An Ironman Peformance

Aloha!

We are back from six jam-packed days in Kona, Hawaii for the Ironman World Championship, a whirlwind experience that I will remember for a lifetime. It was awesome to be surrounded by such an incredible group of world class athletes and to be able to take part in – what was – the best of all 11 Ironman races I’ve completed. It took 10 years to get there and it was worth every minute of training to enjoy that special day.

Despite my lovely wife not being there due to our pending arrival (I am forever thankful to Sarah and the baby for hanging in there during my absence!), I had the best fans and support team anyone could ask for. Shannon not only helped me pack all of my gear the night before – not an easy task – but also accompanied me on the plane to Hawaii. Connor took time off from his classes and flew from Colorado to Kona.

And, despite my injuries during the past year, I had one of my better races finishing 5th out of 13 competitors in the CEO Challenge with a total race time of 12 hours and 15 minutes. Going into the race, we were all concerned I might not make the swim cut-off time due to my “frozen shoulder”, but I (with the help of a half dozen doctors, several physical therapists and a few shots of cortisone over the past 2 months) persevered and made it out of the water in 1 hour and 20 minutes – only 10-15 minutes longer than my typical swim time. The bike was challenging with trade wind gusts off the northwest coast which blew all of us around – several off their bikesL The run was hot – very hot – but my best event of the three. I finished strong with Connor and Shannon joining me over the finish line. You can actually see us cross the finish line at: http://www.ironmanlive.com/events/ironman/worldchampionship?show=tracker&y=2007 (When you get to this page, type in bib # 531. You can scroll down to a link that says “watch me finish”. If you click this link, it shows the finishers between 12:13 and 12:16. I was 12:15 so we are about ¾ of the way through the video clip.)

It truly was an amazing day. I felt great the entire race, which is unusual. My coach, Lance Watson, did what he could to get me ready. On the course, Shannon was giving me baby updates every time I saw her—which made me smile and very happy I was not missing the big event.

By the way, a reporter called me the night before I left to interview me for an article he put together on the fittest CEO in the world. Here is a link to the article: http://www.ironmanlive.com/events/ironman/worldchampionship/
barry-siff-catches-up-with-the-race-to-see-who-is-the-fittest-ceo-in-the-world

I am thankful for the wonderful support of family and friends and appreciated all of your best wishes and interest.

Now, onto the next - and infinitely more important - big event...More news to follow shortly!

Mahalol,

Vince Kelly