Soulful Grooves
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More Than Our Story
Becoming an IRONMAN
Table of Contents
The Promise
One week ago today was one of the most exhilarating, terrifying, exhausting, and proud moments of my life. I heard the words, “Denise Hight, you are an IRONMAN!” And thank goodness Dan took a video because I remember very little of that moment.
It was almost a year ago that Dan told me, “I want us to do a full IRONMAN together.” I remember being very emotional, overcome with excitement, adrenaline, and pure fear about what I was getting myself into, but that was completely overshadowed by my drive to do this with him.
He built out a training plan for me, one that seemed doable, fitting around my work schedule and trying to balance ‘life’ as well. Most days, it meant getting up at 4:30 am, stretching, and then either biking or running, or heading to the pool before work. We did as much of this together as we could, which was what was so motivating, but I certainly wasn’t able to commit to every training session.
Race Weekend
At 5 am on Thursday, the trip finally arrived, and I was unusually calm. We packed the Thule, loaded the bikes onto the roof, put our puppies in the car for their mini-vacation, and off we went.
When we arrived in Ottawa, we dropped everything off at our Airbnb and then headed straight to the IRONMAN Village for check-in and the athlete briefing.
Friday morning, we were up early for the practice swim at Britannia Beach, but it seemed every athlete was obsessively checking the weather because it wasn’t just going to rain on race day—it was going to pour.
Saturday was another busy day. We got up early, ran on the race course, then headed back to Britannia Beach to drop off our bikes and our bike gear bag. Next, we headed to the National Gallery of Canada to drop off our run gear bags, then home to pack special-needs bags, have an early dinner, and get some sleep right away.
Race Day
We woke up at 2:25 am. We ate, got dressed, grabbed our swim gear and special-needs bags, and headed out the door at 3:40 am. We dropped off our special-needs bags and took the short shuttle to Britannia Beach, arriving well before 5 am to give our bikes a final check. It started raining. I didn’t mind the rain on the swim; I just didn’t want it on the bike.
After a practice swim, we got in line for the start. The swim began at 6:00 am; we got into the water at 6:32 am, and it went great. I was ready to start this 180 km bike ride. The storm had seemingly broken – no rain for the first 4 hours or so of the bike, which was amazing. It was also SO inspiring that I had passed Dan on the bike twice by this point, screaming “I love you” to each other.
And then it was like someone turned on the shower, and it was torrential rain. Not a slow build, but straight from zero to hero. At this point, my focus was just to keep going, hoping this would let up, while constantly watching for puddles that hide potholes. This was also the last time Dan and I passed each other on the bike.
The bike is my weakest discipline, so the persistent rain made me anxious, but somehow it pushed me to keep digging to get off this leg of the race as fast as I could. I made the cutoff for the bike to continue to the run, and there was no better feeling than getting off that saddle and walking in my water-filled shoes to the transition tent to prepare for the run.
As the run began, it sank in that this was the last leg of the race. Knowing Dan would be waiting at the finish line, all I wanted to do was get there. It wasn’t quick by any stretch; by the time I finished the half marathon, the sun was setting, but I kept focusing on putting one foot in front of the other to push closer to the end.
When I say I made it just in time, I did. I could see the bright lights of the finish line, hear the music pumping and the crowds cheering. I ran as fast as I could down the IRONMAN red carpet, stopped briefly to ring the bell, and emerged at the end through a cloud of dry ice, threw my hands up in the air, and heard, ‘Denise Hight, you are an IRONMAN.’
I remember seeing Dan and going straight to hug him while the announcer said, ‘Denise’s husband will be giving her the finisher medal.’ I started crying. What a moment!
They say it is one of the longest, shortest days when you do an IRONMAN, and it certainly was. It was epic; I am so proud, felt so much support, and am thrilled to say I am an IRONMAN and that we did it together.
RELATED ARTICLE:
Denise's husband, More Than Our Story founder, Daniel Hight, shares his journey of accomplishing his childhood dream of becoming an IRONMAN.
Denise
Denise is the most positive person you will ever meet. She takes pleasure in sharing and giving and is selfless beyond imagination. She is also an animal lover and will never miss the opportunity to say hello to any four legged friends along her journey. Denise is also an advertising and PR wizard and will charm your socks off. In 2021 her journey began becoming an irreplaceable part of More Than Our Story.
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