Kansas 70.3!

First thought in my head this morning...oh boy - next week IS THE IRONMAN! But, lets not think about that now, today is about those folks racing the 70.3 in Lawrence, KS. I know several folks doing this race, so it should be fun getting out there to cheer them on.
I met Troy at the store and we headed to the race. Well, ya see, we got lost. Yes, really. We actually ended up in Topeka. We were both so mad that we missed the start of the race. Oh well - let it go. As luck would have it, however, we landed at a PRIME viewing spot for the event. We were on a hill that was just 4 miles or so from the start of the bike course. Athletes were coming up the hill, so it was a great spot to cheer them on! I got to see just about everybody I knew that was competing - very cool. And, they also came back up the other side of that hill, which was BRUTAL, but we were able to cheer them on at that one too! (

The intersection just down from the hill was where the course crossed several times before athletes headed back into the park. So, I basically just rotated streets and got to cheer for everyone several times!
Troy had to head out to spend some quality time with the kiddos on Father's Day. So, I continued on with the cheering...

They were shuttling people into the run course, so I caught a bus and headed in to watch the run and finish. I saw Jennie's family again, and hung out with them the rest of the time, which was great! I saw David, Brett, Jennie, Courtney, Robyn and Michelle all out on the run course. Everybody looked like they were doing great. I got yelled at cheering for Jennie, 'cause apparently I got a little too far onto the course.

This race was set up perfectly for cheering/spectator-viewing, 'cause athletes came through SO many times!!! Bad news when the storm clouds started rolling in. Jason (Jennie's husband) and I were waiting for her to come back around on the run, and the wind started up, it got pretty dark, and I was actually chilly. We ran the lawn chairs and cooler over to her dad's car, and were heading back to the course when we heard people saying they were pulling runners from the course and stopping the race.
HEARTBREAKING, is what this is. Folks who don't race may not understand this and may think it's silly, but when you spend months and months training, lots of time/money - family and friends are out to support you, etc., it is absolutely SAD to get SO close to finishing the event and get pulled. Poor Jennie only had about 2 miles left, and I know at least 4 others who were over 1/2 way through the run that weren't able to finish.
I do understand the race director needing to maintain safety...that's their job...it's just sad.
Anyway, CONGRATULATIONS to all of you who competed today - that was a tough, tough bike course for sure, and you did great! Whether you were able to finish or not, you put in the time and effort and should be proud of your accomplishment!!!