Steelhead Revisited

Steelhead was a blast. No, I didn't race this year. Watch out next year though. I am so inspired! My little girl and I worked the swim aid station. It was fun seeing everyone after the swim...still feeling good and looking cool. After most of the athletes had exited the water we went over to the trasition area and set up camp. It was amazing to see the first racers back from the bike, the Pros....omg these guys are sooooo fast! 47 sec in t2! They were coming in with their bike shoes hanging on the pedals and then throwing on their running shoes and then they were gone. If you blinked, you missed them! Of course after a while all the non-pro triathletes were a little slower in transition, but not less determined.

It was humbling to experience the gratitude that was displayed by many of the athletes as well. A cup of water or clapping and cheering were given many thanks by many kind folks. After the swim and bike it was so cool to hear the thank yous given to the volunteers. Many thanks to all the Steelhead triathletes too....with out you there would be no race.

After we left the transition area we kind of milled around for a while. I bought my little one a very sporty shirt....she told her dad that it's her new "tri" shirt! I can't wait to see her do her first tri! The boys eventually made it to the race....after a little distress on my part ( I was afraid they weren't going to make it).

Watching the race finish was by far the best part. The reactions were Kodak moments over and over and over again. We saw so many smiling.... actually make that beaming, as they crossed the finish line. There were many who were in pain and saw the line as an end to it. We saw racers stumble. They walked. They sprinted. We saw some fall.... We saw courage. We saw determination. We saw perserverance.
It was a beautiful day.