Ironman Madison 2009 Part 2 6 Ironmans in One Year

Continued from Part 1.....

Thursday evening Keith and West Coast Jen Brown arrived from California. As a surprise to their Dad, all of Keith's children will Keith know they would be flying into Madison on Friday. This really helped Keith's mental focus and mine for what we're about to embark on. I also got a phone call from my good friend Jim Whetstone letting me know that him and his wife Bonnie will be arriving sometime Saturday afternoon. Last but not least, Brad Kelly our videographer will also be arriving on Friday evening.

We all woke up Friday, and headed towards the venue so that Keith could sign up and be official for Ironman Madison 2009. Once Keith was registered, we headed over to Tri-Bike Transport to get our bikes and our gear bag. We'd run into a slight snag as they left the gear bag in Minneapolis and this contained both of our wet suits, bike shoes and bike helmets so we need this in order to compete. Marc the owner of tri-bike transport was very accommodating and took care of us as he always does. We recommend him highly if you need them there website is http://www.tribiketransport.com/ . With our video man Brad follow us around and walked along the entire venue especially to the Janus Charity challenge booth to see Casey and Christina. We also stopped by the Ford booth to visit our friends there as well. The venues backdrop was that of the city of Madison with its beautiful capitol building on one side and Lake Monoma on the other. It is a very small city with a large College feel with the University of Wisconsin right in the heart of everything....so all in all it is a very youthful and high energy place.

What seemed to be the theme for Keith & I was that obstacles kept trying to get in our way and we had to do allot of going with the flow. The first was our gear bag not arriving, then Keith's computer from his bike was missing so they offered to get him another which delayed us getting our bikes again so they could install it for him. We finally got the bike thing squared away so we could take them to Matt to take a final tune up to them and then ride them back to the hotel for a final check on eveything and get our transition bags ready for delivery to the transition areas tommorow. Then around 5 PM I got a call from our Video man Brad that the flight he was scheduled for to Milwaukee was so far delayed that he would not get into Madison at all and only to Milwaukee by 11:30 PM which is a 1 1/2 hour drive for us and we needed our sleep so it was becoming a very stressful last Ironman trying to get through all of our logistics. My wife volunteered to drive by herself to get him but I wasn't comfortable with that as that meant her getting over tired and stressed so we talked aout it and decided we would pay to shuttle him over as the most cost effective and time efective way. It wasn't easy but we made the arrangements and it all worked out as he was picked up and arrived around 1:30 AM. Thanksfully we got what is usually your best night's sleep before an Ironman 2 night's prior as the eve of Ironman is normally a 5 hour sleep with several wake up during the night....

We all awoke on Saturday and Keith & I could finally get to the water and swim to test the temp, get familiar with some line of sight areas for the swim and just release some pent up energy. This is usually a fun filled day but also a kind of up and down emotional roller coaster as well. It is a time where Keith & I have some fun together knowing what lay in front of us oh so well. It is also a day where we do our favorite thing at the past 5 Ironmans which is get a massage....later in the afternoon....This last swim before race day was a little different than the last 5 because of something that happened 2 nights before. Apparently there were a couple of guys out on Lake Monoma fishing and at around 9 PM decided they would cool off and go for a swim. Unfortunately they had been drinking and only one made it back to the boat and they had done this very close to the swimming area of the race. The sheriff's boats and divers were searching the murky waters and as there was allot of algae and pretty much no visibility you can just imagine what a difficult time they were having locating the body. This made all of us a little nervous and saddened as we wish no one to have that fate. I can only speak for me but as I swam I was a little freaked out at times thinking about if I would swim into a body by accident and lucky for me it didn't happen cause I probably would have had a heart attack on the spot and joined him.

We got out of the water and Brad did some filming as we got out of our sausage suits and focused on the final day before the race. We have to return to the hotel after doing our final check in with Janus Charity Challenge http://www.januscharitychallenge.com/ which is the vehicle Keith & I used to raise money & Awareness for our charities. Then pack up and ride our bikes and transition bags into each area. We packed all of our transition bags the night before and of course you look in each one probably 10-15 times after you pack it to make sure you didn't forget something....it's a maddening ordeal but for those of you reading it's all part of the experience.....here is an example of some of the logistics it takes for setting up the bikes in transtition in Madison.....to get to our bikes we had to exit the water and then run up a helix to the top of a parking garage and change in the transition area (below) into our bike gear and then proceed to the top where our bikes are located (below right) Can you find my bike please?:

Next stop ....Last Supper, Video Interview with our women & us and then Race Day ....

Thanks for reading....

Ironman Lake Placid

IRONMAN LAKE PLACID IS COMPLETE! The NUTZ have done it again!

Ironman Lake Placid 2009 was an extraordinary week for Keith and I. I will try and give you the highlights and lowlights but suffice it to say we have completed the most difficult Ironman Race in North America and we did so in style as we crossed the finish together. We both agreed this was the most brutal of the Ironman races we have done up to this point in our journey. I feel we speak for many racers on that day that most left all their energy on the bike course and had no legs for the run left. Our mentor and coach Joe Turcotte gave us a great pep talk the night before and basically told us to suck it up and get it done and try to enjoy it as much as possible. I can't quote him on what he actually said as that may not be allowed on the blog. He is such a tender loving coach.

Before I go into to the race I wanted to share an important piece of what happens on these Ironmans leading up to the race. First I want to say thanks to some new supporters of the IronNutz. They are my CUZ ...(as she likes to say) Rebecca and her husband Bob and her daughter Jennifer and Jennifer's boyfriend Dominic. They are from Bangor Maine and have jumped on board with us and really shown great support to me and I want to thank them for being a part of my journey. I also want folks to know that as with my other 5 Ironman finishes I dedicate each race to someone and this race was dedicated to my kids. I love them and I am grateful they are a HUGE part of my life and I am very proud of all of them. I am a lucky man!

Also it never fails at each race we meet someone of some family that becomes a lifelong friend of the Nutz just due to the fellowship and spirit that surrounds these races. Lake Placid did not disappoint in that area either. Staying right next door to us in our motel were the Duncans, Bill & Lynn and their daughter. This was Bill's first Ironman and he rocked the Adirondacks as well. He is a stud. His wife and daughter were really cool and supported all three of us on race day by driving us down to the race in the early AM and giving us a pre-race hug to kick us off to the day. They are from Stiltsville, Ottawa Canada and they were all the nicest people you would ever want to meet. We shared our experience strength and hope as they did in return. Bill is an elite marathoner and has qualified for Boston several times. 2 days before the race they met Samantha McGlone (Pro Triathlete from Canada) who placed 3rd on race day. As Samantha was running down the finish chute she spotted Lynn and her daughter waving to her with a Canadian Flag and she ran to them and took their flag and crossed the finish waving it! What a memory. She then went into the crowd and found them to return it to them. WOW that was really cool for a 15 year old to be a part of! We also got to witness those family first moments when Bill's sister and 2 of her friends trekked down from Ottawa to surprise Bill the day before the race. They were very excited for him and were really cool as well. What a wonderful family they are!

The next story is the story of this Ironman and that is Matt Long. I won't go into detail but please check out his story at http://www.iwillfoundation.com/mattstory.html and I will tell you he finished with a little over 1 minute left at 11:58 PM. There was not a dry eye in the place. He is our HERO for this race and leads by example that nothing in this world happens without a reason and that the human spirit can overcome anything. Everything is possible! Thanks Matt for being a part of our day and our lives. He embodies what most Ironman and IronWomen are all about. All of us have a story to tell and if you take the time to really read them and listen to them they can change your life as well.

Okay to race day.......early on it appeared that the day would be very wet and that idea was not a pleasant one for me as it related to the bike. But first things first is the swim its a very racer friendly swim and with good positioning back right you can almost walk up to the start and stay out of the washing machine which is a great thing! Keith and I both posted our PR best on the Swim. Keith did an incredible 1 hour 13 minute 29 seconds and I did a 1 hour 39 minute 30 seconds.

The bike course has severe elevation gains and drops and brakes and water don't mix really well. As a matter of fact brakes and dry conditions don't mix with this race either. If you like fast 40 mph rides even with your brakes on then this race is for you. f you like 50 mph downhills with no brakes then sign up today. Me (not so much) I was the 40 mph and still scared sh%&less. And the last 30 miles are pretty much uphill Mountains as indicated by the maps below. This was where most racers had to figure a way to suck it up and get r done! Keith finished in 7 hours 32 minutes 25 seconds and I finished in 7 hours 28 minutes 29 seconds.

The run was almost as tough as the bike with some pretty significant hills to deal with after that brutal bike ride. Keith's stress fracture from a previous race was acting up on him early on and he was forced to walk fast as opposed to running. I on the other hand thanks to my PT folks at All Access Jessica and John, Dennis (Massage Therapist) and Dr Khoury (Chiropractor) had a decent day with my nagging chronic calf strain and was able to run short strides for a significant part of the race to mile 22 and passed Keith at about mile 7 and made a decision at about mile 23 to wait for him so we could cross the finish together. We have done these together and to be this close to finishing at the same time felt important to me. It's always been a message for me to share with you that we are never alone in anything we do and its even more important to recognize that without YOU I will not be able to finish what I start nor be the best I can be. We all need each other to survive and we all need each other to compliment and feel the peace and serenity we all seek.

Final Results for Lake Placid IronNutz: Keith Kober and Kevin Brown 15 Hours 48 minutes 10 seconds. The voice of Mike Reilly didn't disappoint as he saw us running down the final finisher chute together he chuckled as he spotted our IronNutz shirt of Keith and our TriNutz shirt on me and announced us as ..."Keith Kober from Berkeley California and Kevin Brown from West Boylston You Are An Ironman again"......................4 down 2 more to go......

Please help us help others buy buying our gear at www.lifeisnutz.com and learn more about us there as well.

All the best

Kevin :)

2009 New Year "Don't Give Up"

Hey everyone,

I fee inspired to share a bit on life lately as I have seen it going on with folks today. I am concerned, very concerned for the health and well being of everyone I know. I have heard folks so far into the negative more so than in many years that I have walked the earth. Many friends have been more depressed than ever and I have a message for all of you.

Most of you know my story. Not only should I be dead I probably deserved it a few times. If someone like me can rise above the despair I have experienced than I believe you all can too. I know that Life is Nutz for everyone right now. Heck I even own a company with that name. But I want to tell you a very simple message and here it is:

Life is nutz.........................Don't Give Up............................Keep on Giving..................

I can tell you that I have been through a living hell and these times are not it. We, as individuals and together need to stand up and not feed into the negative messsages swriling around us and align oursleves with the most positive energitic people we know and help those that need an extra boost of positive energy.

Please Don't Give Up.....................please stand with me and help those around you.

Have an awesome day!

Kevin ;)