Race Day Update #1

So far, so good! We are almost five hours into the race and here's how things stand.

George Raihala came out of the water at 1:13:38 and did the first 39.5 miles of the bike at a good pace.

Rob Ekin came out of the water at 1:14:23 and did the first 39.5 of the bike at a slightly better pace than George. The two of them are very close so far, but Rob is wicked fast on the run, so that won't last!

John Seminary came out of the water at 1:24:49 and might have had a flat or some other trouble in the first 39.5 on the bike, as his second split pace was unusually low. Hopefully at the next split we'll see that he's recovered from whatever snafu affected the second split time.

Dell Finney had a great swim at 1:20:36 but doesn't yet have a second bike split time. His first split (18.3 miles) was a solid 15.47 mile per hour pace though, so way to go, Dell! Update: His second bike split puts him at 13:63 mph, which is slow but still moving forward!

I'm keeping watch on the times through an app on my phone, but you can follow along at the Athlete Tracker online.

Ironman Live coverage will be available later. Follow the link and you'll see it when it's available. The Live Blog is on the sidebar of the page, and it's mainly following the pro women but occasionally has shots of volunteers and such as well.

Here are some pictures from this beautiful, beautiful morning in Madison.

Part of the bike transition area. There are 2400 bikes racked her,
worth about $3 million.

John, Rob, and George getting into their wetsuits. Rob and George
are both unusually nervous this year, but John said he was experiencing
his usual pre-race nerves. Rob and George were trying not to throw up.

Sunrise over Lake Monona. Absolutely beautiful.
Note all the kayaks and paddle boards. Lots of safety for the swimmers.

The race begins with a cannon shot at 7:00. 

 After the start, I dashed to the hotel to drop off George's triathlon bag and bike pump, and stumbled across a very somber and moving memorial service in front of the Capitol. The contrast between the loud and high-energy start of the race and this quiet, peaceful memorial was striking. We need both, don't we, after 15 years. We don't forget, but we will not stop striving. Thank you, first responders and military service personnel. Thank you.

The colors. 

Military service persons.

A military band.

Flag raised by two fire ladders. So moving. 

After the guys were safely on the bike, Rob's parents, his wife, John's wife, and I went to the Old Fashioned for brunch, and we were met by Marcia, one of my blog readers. I'm so grateful she chose to come cheer George on this morning...and it was so fun meeting her and having a meal together. Thanks, Marcia!

Me and Marcia, beaming!