Thursday, October 6, 2011

Exciting Stuff

I am sure all of you are aware, but it has been a big week full of exciting news. The new iPhone 4S was debuted!!

On a side note, the triathlon world is "Full Throttle" right now with the Ironman World Championships taking place this Saturday on the Big Island of Hawaii. I was fortunate enough to secure a spot and will be sporting bib # 47 on Saturday, taking it for a 140.6 mile tour around the waters, roads and lava fields of Kona.

I arrived Saturday after a quick stint back home and have been blessed with some great friends who have allowed me to set up camp at their Hawaiian home.

The island has its usual spectacular sights, sounds, smells and tastes, but somehow, Ironman just seems to add a surge of electricity to the place that makes it that much more invigorating. I have been pleased with my training and preparation and minus a few small hiccups, my stay here so far has been perfect.

I really cannot put into words how excited I am to line up and race this course again on Saturday. The usual press and media explosion surrounding Kona has been elevated to a new level this year with the new points system and reduction in pro slots. Adding only further fuel to the fire was the unveiling of the "Shiv Tri" by my sponsor Specialized. The bike is INSANE and it was announced on Tuesday that it will be under one of the greatest in the game, heavy favorite, Craig Alexander, on race day. I will not be aboard the new Specialized triathlon flagship, but could not be happier with the way my ShivTT has come together and how the bike has performed in training. Darth Vader will be breaking in his racing wings on Saturday and I am confident they will fly strong.

On that note I would like to take a moment to thank all my sponsors who, quite simply, have made my being here possible. I have been getting a few questions re my race set up, equipment, nutrition, etc... and I thought it would be good to detail it out here, so that you all can see and if interested, ask any questions.

Swim: I will be swimming in the Zoot SpeedZoot and the Blue70 Hydra Vision goggles.

Bike: I will be riding a Specialized ShivTT (small), equipped with SRAM Red components, A Quarq powermeter running through a Garmin 500 Edge computer, ISM Breakaway saddle, Shimano Dura Ace pedals and Reynolds 81 wheels with Specialized S-Works tubular tires. I will run 2 bottle cages, one up front between the bars, one on the down tube.

Run: I will be running in Zoot Active compression socks and the TT 4.0 shoes.

Nutrition: My day will be fueled almost exclusively by PowerBar products. On the bike I will take in Strawberry/Banana gels, a peanut butter PowerBar and Red Bull at special needs, and PowerBar Perform at aid stations.  On the run I will carry PowerBar Berry Blast gels mixed with water and Red Bull in the new Fuel Belt Revenge 2 bottle belt.

Again, a HUGE "THANK YOU" to all my sponsors and supporters for all the help and support. I'll give it my all on Saturday, knowing I have no excuses.

Cheers & Aloha,

Ian

1 comment:

  1. Have an amazing race Ian! I'll be tracking you for sure:-) Hope you can hearing me screaming at the screen from Seal Beach!

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