Kona Dreams

My Tri-Brother is 5 years younger and several decades ahead of me in the triathlon game. Like many of us, his dream is to race THE Ironman in Hawaii. Through all these years he's never entered the lottery for one of the precious few public slots, preferring to "earn" it by posting a qualifying time in another race. I disagree with him (your race bib doesn't say how ya got there) but it's his choice and there it is. He's been working incredibly hard this season with new trainers and training approaches. In short, he's rocking and rolling.

He raced the Eagleman half yesterday, with a goal to win one of his age group's three qualifying slots. He had a good race, finishing 6th in his age group, less than two minutes behind the 5th place finisher. Remember that two minutes. They're important.

Now picture this: it's after the race and the Kona slots are being awarded. First place finisher...accepts. Second place finisher...declines (yes, declines! WTF???) Third place...accepts. Fourth place...declines (!!!!) Now it's down to the fifth place finisher's decision. And he....

Wait for it...

Accepts. ARRRGGGGHHHH! Tri-Brother's dream is put on hold once again. By two minutes in a four hour race. But by the end of the day yesterday he was already plotting a July qualifying attempt in a half-IM somewhere in Texas. (I guess if ya gotta go to Texas in the summer that's probably the best - and maybe the only - reason to do so.) We're gonna need the TGD community's good thoughts and mojo working on that day, for sure.

Onward and upward.