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!

Heidi and Savvy's tri August 5, 2017

The morning started off getting bike tags and body marking.





Transition areas were set up!

Savvy's race was first up! Savannah loves the water and was ready for the swim!
 Last minute tips from the IronDad


and they're off!! Every swimmer had a lifeguard in water with them. Savvy was the only unassisted swimmer in her heat. There were 2 heats in the 5-6 age group.

Then off to T1



a small helmet buckle problem slowed her down but then Sav took off like a rocket!

after 3 loops, Savvy pulls into T2

off onto the run she goes!

watch the sprint to the finish!

IM Ohio 70.3

July 30, 2017

My 8th 70.3 triathlon

On Saturday I got my pre-race massage then headed to Delaware, OH. Easy hour and 20 minute drive. I got to Ohio Wesleyan Campus and started walking to stadium. I saw Matt Fadely who introduced me to a friend of his. Fadely said, This is Matt Kennard, he's kind of a big deal around here, everyone knows Matt." He was just joking, of course. But about 5 seconds later, Colleen drives by and yells "Hey Matt!" then Brenda was in the next car or 2 cars back and hollers out, "Hey Matt!" It was kind of funny because this other guy had to be thinking I did know a lot of people. I ended up knowing 25 other racers in this race. Seeing friends and teammates on the course is always free energy for me. I know someone will pick me up or I may be able to help motivate others on the course. I went to the athlete meeting which had a leg massage Reboot place next to it. So I got out of the sun and had the Reboot leg massage going while listening to briefing. I then got checked in. I found Kevin and we went to set up our T2 area with our run gear. I saw most people had kept their stuff in the bags. I wanted to go fast during the race. So I set up my stuff and used the bag to cover it up but was easy to access my shoes and belt. Off to the lake where we checked in our bikes. I saw Chris Purcel who drove from North Carolina to come race in his home state. Kalen, Katie, Liz were all getting race ready as well.


We changed our dinner plans and had good ole Bob Evans. I was wore out from the day. I was still sore from The Murph workout we did at the Academy on Thursday. I don't usually do push-ups, sit-ups and air squats, but we rocked out 20 sets in between mile runs on Thursday and I was feeling it. But I knew the weather was looking great and on race day, you either bring the noise or you don't. I was able to sleep pretty well for the night before a big race.

Alarm went off at 4am. Was out the door at 4:20 and parked by 4:30. A group of us walked over to the stadium to use the porta potties. I choose the one porta potty facing away from the others. I came out to a fork lift coming straight at me! The fork lift driver yelled, "It's a good thing you came out when you did!" He then lifted the porta potty I was in and whisked it away. As we watched the porta potty being moved, Colleen quipped, "There goes Matt's shit flying down the street!" That would've freaked me out! But it was funny! Back at the car, I got all my stuff together and waited for wet suit announcement. 75.9! wetsuit legal by .2 degrees! I'm a much faster swimmer in the wet suit, so I was thrilled. Loaded up onto the shuttle and it felt like it took forever to get to race site. Finally got there and set up bike nutrition.  I was feeling great, a little nervous, but not as sore as Saturday. Got body marked and headed to beach. Right before a race is electric. The energy of the athletes, the support from spectators. Such a cool environment!

My swim wave was 3rd. started at 7:08. I jumped in, found my rythym and enjoyed the water. A few bumps from other swimmers but not bad. Then we turned. The sun was glaring! I couldnt see buoys but I could see kayaks. So I sighted off them. I continued on my pace and was thrilled to turn away from the sun. I made it back to shore and was happy to have that done.

 I was surprised there wasn't wetsuit strippers to help remove wetsuits. But it didn't take me an extra 20 seconds to tear that thing off and get my bike shoes and helmet off. Stuffed my swim stuff into the bike bag and off on my bike I went.

After Muncie, I had been thinking a lot about going too hard on the bike and trying to save some energy for the run. But I always got back to the thought, I love going fast on the bike! Maybe it was just a mental thing? Maybe I didn't fight hard enough the urge to walk when I should be running. I started off the bike trying not to push myself. The headwind on the way out was there but not terrible. When we came back, the wind helped push us. What I experienced was flat corn field roads with no hills and not much to look at was boring. I was trying to go fast without killing the legs. But I was getting bored. I saw Mike Brown, Mike Sullivan, Matt Fadely and Sean Walsh all rocking out there rides! We all tried to holler out at each other but being safe and continuing forward motion was utmost importance. At about mile 43ish, I was bored and almost lonely. There were people passing me, but because of my early start, there wasn't many riders for me to pass. Then I hear this female voice say, well I heard something but do to wind i think it was, "Hey there Matt Kennard!" Judy Stutes had caught me! She pedaled up next to me and took off like a rocket. Knowing Judy started after me and was now ahead of me on the bike, I knew I was getting my butt kicked! I tried to yell "Keep it up!" to Judy but she took off quick! I tried to pick up my pace to see if I could keep Judy in sight. Mile 50 hit, then 55 and I knew it was about time to switch to the run. I dismounted the bike,

    switched into run shoes  off I went.



I was proud of my transition times. No screwing around that day. No fear of cramps, just GO! Out onto the run course I went. I knew I had a good bike split, but it wasn't as fast as Muncie. I felt great starting the run.I tried to hold back so I wouldn't use up too much energy early. About a mile out, I got into the first loop. I love the spectator support on this run. I got a lot of people to cheer for us athletes. I stuck to my plan using a GU packet every 3 miles. Then mile 8 hit and the temperature started to show itself. It got hot out there! My pace slowed. Between mile 9 and 10, I saw Colleen's kit and decided to catch up to her. Just talking to someone can take your mind of the pain in the legs. We then saw Jessica. I kept running forward, then walking. I gave just about all I had. I tried fighting the race walk monster. Mile 10-13 progressively got slower. I ended up with a 2:16 run time. Better than Muncie's run time! Seeing Liz and Brenda and Stephanie out on the run course was great because it was their first 70.3 race! Seeing other teammates crushing the course helped push me along. Then I saw CHEYLON! Chey provides this SMILE and INCREDIBLE SPIRIT that just uplifts me. I gave her a quick high five (i think, brain was fried at this point), and continued moving forward. I do remember singing out loud, "Runnin down a dream" by Tom Petty. Its my favorite song. I would think other athletes who were passing me thought I was crazy, but I bet they were just as fried as I was. Into the stadium I went. I was so excited because I knew my beautiful wife and daughters were awaiting my arrival. I didn't know my approximate finishing time. I just kept moving forward. Almost around the curve on the track and my left calf started to cramp! It was the only cramp of the day. I walked 5 seconds and then started to pick it up. I located my girls in the stands and blew them a kiss.



 Then I looked at my favorite part of triathlon, The FINISH LINE!! I crossed the line and hit stop on my watch. 5:46!!! I knew I had crushed IMOH. I was thrilled with my time and my effort. I got some love from my girls then we got some food and sat down. The time set in, the tears rolled down my face. That thought of where I came from to a guy who can crush a 70.3 mile triathlon. I was just proud. Proud to show my kids how to be active. I heard some teammates finishing their races. I gathered up Vengeance and loaded my car. I went back to cheer on teammates as they closed in on the finish line. It was an amazing day.


Run course had some hills, but nothing terrible. Bike course was flat and boring. The VOLUNTEERS were amazing! A girl about 8 years old was balancing water cups on her head for the runners to take. One guy, Scott Dodge, who lives on the run course had set up his sprinkler for us and set out a stereo! The people of Delaware took great care of us triathletes! All in all, I loved it. I had a blast. 2018 is my "year of new races", so I won't be back next year, but probably 2019 I shall return to IMOH.

Team RWB Won the triathlon club award on points! I was proud to assist in that achievement as well. RWB rocked it out!

Some of my friends first saw me do this pose on the bike, I saw someone else do it so I'm not taking credit for starting it. I love each version of the pose!