What is an Ironman Triathlon?

Some of you might ask, just what is an Ironman triathlon? I am glad you asked. In 1977, there was quite a debate over who was more fit; runners or swimmers. Someone piped up that a Belgian cyclist recorded the most "oxygen uptake" than any other man so maybe cyclists were the most fit. So it happened; the first Ironman was formed in Hawaii. There were 15 competitors on that first day and the winner won in 11:46 minutes. They would go on to call the winner the "Ironman." Who would have known that thousands of people dream of making it to Kona to participate in what is now the Ironman World Championships?

So what is this Ironman we speak of? Its a race that consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run all completed without stopping with a time limit of 17 hours usually. However, the particular Ironman that I have chosen has a cutoff of 15 hours. There is more to the puzzle though. Each particular leg offers a cutoff as well. The swim has a strict cutoff of 2:20, the bike 8:10 minutes, and the marathon run has a cutoff of 6:30 which normally leads participants to a strict midnight cutoff.

There is something about an Ironman finish line that is just magical. People sacrifice and train for months on end in hopes of becoming an Ironman. Many hopes and dreams are made....and crushed, all at the same time. There have been many athletes who miss the cutoff by mere minutes only to have their day end, falling short of the goal. Many people who attempt an Ironman will not finish.

Everyone expects the pro athletes to have an amazing day and finish with results that the normal person can only dream of. The magic happens after dark when the people come in who have kids, jobs, spouses, and plenty of responsibilities. People gather at midnight to watch the last few people come in. After a 17 hour mental battle, those who cross just before midnight are left in this magical world where nobody can take away being an "Ironman."

People take great pride in finishing such a task. Tattoos are very common with Ironman finishers. They call it the MDOT. It looks something like this:

I am still trying to wrap my head around the training for this crazy thing. I have been blessed with an amazing training partner here in Turkey. His name is Jason. We were on the way to Turkey when I overhead this bald guy talking about wanting to do an Ironman. As luck would have it, we were traveling to the same place. Little did we know that God had placed us in the perfect place for such a time as this. He is like my twin except I am better looking and his heart rate is a little lower. We push each other every day to become a better versions of us than yesterday. Good training partners are amazing and hard to come by. I am very blessed to be in the situation that I am to focus on training. 

Take today to find someone that needs encouragement, and be a positive influence. 

Take today and be thankful for what you have. There is always someone who is not as fortunate as you. 

Take today and love on those who are important to you. We are never promised tomorrow. Make the most of today. We have all heard the saying "Carpe Diem." It means "seize the day." 

I will leave you with this for today. What do you want in life? What are your goals? Do you dream of getting off the couch and completing your first 5K? Take that first step today!! A goal that is visible, is a constant reminder to DO SOMETHING! Write your goals somewhere visible so that you are constantly reminded to get moving and be awesome!