10/6/07

WHY IS KONA SO SPECIAL?

FROM THE IRONMAN WEBSTIE:
If you are a triathlete, there is no bigger day in this sport than the
Ford Ironman World Championship. It is the race that defined our
sport as it came of age, and continues to be the defining race
in our sport for any avid triathlete.
To get to the starting line in Kona,
you must either be very lucky and get yourself a spot through the lottery,
or very talented, and win yourself a qualifying spot at one of the qualifying
events held around the world.
Tens-of-thousands of triathletes try to get
one of those coveted Ironman spots every year. Only 1,700 succeeded.
That means 1,700 "lucky" people get to test themselves on one of the
biggest challenges the sports world has to offer ... 2.4-miles of swimming,
112-miles of biking, and a 26.2-mile marathon run through tough ocean waves,
and challenging lava-covered terrain.
While there are thousands of triathlons around the world, it is this one that
truly defines the sport. It was this race, first run in 1978 as a dare by a bunch of
Navy Seals that put triathlon on the world's sporting map. It is triathlon's Super Bowl, Wimbledon, World Series, World Cup, and Tour de France all rolled into one.
What makes this event so unique is that "average" people get to compete
alongside the best in the world.
MY RACE DAY INFO:

RACE #: 1379 Smith, Caroline F 36 W35-39 USA
YOU CAN FOLLOW MY RACE AT WWW.IRONMANLIVE.COM

3 comments:

Heidi said...

Good luck, Caroline. Frank and I will be rooting for you. You are going to rock this thing!

eskimo said...

Way to go Caroline! We will be keeping up with you on the ironman live website.

Morlas@yahoo.com said...

Hey Caroline. I just read your blog page for the first time--very inspiring. You must be very excited to be in Kona right now. I am lookin forward to watching coverage of the Ironman this Sunday on IronmanLive, and I will be following your race. Good luck and have fun! See you at the races---Morlas