My brother recently competed in an Ironman triathalon in Louisville, Ky. I am so proud of him because I know he trained hard while still meeting the needs of his busy family. He is a great man! Here is the article from the Ohio paper where he lives.
Those are the words Madeira resident Todd H. recently heard after finishing a 140.6 mile Ironman competition in Louisville.
He jumped into the Ohio river at 7:25 a.m. for the 2.4-mile swim.
After that, he hopped on his bike for the 112-mile cycling leg of the course before finishing with the 26.2-mile run.
He crossed the finish line after 13 hours and 35 minutes of rigorous activity.
"It was such an incredible experience, I still haven't come down from it yet," he said.
"It's something I will always remember. And really, without a doubt, it was having my friends and family there that made the event for me."
Todd H. had 27 friends and family members in attendance, including his wife Michelle and their three children; Andrew (11), Maggie (8) and Sarah (5).
He said seeing his family several times throughout the course helped pick up his spirits while he was in action.
Michelle said the family was busy most of the day shuttling around to the different points they would be able to see him.
She said they were able to see him seven or eight different times during the event.
"We were busy transitioning ourselves, it was a long day, but it went by so fast," she said.
"There was hardly any down time, which was probably a good thing. I was telling people at the hotel pool that I couldn't even sit down because it would be so hard to get back up."
Todd said another thing he looked forward to during the course was chicken broth and Coke.
"After so many hours you get sick and tired of Gatorade and Powerbars," he said.
"They had aid stations every mile so I could walk through and grab a pretzel rod, a little bit of Coke and some chicken broth."
Todd H., a self-proclaimed "weekend warrior," began running and biking more after he turned 30 and felt like he was getting out of shape.
He began to compete in marathons and triathlons before making the decision to attempt the Ironman.
"I knew he would do it, he had talked about it for years," Michelle said.
"I thought he was crazy."
He said he couldn't have done it without Michelle's support, as he trained mainly in the early mornings and during his lunch hour and then on one weekend day per week.
"I couldn't have done it, I wouldn't have done it, if she didn't support me," he said.
"I couldn't just go off on seven-hour bike rides with three young kids in the house if she wasn't behind me."
He said the two things he looked forward to after the race were a long shower and sleep.
"It was probably the longest shower of my life and the deepest sleep of my life, at least until the kids woke up," he said.
Of course, that didn't come before greeting his friends and family at the finish line.
Michelle allowed everyone else to greet him before she congratulated him.
"I was the last person to get to the finish line," she said.
"When I finally got there, my emotions just took over, I just collapsed into his arms, bawling.
"I just told him how proud of him I was. I will always remember it."
"It would be nice to go back and relive that," Todd said with a smile.
