On Saturday, Aug. 4, Trent and I had the pleasure of visiting Carol and Tom's home for a delicious and nutritious birthday brunch, prepared by Carol and Honor.
Not only did we enjoy strawberry scones, zucchini/chocolate chip muffins, mini egg souffles, watermelon, and chicken and egg salad sandwiches, there was also a light and flavorful orange cake with fresh strawberries and cream.
After bike riding with Jessica, it was time to cool off on the watering bucket. Carol did the sprinkling honors.
Now there's one happy camper.
On August 5, we woke at 4:00 a.m. to participate in what we expected would be an amazing and uplifting triathlon held in honor of Trent's cousin Matt Mason, a Navy SEAL whose Chinook helicopter was shot down by an RPG in Afghanistan on Aug. 6, 2011. Matt was a husband and father and an avid triathlete.
As we arrived at the lake in the cool darkness, we drove under and enormous American flag, hanging from a fully extended fire truck ladder. And we could hear the heart thumping music as we got closer to the race start.
Margaret, John, and Sharon. Pre-Race.
John's all marked up, ready to rock 'n roll.
Two-thirds of the relay team.
Andy and me -- getting ready for the swim.
Before the swim, the honor guard raised their flags and fired their guns after the a cappella group sang the national anthem. This was followed by a Chinook helicopter flyover. Right before the race start, the announcer reminded all of us that when the swim got a little rough, or the hills got too difficult during the bike portion, or when we didn't feel like we could take another step on the run, that we should listen to Matt's voice, whispering in our ear, Cowboy up.
The run from the swim to the bike transition felt pretty good. American flags were displayed throughout the route, as were words of inspiration and encouragement via posters and chalk messages on the trails.
Here's Trent's finish, as he grabs a water from my aunt Sharon. His relay team finished in an hour and 14 minutes (500 yard swim, 10 mile bike, 5K run). I finished in 1 hour, 18 minutes. Woohoo!
Check out the hot pink shirt! It was easy to find Trent's mom every time she cheered for us!
My mom and Aunt Sharon volunteered to hand out packets the Friday before the race, and they handed out water at the finish line. Pretty cool way to participate, if you ask me. :-)
David and Betty Mason (Matt's parents) handed out medals, which were made to look like dog tags. Very cool.
My parents whooped and cheered for us and all the competitors. Even the atheletes cheered for one another--during the race, after the race. It was an amazing race environment. My dad cheered so much, he lost his voice.
Andy, who did the swim portion of Trent's relay, with Aunt Margaret, who helped get John ready for the race. :-)
Matt's memorial was placed at the finish line.
Proud mama. :-)
The relay team: Trent (runner), Andy (swimmer), and John (cyclist). This was a first triathlon for Trent and John. John trained on the hills outside his home in Kearney, with Margaret's encouragement, riding up to 20 miles a day. Margaret often joined him on his rides. Inspired? I am.
Photobomb, by Andy Ellis
Mason Family photo at the finish line.
Betty and David, along with Matt's cousin Jennifer and her husband Wes, both of whom were first-time triathlon participants. My understanding is that Matt consistently encouraged people to try triathlons; he loved first-timers. Jennifer and Wes did a great job, and I'm sure Matt was smiling down on their efforts.
After a quick pit stop at McD's, we enjoyed some tasty post-race barbecue at the Wabash in Excelsior Springs, MO. Mmmm, good.
All in all, a pretty fabulous and motivating way to spend the morning of my 34th birthday. :-) The race organizers said that they're planning to open registration for next year's race pretty soon (it filled up this year!). So, all you blog readers out there, get ready. Matt would love to see some more first-timers out there ... as a relay team, or an individual participant. Let's do it!
After the race, several of us enjoyed steaks on the grill and delicious cakes from Three Women and an Oven, where Andy's girlfriend Leigh works. So good.
Andy, Leigh, Sharon, Trent, Dad, Trent's mom, and Mom :-)
Last, but not least, we have finally captured a photo of the Giraffe Tree, so named by me after I moved back to Kansas in 2010. It's just south of the Flint Hills marker on the right side of the road as you drive south on I-35 out of Emporia. There's a fallen branch that looks like a giraffe nibbling on the leaves of the rest of the tree. Look for it next time you drive down to Wichita for a visit.
