let's just call it good!

Matt had a very eventful day! he did the swim, then the bike, then said i think i'll call it good!

going back to last night matt started to feel very sick. his stomach was killing him, we thought it was the travel or nerves but it just turned into more than that. he finally went to bed and was determined this morning to try it out even though he didn't feel 100%. the swim was brutal. the water was 56 degrees. people dropped out within the first 50 yards and many many more dropped out or didn't make the time cut off to move on. he actually did amazing at the swim, he finished in 1:19 but when he went into the transition tent his muscles froze up and he could not warm up. they were really helping him, the volunteers are amazing!! he took 20min. and got on the bike and took off. he said until the second mile he could not feel his toes and didn't stop chattering. he said basically he was miserable. he did great on the first 22 miles but slowed down after that. he was determined to get the bike race over with and kept pushing through but the wind was brutal and his stomach started acting up again and he couldn't get any food or drink down. therefore his body was shutting down. he was in a lot of pain and said that the bike ride was the hardest thing he has ever done in his life! they were saying on the news today that this is the hardest ironman bike course ever.

we were waiting for him at the bike to run transition, the cut off time was approaching and he cruised in and got off his bike. he walked over and said i am done! he just didn't want to go on and we told him it was better to choose to quit than being scraped off the pavement. he said i have done a marathon before and knew what it took to pull that off. he feels like he still accomplished something he has never done before, a 2 mile swim and a 112 mile crazy bike ride! i am proud of him and he is happy with what he did.

he came home and started an IV he brought with him and his stomach is feeling much better! here are a few pictures of our day~

swimmers in the water at the start
there were 2100 people to start, he said it felt like spawning salmon
this is when they started spreading out
this is the family watching, in layers and layers of clothes just to watch
this is matt taking off after the swim, we thought he was doing pretty well at this point
this is a picture of the swimmers coming out of the water, i couldn't catch matt but you come out and there are teams of people to rip your wetsuit off of you!
it was really amazing to watch them come in. some people can't walk and have to be carried on stretchers.
the bike to run transition
here he comes!! we were so happy he had made the cutoff but he knew he was done. he has had the experience and if he decides to do it again he will know what to expect. i think he is thinking a half ironman sounds pretty good! thanks for all the text's , comments and well wishes.

ki watched the computer all day cheering her dad from hawaii and that means so much to him!

he's still my ironman!

p.s. we looked up his standing it was 1705 so that means that minus all the other people that had already dropped out some 300 people did not continue on to the marathon.