A few years ago, while looking at Ironman online porn (triathletes know what this is, and it's not what you think), I came across an
interesting race which had some unique distances and which covered
three days of racing. I then remembered seeing the Ultraman course markings
while doing Ironman Canada in 2010. The UltraMan is an invitation
only race, i.e. you have to apply, and it consists of:
Day 1 - 10km swim (6.2 miles) plus 90 mile bike
Day 2 - 171 mile bike
Day 3 - Double marathon 52.4 miles
Each day must be completed in under 12 hours. There is Ultraman Canada, Ultraman UK, Ultraman Florida (new this year) and the Ultraman World Championships in Kona Hawaii.
In early November I applied for Ultraman Canada up in Penticton Canada, the
home of the original Ironman Canada which I had raced in 2010. I
decided I would wait until after Coach Hillary aka UltraMan World
Champion finished Ultraman World Championships on thanksgiving weekend
before I would let her in on my latest aspirations. I didn't want to
distract her with my drama. When I finally broke the news that I
applied, Hillary was totally pumped about this endeavor (I knew she would support me). Having to wait 60
days to see if I would get in was a little strange. Some days I wished I would
get in, and some days, I rationalized that maybe it's for the best if I
don't get in. Well, last Saturday, the day before the Surf City
Marathon I got the news. I'M IN. Holy crap. I better get training. I ran through the house looking for Trophy Wife Johnna like a kid who just qualified for American Idol.
So, why do I want to do this race? For a variety of reasons, really.
First, because it's there. No way I'm ever going to Everest. This is
my Everest. Second, my biggest challenge in ironman has been the run.
Doubling the distance, but getting a night's sleep before will be an
interesting twist for me. Will I be able to rebound? Third, I've been wanting to do some fundraising, but I wanted something epic (for me anyway) to wrap it around.
To make this even more interesting, I've added some complexity. I call
it my UltraMan Sandwich - Ironman Couer d'alene in June, then Ultraman
Canada in August and then Ironman Arizona in November. I am not sure
how good this sandwich will taste, as I am sure that the many gallons of
Infinit I will consume between now and November will not taste good
after awhile.
Way more important than the races I
will be doing this year, is the charity I will be racing for--Smile
Train. Smile Train is an international children’s charity that provides
free
surgery to poor children suffering from cleft lip and cleft palate.
Children born with cleft cannot eat or speak properly, aren't allowed to
attend school, and as they get older, it's difficult if not impossible
to get a job. These children face very difficult lives of shame and
isolation, pain and heartache. Some children are even abandoned or
killed—all because of the way they look. Their clefts usually go
untreated because they are too poor to afford the simple repair surgery
that takes as little as 45 minutes and costs as little as $250. Yet with
your help, we can save these children and give them the life changing
surgery they both need and deserve.
Personally,
charities for children pull my heartstrings the most. St Jude's
Hospital for Children is one of my favorite charities as is Smile
Train. One of the things that caught my eye about Smile Train is how a
contribution has an almost a direct impact on a child's life. My goal
is to help as many children as possible--I am hoping that family,
friends and fellow athletes will support me in this cause. Here is the
link to my fundraising page -- http://support.smiletrain.org/site/TR/AthleticsEvent/General?px=3506353&pg=personal&fr_id=1350
Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you all on the roads or in the pools at the races this year.
Barry
Train Hard, Get to the Start Line in One Piece, and Smile, Smile, Smile the Entire Way.
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