140.6 in 11:26:05

It's official, Jerry is an IRONMAN! The experience for him and for his support team was awesome. The venue, the weather, the shirts, the crowds, everything was perfect. Taking four kids to watch a 12 hour event is a sport in and of itself. I didn't get many pictures, but I know that Sherry and my mom and maybe Joyce did get some.

We did a lot of waiting. My cousin Bob was our stat guy and would calculate when he thought Jerry would be making to where we were on the bike and run courses and he did a great job. My dad cheered so loud, in true Blanchard fashion, for a guy that he thought was Jerry but wasn't. I think the Wisconsin cows were running for cover.


These are the shirts that Alyssa designed for me. They turned out great. The kids' shirts all said Dad, and everyone else's said Jerry. LOTS of people enjoyed the shirts and LOTS of people cheered for Jerry as a result. One guy with a megaphone was yelling "Go, Jerry!" as he walked down the street.





Jerry and Owen in the transition staging area on Saturday. The athletes had all their gear in bags for each of the transitions.












Future Ironwomen? Taylor and Lydia modeled the super aerodynamic helmets that most of the pros wear.



















Swim to Bike transition area. This is only half of the bikes. Jerry's bike on the rack. I took pictures of him getting on his bike, but they're on Sherry's camera.




























2.4 mile swim Jerry's time 1:06

The first picture was taken from the top of the Monona Terrace. In the distance you can see the line of swimmers (2,206 of them) before the start. The second picture captures some of the mayhem involved in swimming 2.4 miles with 2,206 other people. Jerry mentioned being clawed, kicked, groped, slapped, and getting his goggles ripped off twice.

112 mile bike Jerry's time 5:47

This course was a doozy with lots of challenging hills. We were in the town of Verona. There was a festival and tons of people there to cheer on the athletes. My parents, Bob and Pat got there around 10 and saw Jerry complete his first lap of the course. Owen napped at the hotel with Grandma while I took the kids to the pool for break in the action. Then we joined the rest of the crew in Verona and cheered Jerry as he completed his second lap and headed back into Madison to begin the marathon. Jerry saw lots of crazy and enthusiastic fans on the course. His favorite was two guys in speedos and superman capes cheering at an obscure intersection.






















































26.2 mile run Jerry's time 4:20





We staked out a spot to watch the run outside Camp Randall, the U of Wisconsin Badgers football stadium. The route actually took the runners inside to complete a lap around the field. As Jerry was exiting the first time, a guy came in and said to the volunteer on the course, "I'm about to defame this place... GO HAWKS!"

I chased after Jerry for this first picture and was rewarded with a big sweaty kiss. (about mile 3)


He was looking better at mile 10. Between mile 3 and 10 we had some time to kill. Lydia had to go to the bathroom so bad it was about to come out her ears, for the second time that day. So, Mom and Dad and Pat, Lydia, Gaby and Owen and I were going to walk about a block for food and bathrooms. Well, that one block turned into about 20. But we got food, Owen got a nap and Lydia got a potty.




What else did we do to pass the time? It actually is A LOT of fun just cheering for everyone. It's amazing. Taylor struck up a conversation with a dog walker lady and chatted with her about anything and everything for at least 45 minutes. Owen ate anything he could find, edible or not. Lydia wandered and Gaby, well, Gaby picked rose petals off the bushes in the median and stuck them between her toes. This kept her entertained for a good hour. She had been SOOOO delightful up until this point that I was happy that she was quiet and engrossed even if she was defacing public property.






































































#638 is Jerry at mile 16












Welcome Home Ironman!

I'll post more pictures as I get them.