Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Ironman Canada - 15th









That was another tough one and not one I had really planned on doing. The goal this year was to get to Hawaii one more time and finish off my racing career on the Big Island. The new points system for Pro's has made getting to Kona quite a bit tougher. In order to achieve this I had to race Canada 5 weeks after Lake Placid. I did all I could to recover as quickly as possible, but it was a pretty tough ask of my body. This ended up being one of those races where I just dug deep and tried to stay with it on the run. With temperatures inching towards the mid 30's and a pretty strong wind throughout the race it turned out to be a bloody hard day (for everyone). I am really happy with myself for sticking with it when quite honestly I wanted to curl up and have a nap. In the end I did run up to 13th (in the pro field) which got me the points I needed to grab the last guaranteed spot for Kona. Mission accomplished; now 6 weeks to rest up and get ready for another one which will make it 4 in 6 months. Yes, that will be enough!

(A Big THANK YOU to Jodi Mucha for the great photos)

3 comments:

Luke Gillmer said...

Mike, what a huge effort to get on the Kona start list. Having to do so many races is a huge effort.

Hope you have saved your best for last. Meg is racing so I will be out there cheering for you!

Well Done.

Luke Gillmer

Dominic said...

OMG MIKE....so happy for you. I had to read your blog to get the answer I wanted....and yes the GREAT MIKE NEILL from K-Town will go to the big island. Congrats on that achievement and for your inspiring career! I am happy for you! So happy! :)

Barb. S. said...

CONGRATS again Mike.. Tracey and I were so happy to be there to see you at the finish line. Kona or Bust!!.. you didn't bust!!