p.1 #1 · Ironman Texas, this was son Rob's first Ironman Tri
Hey gang,
I just shot the Ironman Texas competition in The Woodlands, TX where our son Rob became a first time IRONMAN! What a day, in 94 degrees and almost 70% humidity, it was a challenge for everyone.
p.1 #5 · Ironman Texas, this was son Rob's first Ironman Tri
Thanks gang!
I've shot over 50 different multi-sport events over the last 8 years, and this was the toughest one of them all. I'm glad I wasn't working it because it was brutal environmentally. I was walking around taking shots all day, and lost 3 pounds! 2,430 competitors and just under 2,100 completed it too. Our son is committed to another Ironman event, with his fiancee who will be his wife then, Ironman New Zealand! I probably won't be there for that event though. Oh well.
p.1 #8 · Ironman Texas, this was son Rob's first Ironman Tri
Corngrats from Iowa, is he flexing in all the shots or just the last one? Great colors and perspectives... your experience as does his shines through these!
p.1 #9 · Ironman Texas, this was son Rob's first Ironman Tri
Paul, Frank, Chad, thank you very much. To say this was a labor of love is putting it lightly. This young man got me back into photography after he was born, and so did his sister. These events have so much going on, and with some good scenery that I find it hard not to get great shots. I probably have another 40 or so I'm happy with that I transmitted to his triathlon club. No worries about taking business away from finisherpics, everyone already bought their event package too.
p.1 #10 · Ironman Texas, this was son Rob's first Ironman Tri
Nice set from top to bottom. Was great talking to the proud papa during the lulls in the race! I'm so glad you got to attend this, I could hear your chest swelling from 1,100 miles away!
I figured out why I like the bike shot so... he's actually looking right at you....
p.1 #11 · Ironman Texas, this was son Rob's first Ironman Tri
Congrats from an Ironman Texas 2011 finisher! An outstanding finish on a truly brutal day. The DNF rate was around 18% vs 11% last year. I noticed on the bike they were coming in a LOT slower in general vs last year.
I think I'm in #6. I was sitting on the wall at the water's edge.
Great photos! Really good vantage points. I see you were on a boat. I tried to get up on the bridge for the start (#3) but got up a little late (day 12 of being horribly sick) so I shot from the island on the extreme right edge of the frame.
Please tell your son congratulations. That is a great finishing time, especially in those conditions. Average finish time was down 18 minutes from last year.
I'll have to see if I have any shots of him. I didn't take a lot this year (and not up to my usual standards) due to being so sick. I like to shoot in the canal because you are able to get right on top of the swimmers. A friend saw me and called my name so I ran ahead to get some great shots as he hammed it up 2.3 miles into the swim!
p.1 #12 · Ironman Texas, this was son Rob's first Ironman Tri
Sorry, no shots of Rob.
Oh, and one heartbreaking story....
I was catching at the finish line from 9:30 to midnight (cut-off time). Sometime around an hour to go a man had a seizure suffered from dangerously low sodium levels in sight of the finish line (about 30m). All that way and all that time and so close. Nothing is a given in an Ironman. Every inch, ever medal is earned.
The man who collapsed was released from the hospital yesterday and is going to be OK. He did require head stitches from the fall, but as I said, he'll be OK thank God.
I haven't had time to sort my photos. I'll probably put them up over the weekend.
p.1 #13 · Ironman Texas, this was son Rob's first Ironman Tri
Wow Geo that's one heck of a story. It's good to know that the guy has been released and will be OK. Good to know you were a catcher too, my future daughter-in-law was happy to be a catcher for our son, and for quite a few others, and she's an Olympic distance triathlete too. That's good work to do. She said in the three hours she worked that she had 12 finishers throw up on her! UGH! It's amazing how they can get to the finish, and then inside of one minute fall to pieces. Personally I saw half a dozen people blowing after the finish, and so I'm glad I wasn't a photog on this event, whew. I hope you're feeling better too. We didn't last to midnight because our son was almost lights out at 11pm and had to head back for bed. After having seen the Hawaii Ironman broadcast dozens of times, I can only imagine how amazing that is in person. I've seen that race in person once until almost sunset, and that was the hottest race I've ever seen, Saturday was a close 2nd.
The bike times were down a bit this year due to the heat and also the wind on the bike course, and of course the conditions of 94 sunny degrees and 70% humidity. Run times suffered for similar reasons, except the wind was almost non existent near the water and finish line. I drank 8 bottles of water, 4 20+ oz iced tea, a few glasses of water, and didn't really have to use the bathroom until 9pm.
The group sitting on the water side were the JCS club, so if you know any of them they've been tagged on FB already. BTW, I wasn't on a boat, I was on the waters edge of the finish, where I got my calves cut up pretty good due to the scrub brush, I'm not used to that kind of stuff here in the midwest.
? Great colors and perspectives... your experience as does his shines through these!