I'm a week late but I just submitted my application for the Ironman Legacy Program to get into Kona based on completing 12 Ironman 140.6 races. It's bittersweet as my goal for the past 8 years has been to qualify outright by placing high enough in a race to earn a slot. I never quite made it.
In filling out the application it asks you to list your Ironman races as a sort of resumé. It was a good exercise and made me reflect back on this long journey and appreciate what I've done, what I've experienced, and all the support I've had from so many along the way. Some highlights:
*2009 IM Arizona, 12:32:02, 59th place, first full Ironman
*2011 IM Texas, 12:09:12, 3rd place, 2 Kona slots available
*2014 IM Chattanooga, 11:56:31, raised $18,000+ for Team Challenge
*2015 IM Arizona, 11:29:27, 9th place, PR (best time)
*2018 IM Chattanooga, 10:49:11 (no swim), 4th place, raised $13,000+ for Team Challenge
The application also asks you to tell them about yourself and why you applied for the Legacy. I didn't want to make it too long but here's what I wrote:
t "In 1986 my ulcerative colitis was so severe that my only real option was surgical removal of my large intestine. I began triathlon in 2007, not sure I could possibly finish a sprint race. I did my first Ironman in 2009 and dreamed of going to Kona. On March 10, 2012 I had a vision of me crossing the finish line in Kona wearing my (Crohn's and Colitis Foundation's) Team Challenge orange race kit and carrying the flag, hearing Mike Riley call out my name again. I had this vision while listening to Chrissie Wellington speak at Endurance Live awards in Los Angeles. It has been in my mind ever since. Triathlon and Ironman training have been a lifestyle for me for the past 10 years. It's my fountain of youth. I also coach beginners and intermediate athletes. Some of them even come to IMAZ to get a taste of the Ironman experience. I've helped inspire dozens to go beyond a sprint and take on a 70.3 or full. My passion as a coach is to help people overcome fears, change their beliefs about themselves, and help them be successful."
The slots are announced on February 28th. It may take another year or 2 before it rolls down to Linda and I. In the meantime I'm signed up for IRONMAN Arizona in 2019. I am incredibly blessed and so grateful to everyone who has in some way chosen to be a part of my Ironman obsession and my quest for Kona.
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NOTES
Ironman Resumé
- 2009, Arizona, 12:32:02, 59th place, bib #1991
- 2010, Arizona, 11:51:09, 30th, #1913
- 2011, Texas, 12:09:12, 3rd, #2605
- 2011, Arizona, 11:46:56, 9th, #2861
- 2012, Texas, 12:53:11, 13th, #2680
- 2013, Arizona, 12:06:14, 13th, #2975
- 2014, Chattanooga, 11:56:31, 22nd, #366
- 2015, Arizona, 11:29:27, 9th, #3033
- 2016, Arizona, 11:37:01, 6th, #986
- 2017, Arizona, 12:02:47, 4th, #1019
- 2018, Chattanooga, 10:49:11, 4th, #138 (swim cancelled)
- 2018, Arizona, 12:37:06, 12th, #3351
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