Little Miss Runner Pants

ok so.. i know typically when recapping a weekend trip, i would start at the beginning...
:: holy crap 8 hours is a long drive! ::

maybe throw in a few fun facts like...
:: got pulled over in Iowa for going 76 in a 70. they're some sticklers up there, i tell ya ::

and then brag because
:: but i got out of it. its amazing what a wink and a smile can get ya these days! ::

then i'd probably go on to tell you all about my crazy night
:: seriously cute-ass bartender guy ::

and how i may or may not have been inebriated.
:: what!!? he was CUTE. what don't you get about that?! ::

then i'd definitely talk about the blogger meet-ups, finally getting to meet people like IronPol, Wil, Trigrey, Laurie, Wendy, 21C, Walchka and many others, and then i'd probably start in on the race report.

right?!
right.

except this time.. i wanna jump straight to the end.

because the end... is where it really *happened* for me.

for those of you that have never had the opportunity to experience ironman... let me just say the finishline is like nothing you've seen before.

watching these athletes finish up a 9, 10... 15, 16, 17 hour day is beyond amazing.

for most of the day, i screamed and i yelled and i supported the best i could. but although i knew what i was seeing, i didn't FEEL the way i thought i would.

it was a race and... yeah. that was it.

but around hour 10, when Babysitter Girl and i headed to the end, i started to get an idea.

hours 10 - 12 are pretty fun. people are lined up down the chute, all the speedy guys are coming through, and you get a sense of damn. they were really hauling ass out there.

its impressive, and fun, and.. its good times.

hours 12 - 14 are.... more of the same. the crowd really thins out, comparatively, and although its fun to see everyone run in... you start feeling the length of the day. as a spectator, you've been on your feet now since 6am, and... you kinda wanna go sit down!!

BUT!!! then its the end. there are a few hours left, and these are the people that really need the support. the crowd starts to grow, the music is blasting, and mike riley really revved it up.

you could start to feel a buzz in the air. everyone, absolutely everyone there wanted the same thing... for each and every athlete to make it down that chute. we were willing people across that finishline. screaming SCREAMING at them to run.

each new hour the crowd grew more and more. minutes 13:59, 14:59 and 15:59 were insane.

they. were. in. sane. we were all going nuts, trying to urge each athlete to make it under the 14, 15, 16 hour mark.

and then the last hour, it just never stopped.

there was a man, 78 years old, named frank. he was out on the course, shuffling along, and with an hour to go he had 5 miles left. mike riley kept giving us updates and at mile 25, we knew he could hear us.

the crowd. went. nuts. i have goosebumps just thinking about it.

we chanted, we cheered, we probably all wondered whether he'd make it and..

that's what i want to share with you today.

(below, is when he's at mile 25. we knew he could hear us, so we started to cheer)

(below is frank coming down the chute. i've watching this now 4 times today and the tears keep rolling down. i hope i hope i hope you all can sort of get an idea of the finish from this!)

(and below is his speech at the end. he's a funny little old guy. cutest lil man EVER. he talks about "the damn hills".. that maybe they should "hire a contractor to flatten out the course" and "knowing each of the athletes from their backsides".

he was the last athlete to cross the line.

he. is my hero.)

i'll post pics of the weekend tomorrow. today.. i want everyone to get a chance to watch frank come down that chute.