It just took the infectious passion of one individual to get the rest of us reeled in. And it wasn’t something to be entered lightly. There was the cost to consider (entry, flights, accommodation, not to mention the extra costs associated with the training itself). But she is a determined woman who can see the potential in a person more clearly than they themselves. And you can protest, but she usually wins.
What exactly is an Ironman you ask??? A 7am start in whichever country you have chosen to race – which means a 4am wake-up call – that in itself should be enough to put anyone off!! It gets worse, the 7am start line is usually on a beach, or IN a body of water! 3.8km swim is the first leg of this incredible triathlon event. Next comes the 180km bike portion, followed by a mere 42.2km (Marathon Distance) run!!Overall time allowed to be able to call yourself an Ironman at the end of the day, 17 hours. With cut off times within being, 2 hours and 20 minutes to finish the swim, and 10 hours and 30 minutes to finish the bike portion, from the 7am swim start.
So here we are, just over 3 weeks out from Ironman Cozumel, and Jane Wood (owner of Running Free Milton) has not only talked me into racing; she has also persuaded five others!!!
So on November 24th seven of us will travel to Cozumel, Mexico via Cancun. Race day is the 27th.
We are not a crew of Ironman veterans, in fact, of the seven that will be boarding the plane on the 24th only three call themselves Ironman. Two brave souls have not even completed a triathlon of any length before! But we have all put in our training…in our own way.
THE ATHLETES:
Jane Wood (Ironman Lake Placid 2010) – cheerleader, motivator and the one that everyone will silently (or not so silently) curse at some point during the race.
Scott Smiciklas (Ironman France 2011) – this boy can ride. It is easy to predict that if any of us come out of the swim before him it won’t be long before he blows by us on the 180km bike course!
Gaby Reyes – this girl has determination. Having completed her first 70.3 in Muskoka in September, there is no doubt that when we see her on the course she will be smiling (and of course… cursing Jane!)
Al Caballero – have a question about anything to do with this race and Al has the answer. He has done his homework and his training. He is a shining example of the Type A triathlete.
Kathy Thompson – if you had asked her 6 months ago whether she would be an Ironman in 2011, she may have looked at you funny…or maybe not. Maybe this was her plan. Either way this girl is going to be an Ironman the very same day she calls herself a triathlete.
Craig Thompson – Another newbie who is starting big. Not having ever done a triathlon, Craig is going to show us all, that determination and an iron will is more important than a tri racing background. Craig and Kathy are also married and will be finishing their first Ironman, and triathlon, on the same day. But which of them will cross that every famous Finish Line first?? (Finish Line must always be capitalised, for it is THE MOST IMPORTANT part of any race!!!)
Me – Nicole Johnson – (Ironman Louisville 2010) – I have been doing triathlons for several years and know Ironman is incredibly addictive, but it took some persuasion on Jane’s part to get me registered…the Ironman experience is amazing, the training is selfish, time consuming, mentally and physically draining and expensive…but I love it!
Our goals all differ as will our race experiences, I am sure. But we have one thing in common – Running Free Milton, where we all met, and our inability to say no to Jane!
