What a swim! After waiting in line for over an hour, the Pros took off. After 10 mins, we waited, then heard the AG "BANG"! It was time!!!!

The line started to move faster and faster! The slow walk turned into a fast step, then into a faster walk. The anticipation was just thick! As we approached the dock, we started to step it up, then we were told to start jogging! No turning back now! AAAAOOOOOH!!! Time to go!

As we ran towards the dock, the guy in front of me threw down his powerade bottle and tripped over it. Almost busted his butt...I think he hurt his foot, but he was not going to let that stop him now.

Jumped into the river feet-first and sank maybe 3 feet below the surface! FAK! Next time, will either dive in or jump in and grab the dock so I don't go so far down! I kept thinking I'd have a foot on my head "any second now" if I didn't get back to the surface soon!

Started to swim easy and just kept ppl to my right. A few of my friends that have done IMKY told me to swim close to the island upstream and away from it downstream. That's exactly what I did. I never felt any currents, but had a decent swim and I guess the strategy worked.

One thing that pissed me off a bit was that as I was swimming, I accidentally touched someone's feet and noticed they had small fins on...not exactly sure what they were. This athlete definitely had something on his feet and they were some kind of fin/webbing. I was kind of disgusted, but just passed him and went on my way. Cheaters, man...I kind of wish I would have thought to look at his number.

After an hour in the swim, my stomach started revolting a bit. The pb sammy I had earlier wanted out. The banana and powerbar also did not want to stay down. Right before I was about to blow chunks, I looked around and saw HUNDREDS of swimmers, all fighting to move forward. I couldn't do that to them. I couldn't have them swim through my vomit. So, I made myself hold it down. LOL. I am a team player.

For the most part, the swimmers were nice and considerate. There were a few that were really rough and one d00d, in particular, tried to swim over me...bastard. The first time, he grabbed my ankle and pulled himself up. I though to myself, "OK, honest mistake." But he tried it again and then I realized he was using me for momentum. B!0TCH! I don't mind helping a brother (or sister) out, but if you're going to use me as a ladder and push me below water, THEN I have a problem. The next time he grabbed my ankle I kicked him in the shoulder. Hard. My heel was smarting, but I didn't feel bad. This d00d was nasty and deserved it. He grasped at me one last time, but I veered off a bit and didn't encounter him again.

I have to say, I swam AWESOME for this leg of the race. I would only look up every few minutes and be dead on with the floats/buoys! Two times, I was swimming and would end up right under one of them! Can't swim much straighter than that!

The bridges were a tease. The more you swam towards them, the farther they got. They were so big that it was tough to tell distance. I also got wary under them. I could just imagine a garr or some other big arse fish trying to take a bite out of a swimmer in the shadows. I hate that feeling!

I almost overswam the exit, but looked up right in time and came out! It was time to really start the race!

I came out of the water feeling fresh and ready to go! I'd just had one of my better swims.

Eh, I don't know. Maybe be a little more aggressive and push it a bit more. I had ALOT left after the swim. Almost felt like I didn't put much effort into that event.

Ran into the T1 area tearing off my speedsuit, got my bag, then ran into the tent.

I don't know when they start to count T1, but I really thought that my time was not that long. I ran past a bunch of ppl that were walking and I didn't think I wasted time.

One funny thing was that the changing tent was wide open. The females had to walk/run past the front door and I know one or two of them got a good look at a few of our white/tanless butts as they ran past. LOL.

I did take a minute to make sure I had everything, and then go to the bathroom, so maybe that was why I was so slow. I also couldn't find my socks and thought, CRAP! No socks for 112 miles!? Did they fall out? I looked on the floor for a minute, but they're black and it was dark in the tent. Just as I gave up on socks and grabbed my cycling shoes, I found them inside, safely tucked away.

My goal for transitions were 10 minutes each.

Eh, go faster?

Oh, the bike.

For the first segment (a little over 20 miles), I felt great! I made sure I was going easy and just spun up the hills in my lowest gear.

At the 10 mile mark, I saw an older lady walking up the hill with her bike. I thought to myself, "There's NO WAY she's going to finish today if she's walking up the first hill on this rather hilly course." I kind of felt bad for her. It's a huge commitment to do IRONMAN. I secretly wished her luck and kept going.

As I started the out and back portion, I recited my mantra, KEEP IT EASY! STILL GOTTA RUN! It's starting to get HOT and the humidity is rising! KEEP IT EASY! STILL GOTTA RUN!

As I started the out and back, I prepared myself for the rest of the day. For me, this is really where the race began. As I started the downhills, I'd just tuck into aero and was easily in the 40mph range. I kept thinking, well, 40m mph+ downhill means 5-10mph uphill. I knew I had to come back up this way.

The climb back up wasn't so bad. I was in low gears and it felt easy. Saw TONS of water bottles at the bottom and did my best so as to not ride over one and crash. At one point, I thought I was going down, as I barely missed a bottle that had been flattened. On one of the climbs, there was a d00d dressed as a devil. It was a tough climb and he was a distraction. LOL. I laughed for a long time afterwards. He was awesome!

As the loop started into LaGrange, I was really thinking at how good I felt. I couldn't believe it! Into LaGrange, there are a few hills, but nothing too bad. Passing through downtown, I was thinking of how awesome the support was! Tons of ppl and then I heard a loud "RON HICKS!!!" from the crowd. My uncle and aunt were there! That lifted me up so much it was incredible!

I was a little hot at this point, but still felt good. Kept going and then started started the second loop. I was starting to feel the effects of the heat at this time, but kept at it.

The PERPETUEM Latte mix was starting to REPULSE me at this time. It was warm and just nasty and I couldn't stomach it anymore. I had a TON of electrolyte tablets and started to pop them liberally. My black cycling shorts, which already had some crystallization on them, were now turning white with the excess amount of salt and other minerals.

Right before I got to the second loop start, came up on a guy that had fallen and had some pretty bad road rash on his back. I asked him if he was OK and he said the day sucked and that he was quitting at the loop start. There were medical personnel there...and shade. I wished him luck and told him that the hardest part of an IM is toeing the line. He just bowed his head and softly said "thanks". Then I veered off.

Once I passed LaGrange the second time, the wheels fell off the bus. I was just HOT. The temps were easily in the mid 90s and I couldn't seem to cool off. I could not wait to get to the next aid station. I planned on possibly stopping to pour a few bottles of water over my head to lower my body temp.

Once I got there (80ish), I asked the first few volunteers frantically for water. They handed me Perform. I need water, please! They looked at me and stated that they were out! WHAT?! No water!???? I drank as much of the cool Perform as I could stomach, but it just wasn't cooling me down.

I kept going and thought to myself, well, I'll just hit the next station and try it again. Upon arriving there, I was dismayed to hear the same thing. No water! There was a water hose that about 50 cyclists were around, refilling water. I decided not to wait around for it and just kept going. I was dizzy and hot and thought to myself this could be the end of the race for me.

I remembered a verse my wife had told me before the race. I recited it over in my head a few times. It distracted me a little, but not enough. I ended up getting really dizzy, then pulling off under a tree where I tried to recover. I looked at my Garmin and just watched the minutes tick away. I spent 8 minutes under that tree. At the same time, I tried to fix the front brake pad. It was rubbing on the front wheel. I didn't fix it, b/c it was still rubbing when I started the ride again.

After that, I was able to proceed to the next aid station. They had water, thank God! I stopped, poured a bunch of cold bottles over my head, and just let my body temp come down a bit. I was really dizzy at that point and the volunteer asked me if I was OK. I told him I needed a minute and then I'd tell him how I felt.

After that, I was fine and come in to finish. I was dismayed that the bike took so long, but happy that I finished.

Next time, not trust the course so much and have a backup water or two on the bike, despite the extra weight.

I also need to cycle more. I didn't feel overly tired on the ride, but more cycling might have gotten me more used to the heat. The course was not hard, at least compared to what I ride in Georgia...

I came in fast/hot and jumped off my bike. I heard my wife and uncle/aunt yelling for me! A volunteer took my bike, thank you, and I started to run towards the gear bags. I took a second to take off my shoes and then ran a little harder. It felt SOOOO good to be off the bike.

Someone yelled at me that it was awesome that I was running after that long ride. All I could do was give her a thumbs up.

As I ran into the aid station, I decided not to change. I was just going to go as is. Added a running hat and an Orange bandana my wife wanted me to wear so she could spot me easier.

I think the reason I took so long in here was that I was trying to cool off and drink water. I could have been out much sooner. I did opt for sunscreen and a bathroom break, but other than that, headed out.

Nothing. I was SOOO happy to be off the bike.

My legs were cramped up bad from so much sweating, but they didn't feel tired. The quads were really cramped up bad,though. At the end of the bridge, I tried to eat a few bananas and other items to reduce cramping, but it just wasn't happening. I didn't have any salt/electrolyte pills at this time, but did see tons of them strewn along the road...looked like a junkies paradise.

Despite the cramps, I felt good on the first run segment and thought I'd be able to run through them. They got worse, however, and I was reduced to a shuffle for most of the run. I tried stretching, eating bananas and oranges, drinking more...none of it worked.

As I continued on the run, I was pretty dejected by the slow pace. I had come to Louisville expecting a 10 minute mile on a bad day. The cramps in my quads were just harsh, though, and I was just shuffling along. I'd walk the aid stations, then keep on running at the end.

At mile 11, I saw my family and it lifted me up tremendously. Shortly thereafter, I saw Doug and saw he was running strong! Go Doug!

Sometime during the 17 mile point, I had to go to the bathroom. I told a volunteer to come check on me if I didn't come out after 5 mins. That meant I had fallen asleep or I couldn't get up off the toilet! LOL. The volunteer laughed, then committed to help if I need his help. You rock, brother! Luckily, my arms were strong enough to lift me up off the toilet. As I left the port-o-john, I thanked him, then was on my way.

Right at the 20 mile check in, met up with a French man and saw him suffering badly. Looked over in the grass and there were about 10 athletes laying in the grass. I asked the Frenchman if he was OK, and he said to me, "I am totally destroyed!" in his little french accent. "My back, my legs, my feet, my stomach...I can't do this anymore." I told him that we were almost done and that there were only two 5Ks left. He responded with a "There's always a 5K left!" LOL, I told him I'd see him at the finish and took off at my blazingly fast 11min/mi pace.

At the 22 mile mark, I stumbled on a Pharmacist (Fred? Don't remember). He was an older man and this was his 7th IRONMAN! I tried to lift his spirits, then said goodbye. The next thing I know, he's running next to me and told me that all he needed was a little lift.

We ran for the next 3 miles together. At the 24 mile point, he told me that we could run it in at this pace. I started to think about this and was kind of torn. I wanted to help him finish, but I always give it my all at the end. I decided to stay with him, as a minute wasn't going to make a difference, but then he commented that it would be a free for all at the end. What? Really? Sorry, man! See ya! I left him at that point and ran it in hard.

At 25.5 point, I could see the crowds and started to break down. Tears were running down my face. I thought to myself, "CRAP! There goes my finisher pic!" PPl could see my crying and were yelling, "You've done it! Finish strong! You're almost there!"

A million thoughts entered my head. I wanted to be finished, but I wanted it to keep going, too. It was really weird. My mouth was quivering, but I made myself stop being a baby and wiped the salty tears from my face.


I ran through the chute and was SO happy to finally be done. All the training, all the early morning workouts, all the sacrifices...worth it at the line.

Take control of the cramps right from the get go, rather than try to deal with them throughout a marathon.

Pack salt/electrolyte tabs in run special needs.

Got my medal, shirt, hat, then took a pic (that order? I can't remember...). The volunteer asked me if I was OK, and I told him I felt great. Legs felt a little bombed, but I just didn't feel like I gave it my all for this race.

Met my wife and other family and we celebrated with a few beers/waters and I ate a pizza to replenish.


Overall, considering how I felt, I'd say that the bike limited me today. My bike plan didn't materialize and that cost me a good run. I'm super-duper happy that I finished this race, especially at 14 hours, and will work towards ironing out the wrinkles for my next Ironman.


Inexcusable that WTC ran out of water and ice. The day was hot and this was probably a BIG limiter for athletes out on the course.

End site for the IRONMAN is about as good as it can get. The atmosphere was awesome and the steady trickle of athletes finishing made for a memorable night.