Iron Man - St. George, Utah

It's May 1st, 3:00 in the morning and I'm getting ready to volunteer to lifeguard for the Iron Man at Sand Hollow. I arrived at 4:00 am with my sister and Aunt Karen. Kanani and I were assigned to patrol the waters on a kayak and instructed to make sure the swimmers were safe by paddling along side them as they swam 2.4 miles in 55 degree water. I was nervous, but excited at the same time to be among incredible athletes. 48 States and 37 countries were represented at the Iron Man. 60 professionals for the first wave, and 2200 amateurs for the second, with 765 first time Iron Mans. It was a beautiful morning, clear sky -- a scene words can't express and a camera can't capture. I was amazed at the start and suddenly realized I had a lot of lives in my hands. I helped athletes catch their breath, stretch out cramps, and mentally regroup. I was moved to tears as my sister, Kanani, paddled along side an older woman, Lisa. Everybody cheered for Lisa. She was ready to be done with the swim, it was cold and she was shaking really hard. Lisa was inspirational, a long with the other last four swimmers who made the cut by 4 minutes. I started crying. It was unbelievable to me to see people go after a dream and keep pushing even when all hope seemed to be at an end. I had been there before! The swimmers who didn't make the cut brought tears to my eyes as well. They worked so hard, trained, waited for this day, and fought for the moment to see what they were capable of accomplishing. It was hard to watch some of the swimmers get out. Some were convulsing and having mini seizures, they could hardly stand to run up the ramp. I had a family friend working in the medical tents and he told me they pulled about 40 swimmers for hypothermia. The leading lady finished her run marathon in 3 hours and 20 minutes! Pretty phenomenal! My cousin Ben finished at 15:23.22. I was so proud of him and it was great to see him and thousands of others cross that finish line.

I can comprehend pain and the anxious feeling of being so close to the end when your body is telling you its reached its peak. Enduring through that to be everything you imagined yourself to be--to accomplish what you set out to do is a feeling you have to experience. I can't describe what must have been going through their minds. I learned that the Iron Man isn't a game of the survival of the fittest. It's the power of the mind and ones ability to believe they can do anything. And when ones believes that strongly and convinces the mind, anything is possible. The power that is created it unreal. It was an experience of a lifetime, and I didn't even compete. But I have become determined to one day, hopefully soon, cross this off my top ten list of "must do's." My cousin inspired me, along with the 2200 other athletes who participated in this spectacular event.

I loved the booths they had set up, especially the watch bands, the shoes, and the purses. So cute! I only wish I had time to make all of this darling stuff for myself instead of paying for it. I had to look and walk on, but it was fun!

A very early morning and it was cold and windy. Luckily the wind died down before the race started. We were out at the lake from 4:00 am - 10:00 am. At about 6:00 that night I felt like I hit a brick wall. But it was worth it!

The water was 55 degrees, so all participants were required to wear wetsuits, which I discovered are not my favorite thing in the world, but it did keep me warm.

This is the starting line for the 60 professional Iron Man that began the competition. It was really neat to see and hard for me not to sit there and critique all their strokes!

Once again, my love for airplanes. I was about to jump in a put on the head gear, but thought twice. I wasn't sure if that would throw me in jail or not!

It is tradition for my sister and I, every time we visit St. George we have to stop by this amazing park. It's a playground for adults too and it is a blast!! We love it and every time is an adventure so we have to spend a few hours being little kids.

We watched the race that afternoon for about five hours. My cousin, Ben, came in at around 10:40 that night. Watching the athletes begin the run was amazing to me. Some of them were still going strong, after a 2.4 mile swim, 114 mile bike, and now a 26.2 mile run. Unbelievable!!

Talk about anything is possible... inspirational for sure



These are some top finishers out of the men and women. The first place out of the women ran her marathon in 3 hours and 22 minutes. I couldn't believe it! Where do people get their energy from! I was tired just standing in the sun watching.... absolutely no room to complain!

Here's Ben, beginning his run. What a stud!

I had a close friend also compete in the Iron Man. He's planning on competing in the Iron Man Brazil next summer. Wesley is a great athlete and trains really hard!

We have an Iron Man! Ben finished and it was blast to be there and watch. The experience combined a lot of different emotions. I absolutely loved it.