by Bill K. and Rob K.

This was Bill’s second Racine HIM and Rob’s first.

Rob:  Dude!  Great idea on doing the Racine Ironman 70.3 together this year!

Bill:  Yeah, thought you would dig it.  I was totally buzzed about it last year.

Rob:  Totally cool, Bro.  Four months ago I couldn’t swim, had only biked around the block and usually just ran to the grocery store.  But you said no problem – call Coach Joe!

Bill And Rob:  <pause>  Excellent!!!

Rob:  Totally.   Used to be I’d make lifeguards nervous whenever I was in the water. They would usually throw torpedo floats at me.  So I took a few lessons from Coach Joe and joined the ET Masters class.  That and the ET open water swims were huge.

Bill:  So what did you think about the waves during Racine? Was that choppy or what?

Rob: The waves were huge, man!

Bill: ?

Rob: OK, they felt that big.  Actually looked like:

Rob: It was amazing.  Surfers were ripping near the shore.  Somehow I made it out to the first turn and kept going.   Had trouble sighting the buoys with the swells and kept swimming to New Haven but got it under control. No problem staying hydrated with those waves. I kept hearing Coach Joe telling me to stay focused, breathe at the top of the swells and stay in the moment.

Bill: It was tougher than last year but before you knew it we were on the beach heading for T1 and a sunny and 80 degree day of biking. Getting set was easy with Laurie’s nutrition plan. Too many people turn this into an opportunity for a bike buffet and pile it on. And wasn’t I right about unwrapping the food bars in advance?

Rob: Um – my Power Bar melted in my Bento Box and fused the gummy shot blocks and wrappers together. When I pulled it out, it was a big gooey ball.

Bill: Should have used Clif Bars.

Rob: On the plus side, it made my aerobars sticky and easy to hold on to. Did you like the run?

Bill: Whoa! That was awesome, especially the first hill out of transition. Lots of dudes were walking but I thought- party on! Besides, the photographer was there. Since we look pretty much alike, my favorite part was passing ET teammates who thought they kept seeing me. Steven Mayer was sure he passed me eight times. Reminds me of when we switched classes in grade school.

Rob: The ice was totally cool. I never had that in a race and it works pretty well, unless it ends up in your shorts. Also, the ET cheering section was like a turbo boost and I didn’t even need a phone booth.

Bill: Bodacious tri-fans! Joe said to remain steady, drink / walk at each aid station and enjoy the experience. Running down the finish line chute was totally awesome. It made me forget about that bogus rainstorm during one of our training rides.

Rob: And we both PR’d!

Bill And Rob:  <pause>  Excellent!!!

 Enjoy all the photos from our amazing weekend at Racine on the ET Photo Gallery!