Another Trip to Tempe

Congratulations to the 6 time IRONMAN!

LA Tri 2011:

Reed came to join in the triathlon fun. Kevin had a hard time not letting Reed beat him!

LB Tri 2011

Another strong finish for this studly father and son!

California Half-Ironman

Racing in Carlsbad-

First time in penalty box (not deserved)

Finished in 5hrs 5 minutes with 8 minute penalty

IM Arizona 2010

We made another trip to Arizona to stay with the Johnsons in their very comfortable home! While we were there Kevin did another Ironman.
I was hoping the rainbow would be a sign that all Kevin's Ironman dreams would come true. But rainy, windy weather did not make ideal Ironman conditions.

Kevin still rocked the race, but not as fast as he had hoped.

He placed 21st in his age group which is his highest finish to date.

And he was still able to smile after swimming 2.1 miles, cycling 114 miles and running 26.2 miles in under 10 1/2 hours.We were all super proud of our Ironman!

And Rachel wins the loyal fan award! She has been there to cheer Kevin across the finish line in all five of his Ironman races!

Of course we made a few trips to US Egg during our time in Tempe to have our favorite protein pancakes!

Long Beach Tri 2010

Wyatt smiled his way thru his first triathlon - the 2010 Long Beach Tri. He was all smiles when he came out of the 1/2 mile swim. I was worried he'd have hypothermia - but he just had smiles! As he ran up the sand past the announcer's booth the MC announced, "here comes one of our youngest competitors" and Wyatt smiled and waved to the crowd. On the bike it was more smiles - all 11 miles! Everyone I saw at the race kept telling me, "I saw Wyatt on the bike - he had a huge smile on his face!"
And for the 3 mile run Wyatt smiled and talked! Kevin started running with him, but left because Wyatt would not stop talking. Then the Dad of one of Wyatt's friends caught up to him and he also said Wyatt would not stop talking. The race seemed too easy for Wyatt Wyatt was all smiles at the finish as he raced this guy down the chute!

And he was still smiling after the race! Wyatt had a great race. At 11 he was the youngest in the race and he beat lots of kids older than him and tons of adults. So proud of smiley Wyatt! Even though this post has been all about Wyatt - you know Kevin was there and rocked the Long Beach Tri! He raced Elite and took 5th place overall!

And in case you were wondering, the sun no longer shines in Long Beach. It has been June gloom for the last four months!

Zions

3x IRONMAN!

The course was tough. Serious climbs on the bike and run. Lots of comments that IM St. George is tougher than Kona. Hardly anyone had crossed the finish line by the elusive 10 hour mark. But Kevin had another strong finish in Ironman St. George. Out of 2100 people to register, 220 did not show up, 246 did not finish the course and 1634 finished. Kevin placed 140th overall and 29th in his age group. 140.3 miles of torture in 11 hours 18 minutes. AMAZING!

The Competitors

The Swim

The Bike

The Run

The Cheering Squad

The Ironman was spoiled to have the entire Seamons Clan plus Papa and Michelle cheering him on thru the entire race and greeting him at the finish line!

Ironman

Kevin Hess - You Rock!

Great 2.4 mile swim,

Stellar 112 mile bike,

Solid 26.2 mile run.

We love our Ironman!

Congrats to a super studly daddy! We are proud of you.

IRONMAN ARIZONA

We are off to Arizona to watch Kevin swim 2.1 miles, bike 112 miles, and run 26.2 miles!

Good luck Kevin - may all your triathlon dreams come true!

Podium Bling

Why yes, that is a gold medal around Kevin's neck!

Great job at the LA Triathlon!

Elite

This weekend Kevin raced for the first time in the Elite division at the 2009 Long Beach Triathlon. He placed 6th out of 951 participants and second in the Elite division. He also raced with Ironman World Champion Chris McCormick (pictured top right). Kevin's buddy Mark Bixby also dominated in the race coming in 11th overall!

And He's Off . . . Again

Goodluck Kevin!

(too bad Wyatt has a piano performance, Shelby has her last preschool Open House, Kelly has a baseball game, and Wyatt has a chess tournament - so your support crew will be missing - sorry!)

SF - LB Tortuga Tour 500

(photography & commentary by Mark Bixby)

21 Freds, 4 days, 500 miles. Pain, suffering & friendship!

Martin & Brian load the truck. The boys JetBlue and BART to the Phoenix in SF. Pete drives the Howard CDM mobile north, arriving within 5 minutes of our arrival the Phoenix. Cocktails at Phoenix (Thanks Steve, Pam, Chip), great food. Bed time.

DAY 1: San Francisco to Carmel

Ready the bikes, pray. 19 riders leave the Phoenix for a cool cruise through Golden Gate Park to Ocean Highway. Flat 1, 2, 3... The weather is perfect, thread the needle on storms through northern California. The hills start to test the riders. How many miles to Carmel Martin? You're sure it's 89 Ryan? When is lunch??? It's 132 miles! lunch at 2:50, Bixby bonks, refueled at Burger King. Carmel Mission Inn is sweet and so are cold drinks. DAY 2: Carmel to San Luis Obispo
Big Breakfast. Get ready for scenery, Big Sur here we come for 75 miles of winding hills. Perfect weather day 2. Tim pukes (and other things). The entire crew makes it to the aptly named Ragged Point. Keith nurses a sore calf and prays to Mecca. Another 132 mile day with 8,000 plus feet of climbing. We arrive for a welcome Jacuzzi overlooking SLO at the Madonna Inn. Then to the bar and a large meal, a little dancing with the blue hairs, and crash for the night. Happy Birthday Martin!
Day 3: San Luis Obispo to Ventura
The 140 mile odyssey of day 3 begins. Al and Laura join the crew. 21 freds now. Time trialing 101 with Martin and Brian to Gualoupe. Fixie showing his stuff (but he's 21). Gil "the Old Man" is 63 (3X Fixie) and nearly bulletproof. Evan bows out with knee problems. Joel toughs out Achilles heel problems. Everyone else is sore and tired and charging hard. Two big hills, one to get into Lompoc and another 12 mile test to get back out to the coast. After 120 miles to Goleta at a healthy pace, Brian and Martin time trial pull two trains to Ventura, averaging 25 to 30 mph the entire stretch. Riders on the rivet, tapped out, toast, hanging on by their eyelids. Everyone arrives safe, happy, relieved, to the Clock Tower Inn. Jacuzzi doesn't work, so off to Rookees for food. And Martin's birthday, again...
DAY 4: Ventura to Long Beach
The finale, 95 miles to home-sweet-home. Just to make sure no one's asleep at the switch, Brian lays down another killer pull from Malibu to Santa Monica at 23 to 28 mph. Tim snaps in Santa Monica, but the referees call it, no cage fighting this trip. A last meal at La Salsa in Redondo before a final climb across Palos Verdes and a smooth cruise home on PCH to Autrey's. Everyone safe, no crashes, despite a few close calls with Al and Laura this am. Great ride, strong leadership. New appreciation of the body's ability to handle suffering. Thanks Turtle and Martin. I think. I'm hungry...

Estimated totals for LB Freddies:
499 miles
26:55 saddle time
18.5 mph average
20,706 ft of ascent
25,000 ish calories burned