So, the day has passed and the world is somewhat intact, save for 1,500 participants of Ironman Lanzarote whose lives have been transformed. The 20th edition of the swim, ride and run trilogy in the beautiful Spanish island of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands ended yesterday.
My finisher t-shirt reads XX, a testimony of the twentieth year of successful hosting of this endurance event. XX also signifies the hardcore nature of this 226K race that pits newcomers with seasoned, Kona-finishers side by side in a competition that garners more mutual respect than adversarial energy. It came to past that yesterday saw John Cooke and I race under the Singapore contingent. Cookie did well and crossed the finish line under-14 hours while I missed my 2007 timing by about 10 minutes, but with a massively faster marathon. This was, certainly, my hardest race so far. It does not get any easier with age, but the sense of achievement and fulfillment is priceless.
I am always reminded of John Collins' words: 'Swim 2.4 miles, ride 112 miles, then run a full marathon - brag for life!' How true is is? I have yet to fully fathom the wisdom and philosophy of this, apparently, insane sport.
I will post a comprehensive race report soon, as I am headed for a well deserved rest and recovery program in Barcelona. The best part of the race is the post-race feeding and reflections. I hope to get a photo with Natasha Badmann tonight at the Awards Dinner. She is a legend, having won six Ironman world championship titles.
I cannot stop thinking about my triathlon buddies who trained with me and supported me online. Thank you, my enduring friends!
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