My Ironman BiB # 2655

Wow it is really real....
I have my Bib number, so I guess that there is no backing out now. :)
It was just yesterday that I was standing in line with everyone else, with my eyes set on the 2010 Ironman. It was 5:30 am the day after Ironman 2009, with the excitement still running through my veins from the night before, I was there waiting to sign up, to make my mark on the journey to the 2010 Ironman. That was almost a year ago and in two weeks, I will find out if I have done everything that I can to achieve this goal. The excitement is still running through my veins, every time I think of the start of the race I get excited, I can hear the Ironman song, I can feel the energy coming up off the Lake from all the athletes in the water awaiting the start. I can still feel the explosion of force once the horn blows, and the water go from calm waters, in to white water.
To watch the mass narrow into a funnel-like shape as the swim progresses, to see the faces of the swimmers as they are helped out of the water, some have smiles, some are very cold and have a slight smirk on their face. And then there are those that have the "I am done" written all over their face. My heart goes out to them, I stand there with tears in my eyes because I can see and feel the hurt pouring from every part of them.

Then to see them coming out of the bike transition pumped up, their adrenaline is high and they are moving so fast. If you watch them its as though they are paddling to something that is so exciting. If you ask them to explain it they could not find the words, but one by one they all set out to reach it.

I stand and watch them coming back in from their last lap. Some beaten up by the wind, some with blood on their faces, some with scraped knees and bruised bodies, but they still move forward to the Run...
The run is the hardest part to watch, because I know that they have been in motion for at least 10 hrs, and every muscle in their bodies are asking them "What are you doing? Are you crazy?". Some of them will answer "Yes, I am", and will continue to push on. Some will not say anything, but you can see their answer on their faces as they pass. I have seen runners come by with that same smile on their faces as they had at the start of the race, some will have a smirk, and some will be talking to themselves. But all the while they are moving toward that goal, the finish line...

I have worked the finish line for two years, I have caught many friends and strangers as they cross. I wish I could say, I can relate to the looks on their faces, but I can't-- some with no words just smiles, some don't know their shirt size or if they want their picture taken, some just stop, and don't know what to do next.
Some just break down and cry with joy and some just pass out. They have given it their all, and they have nothing left.
But the ones that stick in my head and heart are the ones that turn the corner with just a 100 yds to go and the clock strikes 12, Those are the ones that I cry with. Those are the ones that I still find myself crying for, when I think about the sacrifice that they and their families have made for them to become a Ironman.

So you are wondering why do I want to do this?