We were just watching the Ironman World Championship on TV. They sure do make it look HOT!! Watching the first woman cross the finish and the guy that stood back and let her have her moment was really awesome. There's also a point where the eventual female winner (Wellington) gets a flat tire, and another competitor stops and helps her out. The finishing wheelchair competitor who lost his legs in an accident - now THAT is Iron. A 72 year old woman finished her 17th (or 18th?) Ironman as the oldest finisher.

I have this entirely different perspective on this experience that I didn't expect or realize until the moment when we were watching it. They super-dramatize everything - every time someone stops to walk, every grimace on someone's face, every finish. I realize that to most people, this IS "The Ironman" - they pretty much ignore that for regular people, you have to do an Ironman to get to "The Ironman" in the first place... it's absolutely a major victory to be in Hawaii at all, let alone to finish. My husband even commented that the winners mean more to him - he said it's such a journey to DO an Ironman, let alone WIN an Ironman, let alone WIN the world championships. Talk about a unique individual.

In all of the Ironmans, do the elite guys just get to pitch their stuff and everyone picks it up? Or is that just a worlds thing? I have never seen the "elite" portion of the Ironman transitions, just the race. (And I've certainly never been to Kona )

They finish with a quote: if it was easy, everyone would be doing it.