2007 June - The Iron Man Poem

Some friends told me I was mad, but I was determined.

My family promised they would come and watch

To make sure I finished in one piece

In the Ironman Race 2007, in Nice;

The big day arrived.

I swore that nothing was going to get in my way.

I must just focus on the race

And keep up a good pace;

I was up at the crack of dawn, my bags all packed.

As I made my way to the starting line

All I could see was a gaggle of people gathering on the shore, more and more.

And suddenly I was amongst them, and then there was silence;

The gun went off, the waiting was over.

I glided through the sea, hundreds of figures around me

All dressed in black, like slippery seals,

Swimming back to back;

By the time I finished the swim, the elite had gone

My first transition was smooth, but long.

And then I was off, zooming along on my bike

But I had no idea I was up for such a long hike;

The first hill appeared, then the second, then the third.

I thought they would never end.

Before I knew it I was all alone,

Was I now coming last, I asked;

Transition number two, I knew what I had to do.

Only 26.2 miles to go, I was sure to finish;

As I sped down the first mile, the crowds were still cheering,

Although at this point I was becoming short of hearing;

I crossed the finishing line to see the setting sun,

All negative thoughts left me, it had been fun.

I immediately starting planning when I could do another,

But little did I know, I was about to become a mother!

Written by Tanya Anderson (6 weeks pregnant on 20^th June 07 – Holly Anderson, born 26 February 08)