Never Again Until Next Time

“A genius is the one most like himself.” – Thelonius Monk

Ironman World Championship

Kailua-Kona, HI ★ 2016.10.08

I decided to remove this post because I didn’t convey what I’d hoped and I did convey a lot of things I never intended. Instead, the right thing is what I said immediately after the race.

Still reeling from a tough day. I did what I had hoped and planned to do on the swim and bike, and I thought I set myself up for a good performance. I never felt smooth out of T2 and at 10km it was clear that this was going to be a struggle.

I poured my heart into getting back here, but six Ironman races in under a year (and seven in under 14 months) seems to have been more than I was able to handle. I do not regret it though. This is the biggest stage and the biggest opportunity in our sport. Failure is always a risk in worthwhile pursuits. I wanted to stop so many times. It was unquestionably the single worst performance of my career. But I managed, somehow, to get to the finish. And I am glad I did.

I feel like I left a part of myself out there on the Queen K. There is the inevitable question of “now what?” And to be honest I don’t know. Now is probably not the right time for making decisions. In the short term, I’m looking forward to being a husband and a father – and not an athlete – for a little while.

Thank you to everyone who followed along on my journey to get here. And who supported me before, during, and after.