Blessings, Esther Pauls.
We started the day fresh and excited; the forecast was for a high of 32 and sunny. It's hot here this week, but it's a dry heat, which is a bit deceptive because it means that the moisture wicks away from your skin more quickly, and you don't quite realize how much fluid you're losing. My wonderful friends Roger Barker, Mary Booth, Julie Menzies, and Art Duerksen, were also doing the Ironman with me. It was Mary, Julie, and Art's first. Penticton is on the edge of Lake Okanagan, which is nestled in low-lying mountains in British Columbia. It is truly beautiful country, and we're so thankful to be able to do this. It also means cycling and running up and down mountain passes. We all did beautifully in the 4k swim at 7 am; we were relieved and excited to have that over with so we could get onto the bikes for the 180k ride. Some of the 2800 other people tackling the Ironman with us were incredibly inspirational. The first-place winner was almost killed last year when he was in a collision with a hit-and-run-driver and had his jugular artery almost severed. Another gentleman who is a high-injury paraplegic, paralized from just below the ribcage down did the swim, pulled himself up the beach to a special bicycle, and did all the distances. Another pair of men, one blind, and the other a leg amputee, swam, rode and ran together. They swam with a tether between them, rode a tandem bike, and ran side by side. Back to our journey! The heat was incredible; when we passed through the mountains, the thermostat was reading 40C. Sadly, someone, for the second year in a row, threw tacks on the road at the beginning of the bike course. Dozens of riders had flats at the very beginning, including Mary. On my climb past Yellow Lake, (picture a 12k climb about the steepness of Sydenham hill for those of you who know Dundas), 150k into the bike ride, as I began the ascent, my chain came off, and I stopped to fix it. At this point, I passed two water stations that had run out of water, and I was beginning to be sick. I got back onto the bike to ride the hill, and apparently passed out mid-ride. It was a gentle fall, but I ended up having to walk my bike up the hill. I was unable to eat or drink anything after that, and I still had a marathon distance to go on foot after the bike ride! Luckily everyone was so encouraging and inspirational that I knew I was going to make it. Back on the bike, I collected myself and rode through to the end. Then into my running shoes...my times were still good so I knew I could walk the marathon if I needed to. I walked most of it, but was able to run it in! My heartfelt thanks to Pat Ward, Leanne Gosse, Sharon Truszkowski, Char Roberts, and Melanie Booth. By the end, I knew I was in a bit of trouble. The love of my life, Gord, was waiting at the finish line, which was good, because I promptly passed out as soon as I crossed. On to the medic tent, and then I got to ride in an ambulance to the hospital. Nothing a couple of litres of IV fluid and some anti-nausea medication wouldn't fix. By 3 am, after starting out at 7am the day before, I was happily curled up in bed back at the hotel with Gord. What a wonderful life! THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL MY FRIENDS, SUPPORTERS, AND FAMILY FOR HELPING ME TO DO THE THINGS I LOVE!
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