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M38A1
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Last weekend I had the opportunity to "sherpa" for a friend of mine competing in her second IM distance race. She had done IMAZ (IRONMAN Arizona) last year and her sherpa fell through for this year. I was available, so went along to make it as easy as possible for her before and after the race. All she had to do was "Do It" as Nike says.
On a related note, IMAZ is the same race Bob's (Tricepilot) daughter Rachel WON her age group and earned a slot to the World Championships in Kona, HI.
Over the coarse of six days, I shot 600 or so images of her, the venue, the race and some other friends who were competing. Here's just a sample of the ones which bring out the emotional side of these events. There's soooooo much to an IRONMAN event that just a few images really don't do it justice. Just ask ST_Scott as he's been to a few over the years as well.
One major benefit in being a sherpa this time around was the fact that having completed two of the IRONMAN distance tri's myself, I had a really good idea on what was going to happen, when it was going to happen and where. That was of tremendous benefit moving around the general race site.
And for those that don't know, my friend Bekah finished this years IRONMAN beating her previous years time by 36 minutes. She did that over the 2.4 mile swim, then a 112 mile bike ride and finishing it all off with a 26.2 mile run. Yeah, she's a rockstar in my book.
The entire un-culled gallery is HERE
Hi - I'm Bekah. Move it or you'll get run over in the water by me.
Yes. I'm excited to get this show on the road.
This is NOT my first rodeo.
I can still blow kisses after 2.4 miles swimming and riding 112 miles.
I'm 100 meters now from IM Finish #2.
Don't let anyone fool you. It's all about the hat.
And now for some other shots. These events are an emotional roller coaster for the participants as well as the spectators. Hopefully, a few of these will give you an idea of the level of commitment these folks have.
This is Tina on the right. She's sight-impaired, ie: blind and just coming out of the 61*F water swimming 2.4 miles with her guide.
This is Sam. He too just swam the 2.4 miles in the same situation as Tina.
But you know what? Just because you have a perception of what an IRONMAN triathlete is, these guys can humble anyone in about 1/10,000th of a second.
Here's Sam headed out on the 112 mile bike course.
Then we can mix in some pro's, all doing the same thing....
Toss in a few age-groupers...
And let's not forget about Tina... She's the one in the back position. (The weight of the tandem off-sets any competitive advantage the second cyclist might provide)
So now a little 26.2 mile "cool down" marathon to finish up the day. Sounds easy, huh? Here's Tina again on her 2nd of 3 laps.
And we can't forget Sam...
And let's add Jeff into the mix....
And the really cool part? All three completed the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run withing the alloted time of 17 hours. They are all IRONMEN.
.
On a related note, IMAZ is the same race Bob's (Tricepilot) daughter Rachel WON her age group and earned a slot to the World Championships in Kona, HI.
Over the coarse of six days, I shot 600 or so images of her, the venue, the race and some other friends who were competing. Here's just a sample of the ones which bring out the emotional side of these events. There's soooooo much to an IRONMAN event that just a few images really don't do it justice. Just ask ST_Scott as he's been to a few over the years as well.
One major benefit in being a sherpa this time around was the fact that having completed two of the IRONMAN distance tri's myself, I had a really good idea on what was going to happen, when it was going to happen and where. That was of tremendous benefit moving around the general race site.
And for those that don't know, my friend Bekah finished this years IRONMAN beating her previous years time by 36 minutes. She did that over the 2.4 mile swim, then a 112 mile bike ride and finishing it all off with a 26.2 mile run. Yeah, she's a rockstar in my book.
The entire un-culled gallery is HERE
Hi - I'm Bekah. Move it or you'll get run over in the water by me.
Yes. I'm excited to get this show on the road.
This is NOT my first rodeo.
I can still blow kisses after 2.4 miles swimming and riding 112 miles.
I'm 100 meters now from IM Finish #2.
Don't let anyone fool you. It's all about the hat.
And now for some other shots. These events are an emotional roller coaster for the participants as well as the spectators. Hopefully, a few of these will give you an idea of the level of commitment these folks have.
This is Tina on the right. She's sight-impaired, ie: blind and just coming out of the 61*F water swimming 2.4 miles with her guide.
This is Sam. He too just swam the 2.4 miles in the same situation as Tina.
But you know what? Just because you have a perception of what an IRONMAN triathlete is, these guys can humble anyone in about 1/10,000th of a second.
Here's Sam headed out on the 112 mile bike course.
Then we can mix in some pro's, all doing the same thing....
Toss in a few age-groupers...
And let's not forget about Tina... She's the one in the back position. (The weight of the tandem off-sets any competitive advantage the second cyclist might provide)
So now a little 26.2 mile "cool down" marathon to finish up the day. Sounds easy, huh? Here's Tina again on her 2nd of 3 laps.
And we can't forget Sam...
And let's add Jeff into the mix....
And the really cool part? All three completed the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run withing the alloted time of 17 hours. They are all IRONMEN.
.
Congratulations to all!
And if you do attend one, bring your cowbell!