We left there and went out to try and catch him at the bike special needs area. By the time we got there he had already passed, so we tried to intercept him at HWY 20, which is 63 miles on the bike. When we got there, Joe and I were the first ones out of the car and as everyone else was getting out of the car he came by, so he got a yell from just the two of us. We left there and did as much cross country as we could, about 25 miles, where we got to see him at mile 90 and 100. Then we hustled back to T2. My guess is that he got into T2 at 5:50, his plan being 5:45, which was a great bike ride. The team split up, some staying to see him at transition and some out at about half a mile on the run. It was almost 3pm and the team had to go get some lunch.
We next saw Mike at mile 14.5. He looked so good I jumped in and ran with him for a mile. He confessed that he'd been about to take a walk break, but he decided to keep on going. We shared a few thoughts about what went into today's events, chatting about how this event is a lot more than just miles and yards of training, it demands a whole lot of heart. Then I turned around and he left with a smile on his face while I went the other way with tears in my eyes.
Its cold, windy and getting colder. The sun's gone down and the kids are getting tired of this. We're sitting outside the state park at about mile 20 or 21 waiting for him to come out. He's looking like a real Ironman.
Michael Whetstone
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