Overall this was a great race in terms of competition. But the shameless commercialism of this sport now rivals that of NASCAR. Of all the special interest stories that I thought should have been covered more was the drug addict.

Overcoming obstacles whether they be job, family, health, or self inflicted are what makes this race so amazing.  Everyone who goes to the starting line of an Iron Distance event has to train.  They have to put in the time to be confident when they show up on race day.

If you don’t, then you will be there on race morning wondering whether or not you can finish.  That’s not what you should be thinking about on race morning (or even the weeks leading up to an event like this), and if you short change yourself you will truly miss how incredible you can be.

Granted, not everything always goes according to plan while training or during the race itself.  But that is where I find my inspiration to do better.  For every step I take backwards I will find a way to take two steps forward.  For every mishap along the way, I find a way to make it a learning experience.  Because what I learn from the training and racing of this event will be something I can put to use in other areas of my life.