The finish line beckons…

Wow, attending the Chicago Triathlon was quite an experience! 8,000 racers competed this year, making the Chicago Triathlon the world’s largest!

Just keeping up with the racers is a physical challenge, as they make their way through a 2.5 mile swim, a 25 mile bike ride and a 6.2 mile run.

My buddy finished with a total time of 2:42:05, putting him in the top 25% of his group.

It was truly humbling to witness racers with prosthetic legs; truly touching to see children running across the finish line, hand-in-hand with their favorite racer- mom or dad; and truly inspiring to see the athleticism, dedication and true grit on display. The overall vibe of the event was very cool- the crowd cheers for everybody, not just their friends or teammates. There was one guy that was limping into the finish, totally out of gas, just walking the last quarter mile or so. As he came down the chute towards the finish line, the crowd erupted, cheering him on and encouraging him to run out the race. Somehow, he managed to dig just a little deeper and found the strength to pick up his pace from a walk to a run and he crossed the finish line in a heap of smiles and applause.

Congratulations to all the competitors!