha would have blown by a pile of people, but I guess she was so far back on the Alii drive out and back that there was only so much “making up to do”.
As for the slow swim times, the tides were pulling out on the way back to shore, giving the good swimmers like Michellie a huge advantage. It felt like swimming in an endless pool going nowhere at all. Look at it this way…if you swim 4 kph and the tide is going out at 1 kph, you cover 3 kph…if you are swimming 3 kph and the tide is going out at 1 kph, you only cover 2 kph.
Anyway, great job by Desiree putting the smack the best in the sport!
Very exciting to see her break through to another level yesterday. With a performance like that combined with how photogenic she is, expect to see her endorsement opportunities to go through the roof. I’m hoping we’ll see lot’s more of her 
Tri-Dubai had some great results all day…that training capm they did in Kona must have gone really well!
And you also have to love the fact that she’s a graduate from the University of Alabama! It was tough watching the Tide lose to the Vols yesterday but watching Desiree finish second in Hawaii made it all better! Way to go Desiree! Bruce Gennari Graduate from The University of Alabama (1989)
Actually Natasha was in 3rd going up Palani. Desiree, Lisa, Gina Kehr, etc… all caught and passed her on the Queen K.
That is cool to know. I just moved back to the state of Alabama. That is some good information I can pass on to others around here.
Desiree was the surprise of the day, for me at least. I wouldn’t have figured her to place so high. Job well done and perhaps a bright future on the horizon.
I thought I heard comments that Natasha was having some kind of stomach disorders. Hard to tell when you see her though, always got that smile on.
great point. there’s a lesson there for all of us…especially me!