Ironman World Championships - Sherpa Duties Race Report.
It was April and I was walking with Rob after a tough day at the HITS series triathlon at Lake Berryessa. We were discussing our plans for the rest of the year, among other things. Rob was telling me about how he was hoping to get a Kona slot. I made him a promise, if he got in then I would be there to help.
Fast forward a few months and as I was preparing for Boise 70.3 my phone rang. It was Rob and he was telling me about the Kona inspired program. I thought to myself, "There is no way he doesn't get selected for this, I better buy my plane ticket." Sure enough he was selected and we were on our way for a Hawaii vacation in October.
I arrived on Thursday afternoon so that I could get checked in with the water safety director. I met up with Rob at Lava Java and we discussed his week so far. I could tell he was already tired and I started to get worried. Rob is the type of guy that believes in the mission completely. He was not going to waste this great opportunity to spread the word about Code 3 and Team Firefighter. So, when someone asked for an interview or a photo shoot, he was there. His lovely wife Nicole and I had to gently remind him that he was doing an Ironman on Saturday...
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On race morning I got up at 0400, quick shower and grabbed my surf board and headed to the pier. I grabbed some coffee and a banana on my way out the door. I met the other swim safety volunteers at Dig Me Beach by the King Kam. We got our briefing and then grouped up for a picture. Athletes entered the pier from the beach side. I watched them shuffle in with nervous anticipation on their faces. I looked for Rob but did not see him. We paddled out to position and listened to the national anthem. The Pro men started and swam by quickly, followed by the Pro women. On a surfboard the small group of people swimming by created some waves but it was manageable. I knew tough that with 2000 people about to swim by it was about to be different. The Age Groupers started and I had to paddle backwards quickly or I was going to get swam over the top of. I positioned myself with a lifeguard for San Diego FD to follow the last swimmers. We paddled close by as they were struggling. As we got to the turnaround boat I got word from the race support boat that an hour and twenty minutes had passed. They were probably not going to make it. I got their attention and urged them to hurry. They bot looked up at me with blank stairs. I yelled to the race support boat their race numbers marked on their swim caps. They advised that they were bot Japanese citizens and didn't speak english. My Japanese is limited to what I order at Mikuni's so I just yelled and pointed to the pier and spun my hand to signal for them to hurry. They got that and sped up for a few minutes. They then returned to their slower pace and as we got close to the finish I could hear the race announcer countdown the final minute. We waved the support boat over and the contestants realized immediately what was happening and swam to the boat. I felt bad for them, so much hard work to build up to just a swim in the bay. They would not be allowed to continue.
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I ran less than a mile down the course and caught up with him. I looked at his face and saw that the bike was tougher than normal for him. I asked him about his nutrition and the heat. He said he was ok. I didn't believe him. About a half a mile later we ran into his family. They walked with him until about mile 6 while I got some dinner and got ready for a long night.
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We went down the hill and I told him how proud I was of him. I knew that we would soon be back on Ali'i and I wanted to make sure that I didn't get in the way of any of his much earned praise. I ducked into the alley and headed to the finish line. I got there just in time to see him cross the line on the big projection on the King Kam. By the time I got to the actual finish line Rob was being escorted to medical. I stuck around to cheer in the final finishers and watch the closing ceremonies. I am sure if you have read this far you have heard about the magic of the finish line in Kona. It does not disappoint. The final finisher finished with less than a minute to spare, it was magical.
I ran into Rob's parents and helped them carry some of his gear back to their car. They gave me an update, he was feeling good but needed a couple of IV's. We said our goodbyes and I wandered up the street for a beer and a bar stool.
Please watch the NBC broadcast on NBC Saturday October 27th at 1am PST
Kyle, you are a wonderful person, caring and loyal. Rob is blessed to have you for a friend and we are blessed to know you. We are anxious to have you and your family come for a visit to Florida. You are an ironman sherpa for sure. I love the Team Firefighter with the coral and lava rocks. Hugs, John and Suzy
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