In '94 it was volunteering with a leg brace on.

'95 was fun racing with my "fab 5" training buddies, Clint, Shawn, JD, & Doug, and all of us trying unsuccessfully to break 5 hrs.

In '97 I remember watching my friend John Dougery race head to head with World Champion, Paula Newby Frasier.

In '98 I remember God stopping me from throwing my bike in a ditch on a frustrating training ride and telling me it's all about perseverance, not results.. and then remarkably giving me my fastest Wildflower race ever.

In '99 I remember the pinched nerve miraculously healed 4hrs before the race... and friends David Ridder, Dale Jackson, and John Dougery having the fastest races of their lives.

And in 2000 I'll remember the joy and happiness I felt at 8-1/2 miles in the run... the hottest, driest section....where for the first time ever I passed an aid station without getting water... where, in an earlier training run, I held out my arms because I suddenly felt God's presence.... and, ironically, where 7 years earlier I held out my arms in fatigue to hug that tree.

Saturday morning I dressed in winter clothes over my race suit and exited my tent to once again embrace the morning chill and ride my bike down to the lake. After some oatmeal, vitamins and a banana, I rode first to Beach Hill to say a prayer as the sun came up over the water. I cruised through the campgrounds of the groggy volunteers and finally greeted the 1200 other athletes as we all prepared our transition areas. The first triathlon of the season. So many familiar faces...wheeling along so many pretty & expensive bikes. I get body marked (#717), run a mile, eat a PowerBar, visit the bathroom one last time, apply sunscreen, lube, Chapstick, my wetsuit, and head down to the water start...very early. David is watching this year and comments, "Troy, so early? What happened to the usual 'jump in at the last minute'" I'm calm, like Paula Newby Frasier when she won Ironman her last time. I swim about 250yds, go to my wave (#5), and await the start.

2 rows back, far left, I have a good start and the first buoy comes quickly. I draft behind a group of 4. Everyone is veering right but I try to continue straight even though not much draft. It's tricky swimming around the slower swimmers in the wave ahead. I see a boat but can't believe we're already at the turn. I never thought 1.2mi would go by so fast. On the return trip I swim completely alone. Everyone seems to be veering left now but I aim for the final turn buoy. I finally find someone to work with, we exchange pulls and then sprint the last 200yds. I get out in 28:30 (same as last year). My wetsuit comes off fast, I roll it up and sprint up the stairs to my bike.

In less than 2 min I'm on my new bike and feeling invigorated. I see some friends cheering. There's many around me going up the steep Beach Hill. I see Michelle Deasy, in the pro division, walking her bike already. "My wheel burst" she says. I feel bad for her but her attitude seems great. Continuing through the hills I notice a strong Colorado University cyclist passing me easily on the uphills while I catch him on the flats. I think of the advice I give friends that it's better to go easy up the hills and go hard on the descents and flats. We swap names and joke a little every time we pass each other. But after 5 good hills I don't see him anymore. After the race he told me that he was surprised to have bonked 40mi into the race. I waited till afterwards to tell him my secret of taking the hills easy. Hey, I didn't learn it myself until my 3rd try.

At 20mi I'm 1min behind my '98 P.R. pace. I eat a Cliff Bar and ready for the section I call the "5 rollers". Besides passing the guy that offered no help when I broke my elbow in a race in '95, I had the road to myself. Where was everybody? Last year it was crowded during this part. At 25mi I jockeyed back and forth with another strong rider. He tells me, "There's a fast guy in a white singlet up ahead in our age group". I push ahead. It's a beautiful day in the "backstretch". At 30mi I'm averaging over 21mph but not as fast as '98. Going through the canyon at 35mi feels exceptionally good. The aid station volunteers are really excited. At 40mi I finally close in on the "white singlet" guy as we ascend "Nasty Hill". I'm unaware that friend, John Dougery, is now only 50yds behind me. My new bike has a smaller gear ratio and I have to stand a lot more on this hill. Soon I'm racing down the backside at 52mph. I'm really determined to break 2:40 for the bike so I push extra hard these last 10mi, even though it might negatively effect the run. I drank 2 bottles of Cytomax, 1 bottle of Perform, and 2 bottles of water during the bike. Flying down "Lynch Hill", I stretch my calves and drink my last fluids and finish happily with a 2:38:32 split.

With a quick 1:15 transition, I'm into my favorite part. I see many friends cheering me into the run, including some of the "First-timers" that our STARS team had coached for tomorrow's race. Yesterday, when Todd asked me how I felt going into this race, I said my legs felt really light and bouncy and that the run was going to be the best part. This was amazing because I had chronic Achilles tendonitis for year without any improvement up until 3 months ago. That's when I met my girlfriend :), Cheryl, on a blind date, and we went running in the freezing rain. I had been seeing a doctor, chiropractor, physical therapist, and many massage therapists but Cheryl pointed out a problem with my foot and suggested a technique and new insoles and ever since I improved steadily!

My first mile is 6:49. The youngest athlete in the race, a 19 year old, goes flying by and David yells at me to run my own race. So I don't try to stay with him. We hit the trails at 3mi and it feels so good to be running smoothly along this awesome course. At 4mi I'm averaging 6:50 pace and I've passed the 19 year old. Mile 5 has 2 steep sections that always cause some muscle or tendon to blow up. This time I get through fine! At 6mi I eat my 2nd GU and start picking off other runners. My heart rate is up to 165bpm but I make sure to keep it below 170. I see a woman pro up ahead. She looks like the predicted winner, Melissa Spooner. I push hard until I'm right behind her and ask, "How's your race going, Melissa?" She says, "I'm not Melissa, but..pretty good" I realize the women pros started 10min earlier so the leaders must be way ahead. At 7mi I'm feeling incredible! Lot's of energy and no pain. I see Nicole, her fiancé, and her family and they cheer loudly. I'm smiling, running 6:30 miles, and feeling terrific. I love each section: over the top of Redondo Vista Campground, through the Team in Training camp, around the hill at mile 8, and even through the dusty "Overflow Camping" area at 8-1/2 miles. I waved off the water offered at the aid station and the volunteer looked shocked. Then it sunk in... one of the hardest parts now feels like the easiest.

At 9mi I see Kevin Kennedy up ahead and know that something is not perfect. He says "You know how some days you got it and some days you don't? Well, today I don't". I also see the lead woman, Jean Anne Krisman, from Arizona, who we got to train with on a STARS LSA Training Weekend. And Paula, Lauren Trent, and Melissa Spooner chasing her. I fly down to the 10mi turn-around with a 5:39 mile, take more GU and water and charge back up the hill. I see John Dougery, Scott Withoff, and many others on this out-and-back section. I climb the hill with a 7:04 mile, passing 2 more guys. I run 6:47 across the top to mile 12 and then someone says "Scott Tinley is right in front of you!". Scott Tinley, the legend! I fly down the final steep mile in 5:05 but I never see Scott Tinley... must have been exaggerated.

My 1:27 run was my fastest ever, making it possible to reach my goal of sub 4:40. I couldn't be more happy with a 4:38:30 finish. I had to say a quick prayer as God has really blessed me and let me have a lot of fun today! It was shocking to learn I was 2nd place in the 30-34 division! I've never placed before at Wildflower. It was cool to get a plaque. Wildflower was not an Ironman Qualifier this year so there were no slots to give out.

It was great to see many friends out there "persevering" through the race together. And I'm praying for those that were injured and couldn't finish the race. I will try to qualify for Ironman by doing Keahou-Kona Triathlon May 28th, Buffalo Springs Lake Triathlon, June 25th, and Vineman Half Ironman, July 9th. In '96 I had a goal to go to Ironman in '96, '98, and 2000. 2 months ago I wasn't sure it was the right thing to continue doing. But during a solo training day March 18th, God told me to "try" and to continue writing race stories. He didn't say I would reach Hawaii or even do well at races, but just that I should try and to encourage others to persevere with faith that God rewards.

God Bless,