did he rest this year or was he injured…amazing endurance athlete
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Athlinks shows no races for him this year except for a half marathon in January, no tris.
He’s either injured, or broke. He does construction work in Florida, last I heard, so with the lack of work he might be hurtin’ financially. He’s one strong little guy, so I’m sure he’ll rebound.
-Robert
Talk to Joe about 2wks ago.He had his back operated on early this year also went down on the bike broke collarbone.But thats not why he didnt race!Sue or Joe can tell u guys why he didnt race.
hope he recovers well and gets back soon
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I got a quick note from Sue and confirmed he had some physical injuries that he was working through and decided this year wasn’t going to work out. Any other personal reasons, if any, are his (theirs) to keep or share.
I always wish them the best and hope to see him racing soon, Ironman or other races. He is in my age group and seems like a class act and a real talent.
He’s either injured, or broke. He does construction work in Florida, last I heard, so with the lack of work he might be hurtin’ financially. He’s one strong little guy, so I’m sure he’ll rebound.
Right on one and close on the second. Joe had back surgery in March, recovered from that only to have a bad crash with multiple injuries in May. We decided it was a good year to take off.
The Construction industry is tough right now, cut WAY back on the work, he was forced to lay off 1/2 his employees and is working on 75% cut in salary himself Picking up the slack with less staff, he does not have much free time to train. We will be alright, but for now not many luxuries.
He trains every bit as hard, but he is not as driven about racing. Joe started this adventure in endurance to keep feeling young. When you hit the mid 50s, and everything starts to hurt, it starts to make you feel old. I am sure he will be back to Kona, but it may not be for a couple of years. The WTC events are too much of a crowd now too. He is NOT happy about the drafting situation in IM right now either.
ON a side note, it was fun to sit home and watch for a change. Congratulations to Greg Taylor on 55 AG win. It is amazing how fast the 40s+ are these days compared to 10-15 years ago.
Thanks for noticing!
Sue Bonness
aka Support Crew
Hammer puppy - Hi, but don’t tell tales out of school…
give him our best.
xoxo
tc
Sorry to hear about the struggles Sue! As a business owner myself, I have been in the same boat the last few years…doing 1/2 as many races as before. You guys are great people and we all look forward to seeing Joe’s future exploits should the mood strike him. If not, enjoy life anyway, right?
As Vito Corleone taught me so many years ago, “We only discuss family business in front of the family”.
Best of luck in health and everything else to the both of you.
Sue , Thanks for sharing. the first thing I did while looking athletes was to search for Joe.
Glad everything is on the right track. It sure has gotten alot faster the last 15 years…Yikes!
Dusty
Good luck to Joe! I raced with him several times in Clermont. I’d be leaving on the run and he’d be finishing! And he’s just a few years younger. Incredible man. If he’d been raised 10-15 years later, we’d be talking about him in the same breath as Mark Allen and Dave Scott. Loads of talent…
-Robert
If anything, Joe (and you) are an even bigger inspiration now. I wish more people knew both of your full stories. They’re impressive- and I only know what I’ve read about you guys.
Best of luck to you guys. Your report is appreciated.
“When you hit the mid 50s, and everything starts to hurt, it starts to make you feel old.”
Boy, ain’t that the truth! 
Good luck to you and Joe.
Jim
Sue,
Thanks for sharing. I had no idea either, but had noticed that Joe had not been in any results all year.
I hope that everything works out and Joe is able to get his fitness back.
Sue,
Thanks for the update. Couple of observations and thoughts…
X2 on the comment about going out for the IM run when Joe’s finishing. Last year at IMWI, Joe was in the last kilo when I turned around for the second lap. He waved as we passed on the capital square. 10:05 as I recall…
Watched Joe give you a kiss in the finishing chute at either St. Croix or IMWI (can’t remember which). I tell that story a lot in testament to his focus on family. Struck a responsive chord with a lot of folks.
Always enjoy seeing you guys at St. Croix, even tho Joe keeps me from a slot by whooping my tail. Looking forward to getting my tail whooped many more times in the future by Joe…
Just to prove that most of us are human and Joe’s not, all you have to do is Google Joe’s name and click on Images. I love the pictures of Joe on a funny bike…
My favorite story and my most encouraging challenge thought is one that got posted on a ST forum when I was asking if 7 weeks was long enough between IM’s. I got a lot of comments and advice, but the one that stopped me in my tracks was a comment that said, “WWJBD?” That one keeps me going when the going gets tough (If you recall, I shared that story at the awards banquet in St. Croix last year. And yes, I did well in both IM’s this year, even 7 weeks apart.)
I know Joe will be back in the game, sooner than a lot of us in his AG would really prefer (hey, some of us still dream of a slot!). After all, WWJBD?
Definitely missed you guys this year.
I never met him but from the description a lady gave me he must be one “COOL” dude ;0)
.
As Vito Corleone taught me so many years ago, “We only discuss family business in front of the family”.
Actually, the correct quote is “Never tell anybody outside the family what you’re
thinking again!”
My apologies for being pedantic but I couldn’t let this one go.
“When you hit the mid 50s, and everything starts to hurt, it starts to make you feel old.”
Boy, ain’t that the truth!
Good luck to you and Joe.
Jim
Oh no…you mean it gets worse!!!