Not a gambling man

If anyone followed my advice and put money on Craig Alexander at a local betting shop, don’t forget to buy me a drink next time we meet. I’m extremely pleased to see a fantastic athlete like Alexander win the Ironman in Hawaii. Here’s an excerpt from the press conference. I think it says enough about what a great athlete he is.

Some other aspects of today’s presser that told much of the story of the race:

Turns out that Craig Alexander said some encouraging words to Andy Potts as he went by him on the bike.

Of the man who had never run further than 15 miles, had never done a 100 mile bike, but still managed an eighth place finish, the ever-sportsmanlike Craig Alexander had this to say:

“I was really happy for him to get eighth,” Crowie said. “He’s definitely a danger if he ever wants to focus on this race. He’s a pretty quick learner.”

When asked why he would encourage a competitor like that, Alexander said:

“When you reach out to people in the race it takes away a bit of the pain.”

I’m also pleased that Rutger Beke has made a successful come back. Considering he had a four minute time penalty during the bike, it took an enormous amount of mental strength to keep his focus and not do the easy thing, which would be to give up. In that perspective, it reminds me of my race in Desaru where I had a very bad swim, but never gave up. The satisfaction of reaching your goals afterwards is indescribable.

Also, I’d like to congratulate Carmen for her inspiring performance in Kona. You are truly an Iron(wo)man.