WOW. Yesterday I watched my first Ironman up close. So much drama, so many stories. Aside from the hype, it’s just everyones little/big story that catches me.
We had several club members doing this race, 5 of whom were newbies. One of our newbies was 3rd in her AG, and got the Kona Slot. One of our veterans finally got hers. So, very fitting,
When you know the people doing it, and how much each person had to overcome just to even make it to the start line makes it even more profound.
A few things struck me. The main pack of the swim seemed to be together for most of the time. My friends commented that it was one of the easiest swims they ever had, One claimed it was like bodysurfing.
Early on, when the bikes are leaving the city, it seemed like it could be quite dangerous, narrow confines of the street, people weaving in and out, and cars occasionally trying to nudge heir way in. That section would scare me more than any other on the course. Well, maybe except for the downhills after Yellow Lake in aero.
Spent quite a bit of time on Yellow Lake. Great to see all the top athletes, but aside from looking for my club mates, was just struck by the huge variety of people and body types that were up there pretty fast. Got to see Fernanda Keller go by in her bathing suit 
I was surprised at how far back from Jordan many of the other pros were at this stage.
Heard that someone had scattered tacks on Mcelean Creek Road after the pros went by, resulting in lots of flats. Bugs me in that I understand that some people have an issue with triathletes taking over the town, and sometimes they can be justified at the behaviour of some, but why take it out on others who trained hard all year for this event. You have an issue, take it up with the organizers, city hall etc.
Coming from a running background, with very limited experience running off the bike, it was astounding to see how many people in the top of AG, were shuffling. Kind of scares me to do this.
Past 13 hours, almost everyone walks.
Finally, and no surprise, but it seems to me, that if you can control your effort on the bike, you can have a balanced race. This course seems to demand that.
Curious to hear from other participants and spectators alike. Kudos galore to everyone who did this race yesterday!
