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| TriGeeks Hawaiian Send-off for Mike |
Nannette and I arrived here on Saturday night for the
Ironman World Championship and are sharing the same house we had last year with
Bishop Leatherbury and his son Rob. It is
great to be back. The most exciting
thing about being in Kona this week is being with the people this sport
attracts. In addition to being healthy and in incredible shape, everyone here
is trying to live their lives to the fullest.
This is one group of highly motivated and driven individuals who are
disciplined, attack their dreams, and are enjoying life. They are all “I can” people. The “I can’t” people were not invited.
.
With one week to go, I am on a taper. Wednesday was my last serious training day as
I met the TriGeeks in Cartersville for a 40 mile bike and a 1 mile swim. The two highlights were first, how excited
Betsy Babbit Perkel (age 29) was in beating a 59 year old man up the last
hill. We were both thrilled. Second, we had a great picnic lunch after our
Wednesday “Brick” and my mentor, Fox Ferrel, the Mayor of the TriGeeks had
arranged for everyone to surprise me and dress up Hawaiian style to provide me
with some last minute support and encouragement. What a great group of people and what a great
journey it has been.
Our flight to Kona was packed with people flying over for
the Ironman and they could be categorized in three different groups: Athletes, Friends and Family representing the
athletes personal fan club, and Volunteers.
This last group is the most interesting.
These were veteran volunteers that come to Kona for a week every year
with no connection to any specific athlete.
They just want to be a part of the energy and play a critical role in
the personal success of so many competitors.
The positive attitude in Kona this week is contagious and I guess they
just want to be infected and contribute to this extraordinary environment.
I will be updating this blog daily so please check back
daily.
Please visit my fundraising
site and read about the great things the Getting2Tri Foundation is doing to
help disabled individuals get back to life.
Mahalo
Mike Wien
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