This year Jeff decided to try a different Half Ironman location and Arizona was close enough and similar training conditions to be the winner! We all headed out for the long weekend and Shannon joined us last minute.
Driving with 2 kiddos, in the middle of the day while they are wide awake and one of them potty training was no easy feat. We ended up stopping at the nearest Walmart to buy a training potty since Avery decided ALL public restrooms were terrifying.
We got there the first day and settled into our hotel. The girls were bouncing off the walls with pent up energy from the car ride. The next day we walked down to check Jeff in.
We stayed right in Tempe, maybe 1/2 mile from the Ironman site and in the middle of college town. It was a great area that had a lot of restaurant options.
The next morning, I got up bright and early to walk Jeff down to the start, watch his swim and then catch him going out on his bike. The way they set up the route was really great. There were spots that you could stay at and catch your athlete 2-3 times in a short time frame.
I met Shannon back at the hotel for breakfast and to wrangle the girls down to the Ironman Village to catch Jeff at the end of his bike. Shannon got a really good video of Jeff going by. And then we caught him again as he did his turnaround.
We headed back for lunch and to put Avery down for her nap and then Kenzie and I walked down to catch Jeff at the finish line. This finish line was a lot different than Oceanside, it was pretty empty and we were able to walk right up to the finish chute and get a good shot of Jeff running in.
The weather this weekend was about 10 degrees hotter than expected and Jeff had a tough training schedule due to work, kids schedules and the never ending list of things to do. He did awesome and finished in under 7 hours!
I’m super proud of my Half Ironman…and he’s already got Oceanside 70.3 on the calendar for next year!
