Our first stop was for her to register. This is big business!! Lots of vendors are in the Ironman Village too. Participant Shirt (Margaret Kennedy).
A quick photo of the three of us.
We accomplished all she had to do as far as logistics, locating her bicycle transporter, etc. and then we had lunch at Sweet Tomatoes before heading home. After visiting and naps we opted for Joe's Italian restaurant for dinner for her heavy carb diet prescribed before the race. Did I mention it is 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking and a full marathon of 26.2 miles running. I have been elected to clap and cheer.
A swimming practice was being held between 8-10 on Friday morning. Ted made waffles (carbs) for breakfast before he left to work at a chaplains' gun shoot at his club. I drove Margaret to the Marriott to meet up with her friends to do their practice swim and to find the Transition area, Finish Line, etc. She called after 12 to come get her. She didn't want lunch and promptly took a nap. In the time she was gone I went to the store and made two lasagnas - one vegetarian for her and one regular one for our dinner.
I was up at 4 am to take Margaret to the race venue. She gave me her phone to keep and my communication now depended on the Ironman app. I checked as she completed the 2.4 mile swim, the 112 miles biking and she was a few miles into the 26.2 run when we went to church. When I checked later her check-ins had stopped about a third of the way into the run. I knew something was wrong and we went immediately to the area of the Finish Line to inquire. She had been taken to Medical having collapsed from heat exhaustion. By the time we made our way to Medical we learned she had been released at 6:12. We learned later they could not find her emergency paper with my number on it so she could not call me. Kristin suggested I try to contact her friend in Florida through Facebook and lo and behold she had contacted him and he had sent me a message to call her at a phone number of a friend. We met her in the hotel lobby all wrapped in a silver warming blanket. But she was feeling better and we brought her home. After a shower she went right to bed.
An 11:15 flight Sunday morning meant packing up to head back to Florida for her. She felt much better and was in fine spirits when we dropped her off at the airport. She was handling her disappointment very well. Her race time numbers were right on target and the heat exhaustion hits many as evidenced by all the beds in Medical having been full. She proudly wore her Texas Ironman backpack on the plane.
Ted and I headed to Katy to meet Tal and Cindy at a sporting clays competition followed by dinner. I fell asleep on the couch as soon as we got home. This Ironman thing can be tiring even for those of us who clap, cheer and worry!
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