To be continued?

And now for some fun...

Off we go... But first, a cocktail at the Seattle Airport Goldy... ignoring one of the wives: In Penticton... after our quick swim to test if the wetsuits still fit (notice Goldilock's tanlines!):I always thought we were really screwed for this race... but this guy isn't even facing the right way towards the water!

3000+ A Types waiting to check in:After all that work... we needed a break (oh, how I love Salty's):Thursday night we had dinner with Stephan, Deena, Jamie and Evan. It's also where I met Wes and Susan. Dinner was fabulous! I hope you all come to visit me so I can repay your hospitality! Thank you!

Friday Morning: Traditional Underpants Run!

Underpants Run is a 2K through downtown in your... yup... Underpants! First our Grand Marshall: Roch kicked us off with an Oath. Gotta love a man in his Whitie Tighties & a Bullhorn (a man after my own heart!) Stephan, Jamie, Wes and I were ready to go!

And some notable participants:
Compression socks even made an appearance...

Another man after my own heart! He really worked those!Plus, my favorite part of the run... where Type A meets... well, the Non Type A's (guy in the tracksuit is thinking... "Hm, less drag. Good idea!": And yet... we keep coming... For the record, this is the swim start!
So, what better place to do our "exercises" (stretching and jumping jacks):
As far as I'm concerned, these beat getting a medal or T-Shirt at the end of a run:

Saturday was basically prepping and dropping gear. To give you an idea of how crazy the Transition looked, here's a picture that captures only part of the bike racks:Onto the day... here's the 3000+ participants waiting for the canon. Think nerves, anxiety, and excitement!

Off we go... Goldilocks, Adult Supervision and 2010 Shannon are probably right in the heart of the Washing Machine... to the left of the buoy line.Do not be deceived... it NEVER thinned out!
Here's 2010 Shannon out of the water:

Onto the bike... all smiles. It hides the pain! And the fact that EVERYONE is in front of me!Early in the run... the legs are movin'But, best of all... one of the shots that make this crazy experience all worth it:

I'll try to post a few more thing regarding the race, so feel free to check back. Truth is... what do I write about for much longer?

The Family managed to smash it's goal: Compete in an Ironman with little or no (Goldilocks) training.

And, no... The Family did not have a beer (winning recovery drink poll) but waiting until the next day and enjoyed wine at Hillside winery... and the continued the 4th leg of training. Visiting about 15 wineries in 3 days. Not bad!

Race Report

The dust has settled, and I felt it appropriate to finish up with a report of how the race went. Overall a great experience and, as usual, Penticton didn't hold back on supporting the athletes!

Saturday AM The Family woke up at 4am. It sounds early, but you try sleeping in on a BIG race day... you practically jump out of bed!

The usual Ironman morning rituals took place. Dressing, eating, yelling at Goldilocks to hurry up because the car's leaving in 10 minutes...

We arrive to Transition. Hard Core Athletes everywhere. Gulp! But too late to fret about that... time to soldier on:

• Body Marking - numbers and age marked on everyone. Always a great opportunity to find a 35-40 year old male on the course!
• Special Needs Bag Drop - me. I had Raspberry Gummy things (no Gummy Bears to be found), extra CarboPro and Wheat Thins... variety is key! You could want salty or you could want a "treat" at mile 80 on the bike or 13 on the run...
• Check the bikes - bottles dropped & fill up tires (see we can play the part of Hard Core Triathletes!)
• Visit your T1 and T2 bags - triple checking all the items are in there (forecast called for rain after all... & sun)
• Stand, in yet, your sixth line of the Ironman trip. Yet the most important - The Port-a- Potties
• Regroup the Family
• Watch all the crazy madness that happens when you put 3000+ triathletes in a holding pen 15 minutes before race start

Lining up we ran into Wes and a few OC Triathletes we knew. Wished them luck and proceeded to the "best" place to start with 3000+ others. We chose left... but not far enough left!

BOOM! Race has officially started! Off we went... into the Washing Machine. Kick, hit, slap... push, gulp lake water, kick in the ribs, hit in the head... breathe, breathe... scream underwater and then find a rhythm. That's the swim.

Up to our T1. 2010 Shannon hadn't thought through T1 very good. Goldilocks is trying to pass the nickname "Lost In Transition" to me because I spent 11 minutes in the tent. But hey! I wanted to change my clothes... and I didn't have a Volunteer to help!

Hit the bike... Cold and soaked, but happy to be done with the first leg in 1:14.

First 40 miles of the bike is pretty flat and/or a decline. We are all just flying out of town towards Oliver and dreaded Richter Pass. The bike has never been my strength. I've always hated it because it seems everyone and their mother, passes me. Literally... there were a few 60+ people passing me! Oh well. It's my race to finish, not worry about time or placement!

Through Ritcher and onto my first of 13 rollers. About the 7th roller it starts to rain. And at about the 9th... the headwind kicks up. I curse both.

Onto the worst part of the bike course. A section that takes you out to your Special Needs bag and back. I finally see Adult Supervision. She's rockin it! 20 minutes or so later, I see Goldilocks. I'm pretty sure we all felt a surge of energy seeing the Family on the course finally! Onto Special Needs and I dismount. Time for a picnic. There. Right on the course. In the middle of an Ironman. Even the Volunteer asked me if I was ok. Yup! I'm just not in any hurry... I still have 30 more miles to go.

Finally back on the bike... the rain picks up again. The wind starts to get frigid. I peddle away. By this point I'm going back and forth with a few other bikers. We start to encourage each other on but can't exactly ride together. It's when we, at last, pull into town we see the beloved sign, "Welcome to Penticton" that I feel ready to take on the marathon. However, just as we pull down Main... WHAM! Headwind! The kind that actually pushes you backward. With only 3 miles left on the course, I got out of my seat and climbed through it... cursing as I went, at the wind.

Dismount of the bike. Give instructions to the Volunteer to throw it in the lake and wobble off to find my T2 bag.

I beat my T1 time by 1 minute... however, I passed on the sunscreen and sunglasses. There was a storm going on outside after all! (I'll come to regret that decision later...) Off I go... High-fiving folks out of Transition and onto the run.

Three miles and I'm feeling good. My plan, walk 1 minute each mile until 13.1 miles. From there, I'd reassess the plan. I chat with a gal named Jen doing her first Ironman. I wish her luck as she passes me after 4 miles. At one walk break I met a guy doing his first also. He jogs by me saying a walk sounds pretty good right now... Ah, not yet! Gotta keep moving!

About mile 8 for me I see Adult Supervision. She's on her way back into town and looks FANTASTIC! I start skipping and doing heel clicks because it's nice to see a familiar face and she's kicking some butt! We chat for a second or two and I realize she'll pull a 12 hour time. An encouraging chat for each of us and I realize Goldy is only 20 minutes ahead of me. Off we go...

Goldy was trekking up one of the hills when I saw him around mile 11. We give a quick shout out and head on. I catch up to the guy I met during my walk break. He's walking now... I pull up beside him and convince him to run with me until the turnaround. We head off with the hope we can lean on each other for encouragement... I learn he is from Canada and his quick story.

At the turnaround point, he slows down. I wish him luck and head for home. Darn that headwind... it's back! Except now I have to battle those rolling hills and the negative flat! I keep moving... determined not to get a Glowstick!

A mile or so... I met a Dad doing the Ironman with his 19 year old son. His kid's about an hour and half behind him. I share some Advil with him and we push forward trying to keep our minds off the nagging voice that tells us to walk. Trek on...

In time, the voice wins. I start walking. My mind keeps finding ways to keep this pace... and then it finds ways to negotiate to a run. I chat with some other folks along the trail and notice - GASP! - up ahead the police are handing out Glowsticks.

Oh well. Onward I move... now with a Glowstick. I'm beginning to run again... I'm almost back in town. 4 more miles... and if I can manage 10 min/miles or so then I can come in under 15 hours. If I continue to let that voice win... I'll come in closer to 15:30. Off I go. No. More. Walking!

As I head to town, the crowd starts to pick up again. People are cheering us in for the last few miles. Around mile 24 I hear someone yell, "Hey! Can I have your Glowstick?!" I turn to see a kid lit up like a Christmas Tree. Lucky for him I've been wanting to get rid of this thing from the get go. I hear his glee as I fling my stick to him.

Head down, in a rhythm. Mantra: 14 hours, 14 hours, 14 hours.

Crowd starts to pick up as we turn away from the finish line to mile 25. Cheers, shouts of encouragement. Turn around and begin my journey to the finish line. Up ahead you can barely read "Finish" but you sure can hear the crowd and the announcer. As I pull into the shoot, the exhaustion fades away. As any Quinn would do, I play up the crowd... High Fiving as I run down the shoot. Encouraging the cheering. And then a five start jump into the finishing flag. Done.

After the massage tent, some food and bike drop The Family heads back to the finish line to watch the last runner: 16:59:56 minutes (just 4 seconds before the cut off).