I’m going to Kona

If your dreams don’t scare you they aren’t big enough!

The first Ironman triathlon was in Hawaii in 1978, it started out as a debate about who was the fittest athlete out of swimmers, cyclists, and runners so they decided to put together three local endurance events “SWIM 2.4 MILES! BIKE 112 MILES! RUN 26.2 MILES! BRAG FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE” 12 people earned bragging rights that first year. I loved this story and the ensuing motto that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. I wanted those bragging rights.

Apparently, I run like a duck, and I get panic attacks when I swim, but I can kinda ride a bike, so my gym coach pushed me to register for a 70.3 Ironman. I came 2^nd last (note the guy who finished last had an artificial leg!). But I’m stubborn so I returned the next year and took an hour off my time. It became an annual holiday to the Gold Coast for five years.

Fast forward a few years, a few Ironman and 70.3 races and a few surgeries, to 2015 when I raced Ironman Switzerland as part of TEAM KIRAH to fundraise for Crohn’s and Colitis Australia. I felt like a real athlete, I had a tri-suit with my name on it, people were asking me for advice and I knew stuff!

I might have earned bragging rights and my tattoo but I still wanted the ultimate goal – to race in Hawaii.

So in 2023 after 9 Ironman distance races, 13 half Ironman races (and 9 surgeries) I’ve finally got my spot to race at Kona. I dreamed big and it happened!