Zion National Park experience

A few weeks before we left for Las Vegas, I did a little research on other things to do. Brittney and I aren't gamblers. We love the outdoors. I found a blog that described a trip getting a rental car and driving 2 and a half hours from Vegas to Zion National Park in southern Utah.

 http://andystravelblog.boardingarea.com/2016/08/10/day-trip-zion-national-park/#comment-165624

We followed his lead. We rented an Audi A4 from Silvercar. Picked up the car at 6:30am and dropped it off at 10pm. Total cost was $99 for the day. Came with Sirius XM and GPS. Picked up some on the go breakfast and drove through the desert mountains. Amazing views!

 Wide open roads with 75 mph speed limits! Everything was going great until we hit a traffic jam??? We could see ahead of us. Traffic was directed off the highway down an exit ramp then back onto the highway up the entrance ramp.I couldn't see any vehicles wrecked but the cops had the highway shutdown here. Once we got going up the entrance ramp is where we saw the shoe. Then the insides of a person spread out over the roadway. I blame my profession for my ,"Whoa! Lets take a picture!" response.

see the black shoe on the road? just ahead of it is the insides of a person

Never saw a head or arms, but I knew what happened. Just a few yards up, the police were talking to the semi driver. The bumper was missing. The news later reported a suspected burglar had been struck on the highway. Gruesome! Crazy way to end it. Wild way to start our adventure.

Driving through the mountains was incredibly fun. The views were just amazing. We passed through Nevada into Arizona and then into Utah. The drive was easy. The time change was weird and messed with our heads a little. Flying from Dayton to Las Vegas changes the time 3 hours back. Then crossing into Utah the time jumped back up an hour. One great thing about this adventure was we weren't in any hurry. We had no time limits or appointments. We were incredibly close to the park when we found the Majestic View restaurant. This was our first view of Zion National Park.

We almost got hit by a truck because we were mesmerized by the views.
 we ate at the center table

We met a couple from Canada who were raving about British Columbia and the scenery there. Good to know since that's where our next adventure takes us in July 2018! Lunch was tasty, but we were dying to get outside!

We drove through this little mountain town and had to park out in town because the "in the park" parking was full.

We walked into the park and found the shuttle. The shuttle takes people to 9 different stops in the park. The shuttle speakers said the Angel's Landing trail was "strenuous" and has had deaths. This may have worried Brittney a little. We got off the shuttle at The Grotto.

We started up the path towards Angel's Landing. This trail gains 1500 ft of elevation in about 2.5 miles. There's some steep inclines going up this trail. Brittney admitted she didn't look over the info I had sent her. This was not what she thought we were getting into. To be honest, I didn't realize this was as tough as it was. I'm glad I didn't research this more or we may not have tried it. I certainly would not suggest this hike 2 days before a marathon! But here we were. My child hood dream of getting to explore was beaming into real life!
 just starting up the trail


 the high cliff on left is where we were headed

Up the trail and out we went. The views were just incredible. Seeing a tree growing on the side of the mountain was unique. Watching the river get smaller as higher up we went.



 there were steep parts
Then we hit The Wiggles.

(not my picture: but accurate)

I liked The Wiggles!

You just keep winding your way up The Wiggles. Path was wide enough for 2 people. There were all kinds of people on this path. Some people going fast, some taking their time. This was fun. I was smiling from ear to ear. Heart rate was up, calves were feeling the incline. The trail consisted of sand, dirt, and concrete. I was having a blast. Once up The Wiggles, we wound around to Scout's Landing. There was a lot of people taking in the breath taking views, relaxing or reading.

Rock squirrels were friendly and cute.


This was a great rest stop. This is also a decision point for a lot of people. The question asked is, "Should I go forward or just go back?" Brittney and I called the next portion, "The chains".

Because here is the start of risky danger fun. The park has bolted thick chains into the rock to hold

onto. The rock is uneven and steep.

last hiker to fall to his death here was March 2017!


















You have to watch every step you take. No step is like the step before. You are working to get up this part. One chain may be vertical and the next is horizontal.

most of the time we were about 2 feet from the edge










I snuck a tool out of my endurance training..a mantra...I said out loud repeatedly.."I am a mountain goat." I could focus on my mantra and continuing forward without getting overly nervous. As we were working over this part, Brittney unfortunately made a mistake that anyone with a fear of heights shouldn't make here... she looked DOWN. She realized how high up we were and the side of the cliff is within feet of you. There's a few sections where you have no room for error. We got to a section where you could sit on the rock. Brittney suffered a mild panic attack. She started crying as she was almost paralyzed from fear. I calmed her down and assured her she didn't have to go any further. I also promised I could get her back down ALIVE. People were coming and going past us. One guy and 2 girls decided to take a break at the same spot we were in. The guy admitted he had, in his words, "chickened out" his first 2 trips to Angel's Landing. After a short talk, I asked if they would stay with Brittney so I could see the next landing point. Others told us there was a great viewpoint just a few feet up. The others said they'd stay with Britt while I checked out the next spot. I continued up and found this view..

Another guy tried to talk me into going all the way up to Angel's Landing. The path becomes more dangerous and as I've since learned, is called the "death zone". The trail goes down and then curls up to get to Angel's Landing.

the path continued toward the tree closest here, then UP! Angel's Landing is the TOP of this peak

This section wasn't overly long, but takes a while to cover due to terrain and possibility of falling over either side of the cliff. . This is the place where hikers have fallen to their death. There were plenty of people going all the way up the day we were there. I wanted to keep going, I was so close. I also knew that leaving Brittney where she was for too long was a bad idea. The view I got here was great enough. I made my way back down and made sure Brittney was in the right mindset to get down. She told me that some jerk had said, "6 people a year die right here in this very spot." She was scared, but I was so proud of her. She stared FEAR in the EYE and conquered it. She listened to me as I explained which steps I was taking and where to hold the chain. We took our time and let people pass by us.




















I took a pic of Britt as she was almost down from "the chains."

She breathed a huge sigh of relief once on solid flatter ground. Brittney was upset with herself but I assured her it was an adventure I was thrilled to enjoy with her. About an hour or so later, what she accomplished finally set in and she accepted the fact that it took more courage for her to make it where she did and get down then it does for most people. This was a trip some people will never get the chance to see. Going up "the chains" is a choice some can't make. We love a challenge, and this challenge was one we never prepared for. We aren't seasoned hikers. We just went for adventure, and boy did we find it! Getting all the way up to Angel's Landing is now on my bucket list. Brittney will have to decide later if it's a goal for her to go farther or not. I will make it there, maybe not this year or next, but I will get there. This just gives us a reason to go back!

 going back down The Wiggles

 stunning views!

As we made our way back down the path, You would've thought I was a kid at Christmas. My brain was stimulated and I felt ALIVE. This was LIVING LIFE. We took some pics and just enjoyed the scenery. We were almost back to the trailhead when another hiker gave us the "quiet" signal 

maybe 10 feet off the trail, a deer was grazing on the trees.

Nature is gorgeous. After almost 5 miles of hiking, we decide we have enough energy left in the tank to go see the Emerald Pools. It was a mile away. Back over rocks

and through sand we went.

 We saw all 3 "pools." In my opinion, 2 of the "pools" weren't very impressive. Almost large puddles. There was natural water running along the rock that was pretty. Then we found the bigger pool.

 In the middle of all this canyon, this was neat. I went around and over the bigger rocks just to get a different view. I slipped and almost busted my butt. We took an extended break here. Just enjoyed God's grace and beauty. Simply amazing. We made our way back and joined a brother and sister team who were out hiking as well. We all talked on the way back and before we knew it, we were back to the shuttle stop.

We were exhausted. But the run streak doesn't care if you are exhausted, or if you hiked around 8 miles. It only cares if you ran at least a mile that day. So back to the car where I changed shoes. Brittney ran with me. We went out a half mile, encountered 2 deer, then ran back to our car. My first mile ran in Utah! We left the park and stopped at


Excellent ribs and service! I normally don't drink anything but water. I had a 3 hour drive to make and it was dark out! I drank more Mountain Dew at dinner than I've had in a year. We Facetimed our daughters and back to Vegas we went. Stopped at a store and a local ice cream place in the outer neighborhood of Vegas. Returned our car and got an Uber back to our hotel.

This was my absolute favorite part of our trip. Just to be away from cell phones and work. To discover, touch, and be apart of nature filled my soul with joy. To watch my beautiful wife fight her fear and trust me to help her. This is a trip we will never forget. I highly recommend going to Zion! Whether you take Angel's Landing trail or a different trail. Whether you decide to tackle "the chains" or stop at Scout's Landing...go see what this beautiful country has to offer. It's truly amazing.

Angel's Landing...be ready...I'm coming for you

Rock n Roll Las Vegas Marathon

I will start this one out by stating this was my experience. My opinion. I am not judging the entire Rock n Roll company on this 1 race. I have raced in lots of races. Been to many places and ran road, trail, big races like NYC marathon, raced in Xenia marathon where I felt alone at times. I have certain expectations now. I had read some negative reviews about this race but I always give the event the chance to impress me. I'm always willing to listen to others opinions whether you agree or disagree with my opinion.

Short background on how we decided to run this race. Brittney and I took a weekend in Vegas in January 2003 as our honeymoon. I was in police academy when we got married. We stayed at The Mirage and saw Siegfried and Roy's Tiger show. In 2016, we saw a special price for the Las Vegas Marathon. Brittney and I agreed for our 15th anniversary, we would take another long weekend in Vegas. Brittney asked that I ran with her at her pace to cover the distance. The couple who runs together..gets stronger together! We saw the marathon ended at The Mirage. PERFECT! What better hotel to stay in?! So we booked our hotel, registered for the race, and waited to go.

The flight in to Vegas was smooth. Friday we hiked Zion National Park. We took a strenuous trail which is not recommended 2 days before a marathon. But we were going to have fun in the marathon, not try to run our fastest race.Saturday we saw a few hotels and smoky casinos. We do not like smoky casinos. Smells gross! We went to the expo and had fun there. I loved the Brooks porta potties changing rooms!

We then went back to the hotel and took a 3 hour nap. Apparently a flight that changes 3 time zones then hiking all day wears you out. We made our way to SLS Las Vegas. This is the north end of the strip. I thought the 5k started at 6:30 and was pretty chill. Until Brittney saw a sign stating 5k started at 6! It was 5:48 when she saw that! Oops! I busted a move to get to start line. I made it into my corral before the National Anthem! I shook 2 LVMPD Officer's hands and off we went. The route was basically a mile and a half out and back down a back street of Vegas. There was a DJ with huge lighting system and music could be heard most of the way. There was a few good costumes on runners. I knew I had to run a marathon the next day and didn't want to completely smoke my legs. I also wanted to stretch my legs a little. I've been feeling slow since Ironman Louisville. So I ran strong the first mile but didn't overdo it. I felt good so I stayed on pace.The 3rd mile I was having a blast and saw a KISS cover band who was rocking out which energized me. Then I saw this huge Brooks inflatable arch that I thought was the finish line. 

 I kicked it up a notch to discover I still had about .2 miles to run. Whoops but oh well. I finished at 23:12 official time. Always feels good to run fast! Legs didn't feel tired. I got a nice medal out of it


, covered my daily mile, and I knew I'd get the challenge medal the next day also.

Brittney's favorite band is the Goo Goo Dolls. I like their music as well. We were both super happy to find out Rock n Roll offered a free Goo Goo Dolls concert for runners and runner's families. This was held in same park 5k started/finished in. There was lots of police presence, but I still looked at all the windows of the surrounding hotels. I figured there were sniper teams covering all hotels, but I had to check the windows myself. The concert was great. I loved the outdoor venue. It was almost chilly out but we had a blast. After the concert, we made our way back to the monorail. In SLS, we saw a group of people who were in the running for an $85,000 BWM. We crashed back at our hotel. No staying up late partying for us.

Sunday morning we had breakfast at Paris hotel. Went through Cesar's Palace and back to The Mirage to rest. The thought of starting a marathon at 4:30 pm is just odd.How do you eat that day? You don't want to get hungry but you don't want to start a marathon on a full stomach. We decided to make our way close to New York New York hotel, where the start line was. We split a cheese pizza at 2 pm. We stayed off our feet at CPK. The runners at the next table talked to us. It was a father son team. Dad was running the half, the 27 year old son, Jeff, was running his first marathon. Jeff was excited and nervous. We then went out to scout out the lay of the land. Gear check was about a half mile from starting corrals. Once we were ready to check our bag, we located  the trucks tucked behind T Mobile arena. We walked to corrals and found everyone else in Vegas at the same place!
There was 1 gate to get into the corrals. ONE GATE. There were different colored corrals that each had 12 corrals per color. We were standing on top of each other and not moving. I was pretty sure that we would not be able to start on time because we weren't able to enter the corral for about 15 minutes. Then, somehow, like a salmon swimming up stream, we made our way to our corral. The start line did have pyrotechnics and rock music. I thought the trouble was behind us and all we had to do was run 26.2 miles. The first mile took us out past the
 
sign. We then ran past the field where the shooting victims had been. It was all fenced off. Still eerie. Very sad. We got to the turn around and there were 4 violinists. Their music was beautiful. Back towards the strip and we saw



The sun had went down. This sign wasn't as big or glamorous as the movies makes it out to be. Then we get into all the hotels and lights! Running the strip was awesome!
Elton John, (impersonator) was rocking a piano! Then KISS (impersonators) were rocking out in the middle of the strip! Buddy Holly (impersonator) was jamming at north end of the strip. We were about 5 miles in and I was pumped! This was fun!

Then we turned...and this is where I started to realize that we had already run the only part of Vegas worth running. We went past Stratosphere and started making our way back towards the strip. The marathon then turned right about 8 miles in where the half marathon continued towards the finish line. The back streets of Vegas were pretty dark. I told Brittney I was happy I was running with her, because I didn't feel all that safe in these neighborhoods. There was lots of police presence, but wow, this part was not fun. Then we hit the "Blue's Band". 12 miles into a run, I don't want to hear how you lost your dog and girlfriend. That was rough. We made our way out to The Pavilions.

This was our first "labyrinth". We got there just after mile 13. It had neon lights and a DJ rocking great music over speakers throughout the venue. I also saw runners running every which way in between cones. This was not good. I knew this would get old soon. After a few miles, YES ..MILES..running in between tents..we left towards an underpass. Its completely dark in the underpass. NO LIGHTS, barely tell where other runners are. Couldn't see street. So what next? That's right, we hit a turn around at mile 17 and go back under the underpass and to top it off...run BACK into tents! If I had hair, I would've pulled it out. at about 18.7 miles...we finally got to leave the tent maze.

Mind numbing! Feeling like a mouse trapped. Good lord was I happy to leave that part. I know you don't want negative thoughts to enter the mind during an endurance event. But that part sucked. 6 miles in 1 place was horrendous.We started back towards the strip. We had 7 miles to go. Brittney and I weren't fast, but we were steady. At around mile 21, we entered the field where the concert was. I then realized that RnR did it again..another LABYRINTH!!!

Forward, left, then right, back the way we started, through the field, follow the arrows. You think you're almost out and NOPE!  Back around you go! This was terrible. I've never seen a race do this. How they measured this out had to be insane. Mile 24 we got to leave. 3 miles in a small park. Mind numbing. Not enjoyable. Crazy. Then we ran past the marijuana dispensary. We joined back up with the half marathoners who had started later and were the back of that pack. Only to go out and back another half mile. Elvis impersonator was rocking! but all the out and backs, the mazes, I was ready to be finished with this. That's when I heard, "HEY! You guys were at CPK!" Our new friend Jeff had found us. He was hurting but looked ok. We talked and he agreed to hang with us for the last 1.5 miles. Back on the strip and bright lights got brighter. Music got louder! Lasers! FINISH LINE! Hand in hand, Brittney and I finished it! We were thrilled.


Happy to be done, proud of our efforts! Got our well earned FINISHER MEDALS


and made our way through the HALF MILE chute. We could've taken as many ROTTEN bananas as we wanted, because NO ONE wanted those. They offered a bottle of water, Gatorade and a protein bar. That was it. SAD! Why in the heck they made this chute so long was ridiculous. The set up was so long, it blocked runners paths back to The Mirage! You say The Mirage is host hotel and then block access back to it after the race??? Makes no sense to me. We had to go into traffic lanes at Cesar's Palace to figure out a way to our hotel. Usually after a marathon, I'm on a runner's high. I was thoroughly DISAPPOINTED in this race. I now understand the negative reviews I read. There was no bananas or oranges on the course. The mazes are horrible. RnR promises live bands every mile, not even close. Gear check was far away from corrals, corrals overcrowded. Route was ridiculous. Then today I read RnR ran out of medals. I know they gave FINISHER medals and jackets to people who were picked up by Sag wagons. People who did not run the entire distance were also given FINISHER times...times that look fast, but not EARNED! This irritates the crap out of me. I can't understand this. You are given a challenge, to run 26.2 miles to earn a finisher medal. If you fail, that's OK. But don't accept something you haven't earned. I feel very strong about this. Because I work my tail off to earn my medals.

I will say the medals and jacket were awesome.

 I got the ReMix Challenge guitar medal for running the 5k and marathon. But this hardly makes up for such a miserable race. If the opportunity to run again in Vegas, I would consider the half. Great changes would have to be made for me to ever consider the marathon in Vegas again. Again, this was just my experience. I have been told other RnR races were better ran. This was my first RnR race and I'm not in any hurry to do another. I'm always happy to discuss if you have any questions or want other details.

Ironman Louisville 2017

I drove down to Louisville Friday October 13th and made great time to get there. I got to Ironman Village before 11am and watched the athlete briefing Nothing had really changed except the way they lined up the athletes in time corrals. I got the coveted IM bracelet and packet. I saw a few friends, bought a new pair of Hoka's and soaked in the atmosphere. I then tried checking into my hotel early. I was told I had to wait another 2 hours. I remembered a park that the Kentucky Derby Marathon ran through with huge beautiful trees. A quick search led me to Iroquois Park. 15 minute drive and I was in paradise. So quiet and beautiful scenery! A short walk
and I discovered the lookout point. Simply amazed to be in God's grace!



Went back to the hotel and got checked in. Just in time to walk to the restaurant where I was lucky to have dinner with other incredible Ironman competitors! I should've been more careful when I asked the waiter if there was gluten in the BBQ sauce and his response was "No, theres no WATER in it." He quickly tried to recover with, "I mean wheat." But then picked up the bottle and said, "You can't see any of it in here." I asked him to check with the chef and he said he did..why do I add this with such detail, because it later affected me. I had the ribs. With the sauce. My stomach was ok that night, but the next day my stomach was not right. DUMB decision. Lesson learned, gotta be more careful with pre-race diet. After dinner, I returned to the hotel room to put stickers on bike and helmet and bags. Separated stuff into bike, run, special needs bags and relaxed with my compression boots.

Saturday morning I went to Annie Mays Sweet Cafe where everything is gluten free! Their donuts are delicious! I tried to not over do the carbs. This is the only time I get fresh donuts, so don't judge me! Back to hotel and then to bike check in. This process seemed to go much faster this year. With bike and bags checked in, I got the best call. My wife and kids had arrived in town! Lunch at Chipotle then off to the hotel pool for some relax family time!
 I was feeling pretty good about the race and my stomach seemed to calm down. We then hit Spaghetti Factory for dinner and back to hotel for early bed time. The Ohio State game was a 7:30 start time. I watched the first half and then lights out!

I set my alarm for 4:50am. Easy to wake up on race day! Tri kit on, going over the race in my head. Ate a banana, peanut butter, and a donut. Stomach was still a little unsettled but I had confidence I'd be ok. I made my way to transition to put bottles in bike and bags. I almost made an error in which special needs bag to put the water bottle in. I was glad I caught this error. I got body marked and walked to swim start. I loved the new way to line us up. I figured I'd be around 1:10 for the swim so I lined up in the 1-1:10 people. I got to hang out with THE BEST CHEER SQUAD EVER
before the race started. Mike Sullivan and Matt Fadely found me and we walked to the start together.

Swim: Down the ramp and off the dock. Ironman #2 had started for me. The marina got a little congested at points. The turn buoy was crowded. Once we were swimming downstream, the river opened up. I sighted off the bridges and just kept stroking.
I smiled as I thought of my family and my daughter's laughs. For some odd reason, on the drive down, another driver did something stupid and I called him a "butt knuckle." I have no idea what a "butt knuckle" is but it made me laugh. When I told Heidi this on Saturday, it made her crack up. I guess I have the sense of humor of a 10 year old. I saw a guy swimming diagnol right in front of me and thought "that dude is a butt knuckle". Then I could hear Heidi's laugh. Made me smile while I was swimming. I then saw the people helping swimmers out of the water. I had once again made it through an Ironman swim. I'm still amazed I can do this. It wasn't that long ago I couldn't swim 25 yards without being out of breath.
Swim time 1:10 3 minute swim PR!
 I went to the best named volunteers, "wetsuit strippers!!" and they helped rip my wetsuit off. I then headed over the pedestrian bridge scanning for my girls.
Found them! Got the biggest smile on my face! Kissed Brittney, said hello to Savvy and then told Heidi, "I found this dude out in the water who was a total butt knuckle!" Other spectators laughed, but Heidi cracked up. Her laugh carried me!

Bike: I got in and out of transition as fast as I could. I found Vengeance and out to the street we went. I remember seeing Judy Stutes running her bike out just in front of me. I hollered out her name and she waved to me. I didn't think I'd see her again until the run. Saddled up and off we went. The tailwind going out was great. But I was concerned of weather reports that said our ride back in was going to be rough. First ten miles is easy. Then up a long hill and about mile 20 we enter the loop. The hills weren't as bad as I remembered. There are 2 long slow hills that I didn't peddle too hard and just worked up them. Some people set up sign's on the longer hill, "Welcome to Grandma's Hill" was the first sign. "She's a BITCH!" was the 2nd sign. That made me laugh.
I made it to where special needs would be on loop 2. I stayed calm but knew "the intersection" was coming. "The intersection" where I wrecked into the car that turned in front of me in 2016. I look up and see JUDY!! I speed up just a touch to get beside her. She tells me how she took her wetsuit off in the water during the race and then put it back on after stopping at the dock. She's so fast she took 2 breaks in the water and I only had a 1 minute faster swim time. I explain that the "intersection" was approaching and asked her to ride through it with me. We coast through with no problem, but her presence just made me feel safe. Judy helped talk me through the concussion last year and it was awesome to have her there with me to see me through the "intersection." I continued on through the loop and found the wind.
 The sun came out and it started getting warm out. I thought I had made it through loop one but I then realized I had more distance to go just to start loop 2. Finally made it to 56 miles, and started loop 2. Back over the hills, bombing down feeling the air blasting around me and just having a blast. Up "Grandma's hill" and I told the cheering people, " I never like grandma anyway!" One lady responded, " Hey! I'm grandma!" UH OH! I said "OOPS, Sorry!" We both laughed. I stopped at special needs,threw in my extra tire tube into my back pocket and grabbed my Bonk Breaker. Switched out my bike bottles of Infinit and realized, "I gotta PEE!" This is a good thing because I'm hydrated and at a place with porta potties. I ran to the porta potty and tried to get that taken care of as quick as possible. I mounted back up and focused on eating my Bonk Breaker through "the intersection". I was glad to be passed that point and not have to return. I then hit the stretch of people cheering in town. I see the RWB cheer squad at the end of the line of people. I continue around to Ballard Rd. I add this to REMIND ME in 2018. Theres a long decent on a main road, then a left turn onto Ballard Rd. Another decent that leads to 2 nasty inclines. If you aren't prepared, you will be in the wrong gear and fall over. Loop 2 I saw people walking their bikes over these inclines. I knew to gear down and counted, "1,2,3,4" over and over until I was over them. Counting the pedal strokes distracted my mind how steep those inclines were.
My right foot then started to catch fire. I've had this "hot spot" for some time now. Apparently, there's friction caused during my pedaling. I remembered the Cincinnati Triathlon Club was just a few miles up. These athletes set up their tent and go crazy cheering on the athletes.
 I    I remembered Jeff Williams from loop 1. The plan was to ask Jeff to hold my bike while I applied Chami Creme to my foot. When I got there, I asked Jeff for help. Jeff was wearing a Speedo. There were quite a few dudes only wearing Speedo's and pirate attire at the CTC tent. Then I saw Bill Deegan. Bill was dressed as a normal guy.



CTC took great care of me! Helped me find the lube (which was just hysterical with PIRATES in Speedo's yelling "Wheres the LUBE!"I got my foot taken care of, used the rest of the creme in other places that were getting rubbed raw and back off I went. About mile 80ish, Mother Nature thought we had had enough sun and she gave us THE WIND. The headwind was a speed killer. All I could think as I was going up hill in the headwind was.." This is how my dad went to school everyday. Uphill in a headwind." Made me smile. I try to be positive at every moment. But this part sucked. I reminded myself I was lucky to be able to do this and lucky for the support I have. A few athletes and I did the back and forth game as we would feel a little better, surge, then get hit with wind which slowed us down again. Legs were feeling tired but no cramp warning signs. Miles 95-100 is down hill. The wind still slowed us down and now the dark clouds had rolled in. I was praying I'd make it off the bike before the rain. I got drizzled on. I turned right on River Rd and had about 10-12 miles left. The wind was swirling. I remember a "leaf tornado" I rode through.  Then a small branch broke off a tree and smacked me in the mouth. I actually yelled "Ouch!" I thought, "Are you serious?? I'm kicking my own butt here! 104 miles in and I get hit in the mouth! By a freaking tree branch!" Again I had to remind my tired self I was just lucky to be here and not further out where the rain was probably going to be much worse. I finished the bike in 6:04. My goal was a 5:45. I hadn't planned on horrid wind. This was still a 14 minute bike course PR. Happy with results in that weather. Handed bike off to volunteer and into transition. I didn't want to mess around in there. I did put a band aid on the hot spot and greased up my left foot. Run shoes on and off I went!

Run: I start off feeling great.
Weather temp  cooled. I run better in chilly air. I see my beautiful wife and kids and my parents cheering me on! A quick stop for a kiss and high fives, then off I go. Then the stomach issue sets in. OMG where is the porta potty??!!! Scanning, there isn't one. And I'm not going to make it another half mile. There just happens to be a small local hole in the wall bar to the left of the course. Let me tell you, A guy in a tri suit doesn't fit in well in this bar. One guy sees my face and yells, "Its in the back!" THANK GOD! I was worried I was in for a long "run". I feel bad for whoever went in there after me. I think I'm good, so I start back moving forward. Then the OMG I GOTTA PEE feeling hits. I didn't think I over hydrated, I'm still not sure thats possible, but it was fierce! I almost didn't make it to the next porta potty. This happened 3 more times in the first 7 miles. It was like gallons of clear pee. Finally, the stomach settles down. I'm disappointed in my first 7 miles. I'm way behind my "over the moon" goal. I'm not even sure if I'm on pace to overall PR. But I keep moving forward. I love this run course because you get to see other racers on the loop. High fives and reports are given. I make it to the turn around and fumble with my run special needs bag. I packed way too much stuff for my jersey pockets. I dropped items, I didn't refill my Infinit because I was spilling it. It was a cluster. Next year, I worry less about special needs stuff. Another lesson learned! I see my family again. I apologize for making them wait so long. Because you know, I'm racing an Ironman and they are just glad to be there. I was at a low point here.
 not always do i take great pics, Brittney titled this one the "o" face
Seeing them perked me up.

I asked Brittney to walk with me and give me a report of where my friends were on the course.
We walked maybe half a mile and she went back to my parents and kids. I start running and ask this lady how is she doing? She says she thinks she can run my pace (which wasn't all that fast at this point) and asks if she can run with me. I've learned that having someone to talk to can take my mind off my legs. She introduces herself as Leslie, but her friends call her Sunshine. She has a beautiful and adventurous personality. We basically tell our life stories taking turns back and forth over the next 12 miles. Leslie is in the 55-59 year old category, but this wasn't about age or gender, this was 2 triathletes gutting out the back half of the run. She told me numerous times that if I hadn't been there, she would've just walked. She thanked me for keeping her moving. I thanked her for keeping my mind off my legs! We would high five and yell at friends on course and go right back to chatting it up.
Then I see this guy named PETER riding this bike dressed up with Christmas lights and a big stereo! Peter just likes riding his bike and jamming. He likes helping the runners by riding and jamming! I yelled out to him, "Can you play Runnin Down a Dream!?" He cranked it up! I sang the entire song and ran like I just started to run. Felt like I was floating! I apologized for my bad singing to Leslie but she said it just kept her moving. I want to add the I started using Red Bull and Base Salts after mile 7 which helped immensely! About mile 24, I started to fade. Leslie continued encouraging me to keep her pace. I was in awe of her stamina. She was kicking ass. At mile 25 or so, I told her I just wanted to slow down. She tried one last attempt to pull me along but I told her to find me at the Finish Line. Leslie went on to her 5th place finish in her age group! She got an award! I like to think I helped her get that! Then I made the left turn and heard the roar of the crowd. I was still 2 blocks away. The final right turn and there it was, " THE PROMISED LAND!" I said that out loud to myself (until you've done an Ironman, you just don't understand the brain fog). I saw the RWB cheer squad and made sure each person got a high five and thank you for being there. Then onto the red carpet. The bright lights! The people on both sides slapping the boards and making so much noise!!
This is the closest to ROCKSTAR STATUS I will EVER get. I high fives every spectator holding out their hand I could.
Until I tripped. Almost fell over, but I saved it! Spectators were like, " uh OH! WHEW! YAY!" Back to high fiving! Then the strangest thing happened again. Just like last year, I pass my family who is cheering for me. I never saw them!

 I think I'm so fixated on the Finish Line that it all blurs together. You can see Heidi reaching out to me here! My eyes are my evidence that I was just fixated on the finish line!

But then I heard the announcer, "MATTHEW KENNARD  FROM DAYTON, OHIO..A POLICE OFFICER!!!! YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!"

At that point, nothing hurt. I was damn proud of myself. A year of dedicated training. Getting myself into better shape. Remembering the fat, lazy, stressed out old Matt, now a TWO TIME IRONMAN!!
Then I saw my beautiful wife and kids!


I was so freaking happy. I checked the watch, 12:54 overall time. 21 minute course PR!!! Not bad in those weather conditions and an unsure stomach in first part of run. I took a picture with my catcher who i think was surprised I was in such a good mood. I told her I was a finish line catcher in 2015. I got my shirt and hat and pics taken. Talked to a few people and waddled over to hotel. 2 blisters was worst damage other than extremely sore muscles. Brittney and my mom offered to go get my bike and bags for me. I took a shower while they did that.
Once cleaned up, and a bite to eat, I was able to go back to the finish line and see teammates and friends finish their race!

Ironman only gives you what you earn. You can't get away with not training for this experience. Ironman will humble you. You have to be dedicated. You have to give up some things. BUT man is it ever WORTH IT!!! The feeling is incredible!

I have to thank some people. #1 is Brittney. You are ever so supportive and I love you dearly for it. Having an endurance athlete spouse is a gift not all athletes have. You understand the struggle, the training, the dedication. We do an amazing job working together to do all that we do and I can't wait to see what the future holds for you!

My kids. They may not read this now, but I pray they do later. Heidi and Savannah your laugh and smile can carry your daddy for miles. I'm so proud of you girls. Way smarter than me and just incredible kids. I love you girls and thank you for being there cheering me on.

My parents, no matter how old I get, I always want to make you proud. Thanks for coming down and supporting me in this crazy sport. I love you guys!


Kevin Sturm, Kalen Knippling, Chris Tech, Bill Deegan, Mike Brown, Brian Forrester, Jamie Viers, Colleen Perry, Judy Stutes...My training partners! The people who pushed me. The people who joined me on long rides! The people who swam and ran with me! You all rock! I thank you for accepting me and teaching me how to get better in this sport we all love. I love training and racing with you all!

Mike Sullivan, Josh Otstott, Traci Schommer, Sean Walsh, Matt Fadely, Sara Barry, Justin Bifro, Kendra Olchefske, Katie Kracus "nice kit!", CTC... seeing all of you on the course always lifted my spirits! The high fives, the yells, the smiles, the hugs...I appreciate all of you. You helped me accomplish this goal. I pray we get to race again soon!

Triathlon in it's simplest form is 3 sports put together to make 1 event. But it's way more than that. It's a community of amazing people, who push their limits. Who sacrifice "fun time" for training time. We swim in cold water, we bike in heat, we run when our legs are tired. It's not me vs you, it's me vs the course. We all help those who come to play by the rules. We pick each other up when we are down (or bonking). Triathlon is a phenomenal experience no matter the distance, but to me, IRONMAN is the test I adore and respect the most. It will beat you down. You will have a down moment. Can you drag yourself out of it? Will a team member show up right when you need them?? Do you have the relentless pursuit of forward motion??? Ironman will test you. Prepare for it, and IRONMAN will REWARD you!