Rather than taking the time to organize a cogent, insightful race report, I’m taking the easy way out. Here are 10 race day experiences that are fresh in my mind and still make me smile.

1. It’s all relative. I saw Timex teammate Luis Alverez in T1, he looked at me and said “I had a terrible swim…..but you had a good one.” Funny (to me) but true.
2. Swim your age. Talk about great swims, Dean Harper swam his age (55) in Kona. Eat your hearts out golfers. Dean’s in my age group and it is not funny to come out of the water 18 minutes behind this year’s National Age Group Champion.
3. Just a training ride. 10 miles into the bike, my training partner, John Wilson, rolls past me. After riding thousands of miles with him, I know that it will behoove me to keep him in sight. As Dave Scott told the team at lunch “Everyone can ride 50 miles fast.” Smart pacing helps and we negative split the bike.
4. Jibe Ho! I watch the pros coming downhill back from Hawi tacking back and forth across the road, holding on to their bullhorns because of the wind. I resolve not to employ the “aero or die” position on this section of the bike course and survive to reach the bottom.
5. Perfect information.My wife, Joanne, is strategically stationed at mile 2 of the run to provide me with information of how I stand in my age group. All sorts of potential race strategies unfold in my mind as I run the first 2 miles. When I pass her I get no information. Later she tells me everyone over 45 looks the same. I don’t know if that means we all look 45 or 65.
6. UH OH! A little after the run turn-a-around at mile 5, I see Yves Tabarant, who is in my age group, running toward me. He is running faster than I am. I spend the next 2 hours and 45 minutes listening for his footsteps behind me. Not fun. I silently practice introducing myself in French for when he passes me. Not helpful. I try to stop thinking.
7. 60 year old guy. At the race meeting, head ref, Jimmy Riccitello, tells the men to swallow their pride and let the women who catch them pass on the bike. “You’re not racing them” he says. Reinhold Humboldt, who is 60, is ahead of me on the run. I foolishly ignore Jimmy’s advice and resolve to uphold the honor of 55 year olds by running past Reinhold. I don’t know any German, what do I say when he passes me back? I try to stop thinking again.
8. Cool Breeze on the Queen K. Usually, I hope it is hot during the run. I figure this makes the run longer for everyone and running is what I’m relatively better at. Since I’m being chased by a better runner, I welcome the cool breeze that’s blowing when we leave town on the Queen K and begin hoping for rain. I want the run to be as short as possible but I have 16 miles to go.
9. Screw the photo. I run across the finish line with someone else. I am worried about about getting caught from behind up until the last moment. It’s nice to finish first in the age group.
10. The Johnny Winter effect. I get about 2 seconds on the Ironman live finish video cam. My training partner, John Wilson, has a great day, finishes top 10 in the tough 50-54 AG and holds the camera’s attention well past the finish. The camera loves this guy, it won’t cut away. It’s the Johnny Winter (legendary albino blues guitarist), white hair effect. Next time I race, I’m getting a dye job.