Ironman Branson 70.3 and Meeting a Legend
Well, I survived! Last Sunday was Ironman 70.3 Branson. It was the race that I had vowed to do no matter what this year. The reason? I had signed up to do it last year but at the last minute decided not to do it. I had a health scare in 2010 that kept me from training, which led to a lot of weight gain and loss of fitness. I knew that Branson would be a tough, hilly course so I made the wise choice to sit it out last year. Even though I knew that sitting it out was the smart choice, it still hurt. I woke up race morning in a funk, knowing that I should have been out there.
So I had a decision to make. Either I could vow to never sign up for that race again or I could sign up and get back into training. I chose the latter and last December started the process of whipping my butt back into shape. It’s been a long and slow process with lots of bumps in the road, but I’m back to doing what I enjoy.
On race morning, I was standing in the long line at the porta-potty just before the race start. I was talking to a nice guy that I had met there, and we were just passing the time talking about triathlon races we had done. He mentioned doing several Ironman races back in the 80s. I asked him when his first Ironman race was, and he said 1978. I knew that was the year that Ironman got its start. Almost in disbelief, I asked him, “You were in Hawaii in 1978?” He replied, “Yes, I won it that year. I was the first Ironman.” He had told me his name earlier, but it didn’t ring a bell with me so I asked him again, “What did you say your name is?” “Gordon Haller,” he replied.
Then it all started coming back to me. I had heard his name on TV and the Internet before. I even remembered a picture I had seen of him that was from 1978. It was definitely him. He even still has the beard. I couldn’t believe that I had been standing there chatting it up with a legend. This unpretentious man was the winner of the very first Ironman triathlon, a feat which had never been done before. What’s more? He still races and is in great shape. Needless to say, I will continue to be inspired by Gordon.
September 21st, 2011 at 7:54 am
That must have been an awesome introduction. How do you have all the luck? Do you need anything from Kona?
September 24th, 2011 at 12:25 pm
Congratulations! That’s great that you did the race, and I enjoyed learning about the 1st Ironman.
October 15th, 2011 at 10:16 pm
Thanks. It was super cool!