Boise 70.3

three years ago boise hosted their first half ironman triathlon {1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run}.

it was a huge success.

over the past few years this race has grown in notoriety and popularity.

our neighbor pat decided to participate in the triathlon this year. lance was working as pat's crew and the rest of us went along as his cheering section.

the race started around noon at lucky peak reservoir. it was a beautiful saturday morning, probably the best weather day of the summer.

while we waited for the athletes to get ready for the swim, the kids found the best viewing spots on the beach... on top of a dinosaur.

the race started with the professionals in the water first.  pat got into the water about 20 minutes after the professionals started their swim.

 pat's heat of swimmers taking off at the start.  it is just a pile of arms and legs as they get started before they spread out.  

pat finished his swim in around 45 minutes.  he was right on track for his goal finish time.

once he came out of the water he had to head to the transition area. 

we all quickly loaded our stuff up and run up the hill to cheer him on as he started his bike ride {which would be 56 miles}

pat all geared up and ready for his ride

this was one of the most impressive things about this race.  as the swimmers came out of the water they had volunteers standing by with water, putting sunscreen on the athletes faces, necks, and backs, and there was a spot where they had volunteers helping the athletes to get their wet suits off in order to help make the transition smoother.

while pat rode his 56 miles we settled into a fun little area of boise called bowen crossing.  we had a picnic lunch, visited the candy store, and cheered on the bikers.

pat rounded the corner and his little fan club went crazy cheering him on to his final miles on the bike.

as soon as pat flew by us on his bike, we quickly loaded up and ran for the car to try and catch up at the transition to the run.

we missed pat by about 5 minutes at this transition point.  he was already off on his run.  we waited around a bit to watch and cheer other people as they came in off their bike ride.  

by this time of the day {around 4:15} this little bug was ready for a nap. she landed on her dad's back pack to rest up before we moved on to our next spot.

we left the bike to run transition and walked to find a spot to watch the runners. the run portion of the race was a loop so we knew we could catch pat two times.  on the first loop of his run he was looking strong. he was giving the kids high fives and had a big smile on his face.

here he is coming into the finish. he had about .2 miles left in the race at this point.  i think he was just ready to be done!

we met up with pat at the finish line and he looked great.  he was smiling and chatting.  i think we might have been more tired from chasing around all afternoon than he was after completing this race. i asked pat if it was harder to do the half ironman or run an ultra marathon {he's completed 2 fifty mile races}.  he assured me the ultra marathon was much harder.

pat we are so proud of you and had a great time cheering you on in your race.

we can't wait to watch you compete again next year!