The Race Warrior

Joe participated in the Heal and Crank Duathlon this morning and it turned out to be a bit more exciting than anticipated. I have always said that Joe can take about any sport and turn it into an extreme sporting event and this morning he did not disappoint.

This was his second time to participate in this event so he had known how to train and had very specific goals to achieve. Leading up to the event, he had made sure that I too was aware of those goals. He started the race very strong and was way ahead of schedule, so when he took much longer on the bike part, the portion he trained for the most, I started to get concerned. I started to check my phone to see if the paramedics had called me and then dismissed my concerns and hoped that I had missed his transition. I continued to look for him in the final run portion when I spotted him pushing his bike and was bandaged like a mummy. He told me he was okay and said that he wanted to finish. When he came into the transition area the announcer said "Here comes a Race Warrior" and as he left the area the race coordinator ran the first 50 yards with him. He said he felt like some race celebrity.

After all of the events: crash, paramedics and general pains, he only missed his last year time by 15 minutes. The Race Warrior is now moving around the house somewhat slow and I think that tomorrow, when we are in charge of toddler nursery at church, he will be under the influence of a good dose of Tylenol and Motrin. Let's just hope he doesn't try to repeat this next year to relive the Race Warrior status.