| Mike Wien at Kona Finish 2012

Top Ten Advantages to Finishing the Ironman World Championship in 13 hours instead of 11 hours.

1. The sunset at the energy lab (mile 17 on the run) is beautiful.
2. You get to run the last two hours in cooler temperatures after the sun goes down.
3. You get a free glow necklace to wear so runners coming the other direction don’t run into you.
4. You can’t see the hills ahead of you on the Queen K Highway.
5. The stars are magnificent as there is no ambient light.
6. You feel like a superstar if you keep running because at this point, most people are walking.
7. You can’t make out who is passing you.
8. People at aid stations are really happy to see you and you get personalized service as the only one there.
9. The cheering crowds in the last quarter mile are much bigger and louder later in the evening as they have had more time to consume adult beverages.
10. It is still a thrill of a lifetime to finish the Ironman World Championship on Ali’i Drive, no matter what time you cross the finish line.

As many of you have already discovered, this year did not go according to plan and I significantly missed any goals I had set for the day.  While I finished in second last year, I did not make the top 30 this year.  Before I go into the details, I would like to start off with one important observation.  The incredible e-mails I have received since I came across the finish line tell the real story.

Scott and Mike at Start

The congratulations and words of encouragement I received have been remarkable and appreciated.  I am constantly reminded how fortunate I am to have so many positive people in my life who really understand it is about the journey, and what a great journey it has been.  The positive energy that came through cyberspace reminded me of my real win on Saturday night – surrounding myself with so many incredible people.   As they say on this beautiful Island of Hawaii – Mahalo!

| Mike on Queen K Highway

Now for the race details: The swim was an expected slugfest but I hung in there and was happy with my swim time which was consistent with last year.  On the bike, the headwinds coming out of Hawi yesterday were brutal and favored the strong bike riders.  I got eaten alive.  At one point coming back to Kona, I was struggling to maintain 15 miles per hour and that was going downhill!   My run for the first 10 miles was pretty good and I was really enjoying myself even though I knew at the start of the run my chances of finishing in the top 10 were extremely low.  However, at mile 10, my left calf tightened up again (same as in Boston) and the last 16 miles were in survival mode.

Mike running to the finish

While I ran up Palani Road, I walked through all the water stops after mile 14.  That being said, make no mistake about it, running down Ali’i Drive to finish the Ironman World Championship is still a thrill of a life time, even if it takes forever to get there.  In the end, yesterday was a great day and I know how lucky I am to have experienced that final 1/4 mile down Ali’i Drive four times.  And in case there are still any doubts about how I am feeling about my finish, just take a look at some of these pictures of me crossing the finish line.

Other highlights of the day included all the encouragement I received from my Timex Team mates on the course and recognizing so many new friends on the run.  Barbara Chandler riding her bike out to mile 24 on the run to make sure I was still alive and to cheer me over the final hill at mile 25 was very special. Watching Lew Hollinger (82) and Harriett Anderson (77) come across the finish line as the clock approached midnight was inspiring.  And crossing the finish line and having my wife Nannette as the volunteer who put the finishers lei on me will be one of my favorite memories.

| Wiens and Boylans at finish

Nannette started her day at 4:30 AM as volunteers in the body marking tent so she could get pier passes for prime seats to watch the swim start and see me come out of the ocean.  She got a 6 hours break during the bike, tracked us for the first 10 miles of the run and spent the rest of the evening as volunteers, putting leis on the finishers.

Max with John, his father

To say the way my day finally ended on Saturday was ironic would be an understatement.

After the finish, I wandered over to the massage tent.  Ironman has about 100 massage therapists who volunteer to help start the recovery process.  I was randomly assigned to Max for my massage.  As Max was giving me my massage, I asked him about the man in the wheelchair sitting behind the massage table.  Max introduced me to John, his father who lives with him as he is in the late stages of Alzheimer’s.  What an interesting end to a remarkable day.  And it was a great reminder that I dedicated this day to my mother, Mim Wien who is fighting the same battle.

| Alison, Marty and Julie Salzman

On the same day, Julie Salzman, my niece,  walked to end Alzheimer’s with her parents (my sister and brother-in-law) and helped raise over $2,800.  Special thanks to all of my friends who have made a contribution to honor my mother and support Julie’s effort.  Contributions can still be made at this link:   {Julie’s Website}

Nannette updating Mike on the run

In closing, thanks to all my Timex teammates,  friends and family for being there and being so supportive in celebrating my journey.   I hope I can be as enthusiastic in helping to celebrate your journeys as you have been in celebrating mine.   Thanks to Timex, Quintana Roo, PowerBar, KSwiss and the Rudy Project for supporting my effort.  Thanks to Scott and Joanne Boylan who helped make this week in Kona outstanding.  And a very special thank you to Nannette, my wife and life partner for the past 37 years who still loves me, no matter what time I finish.

For the four blogs covering the week before this event, please check out www.keepingtheflamelitforlife.com/blog