Competing in the Ironman World Championships is the ultimate dream for many triathletes. It’s (sort of) the Boston Marathon equivalent to running. Qualifying for the Championships in Kona is an extraordinary feat and only ~2,100 participants compete each year. The actual 17-hour event happened in October but NBC edits all of the race coverage, interviews the athletes, and packages it into a concise, emotional, inspirational and heart-warming 90 minutes. It aired today and I loved it all. If you’re going to re-watch the broadcast, make sure to grab the tissues!
We all knew that Mirinda Carfrae (female winner) and Frederik Van Lierde (male winner) took first places in the race, but the NBC coverage goes more in depth into the age groupers, the celebrities, those battling hardships, and Challenged athletes.
They showed celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, former Pittsburgh Steeler Hines Ward, a father whose daughter was shot and killed at Sandy Hook, 78-year old Harriet Anderson who is the oldest female Ironman finisher, etc. More details can be found here.
Our triathlon coach from Team in Training, Heather Brien, competed in the race and so did our teammate, Nick Giometti. But sadly they weren’t in the NBC broadcast (unless they were and I didn’t see them? Can anyone confirm?)
I hosted a small viewing party at my apartment with some triathlon friends. And the prize goes to Chris for making 2 large vegan pizzas!! The pizza was incredible and a total crowd-pleaser. He made it with vegan pesto, caramelized onions, pine nuts, and vegan whole wheat crust. Definitely a great dish and super thoughtful! We also had lots of veg-friendly snacks like edamame hummus, pineapple mango salsa, (thanks Christopher), champagne and juice (thanks April!), and baby carrots. Check out my Instagram photo of the pizza on the top left of the home page.
The show definitely gave me some additional motivation and inspiration for my own Ironman journey. The race coverage was gorgeous (a lot of it captured by GoPros), and just watching the swim start sent chills down my spine. I’m excited to push myself to my limits and accomplish this crazy feat in Lake Tahoe. I’ll probably never make it to Kona, but I’ll tune in to the broadcast every year. Maybe one year I’ll go cheer.
Did anyone watch the broadcast? What was your favorite moment?
Where's The Tofu? 