Since there isn't a race report for Ironman USA on here I decided to recount my day in the sun for all of you who care to read.

July 2003-Dateline Woodstock GA, Man sits in front of his computer mouse in hand preparing to commit to a monumental undertaking called the Ironman.

July 2004-After waiting and dreaming for a whole year the day is finally here. Race morning breaks over Mirror Lake in the middle of beautiful Lake Placid, NY. It is cool, no its cold, 47 degrees on race morning (mind you I am from Georgia which in July is only a few degrees cooler than the Sun) and I am thinking this jump into the water and swim might not be the smartest thing that I have ever done. Finally I decide well I'm here and I did pay $400 for this so I had better get my butt in a wetsuit and over to the beach. At the beach a nice surprise, water temp is 70 degrees so it feels like a bathtub. I do a few warm up strokes and then go over to the area where everyone is congregating in the water. Finally 7am and the cannon goes off! Here we go! Mirror Lake has to be the most beautiful body of water that I have ever had the opportunity to swim. Lap one of the swim and its like a school of salmon swimming up stream. Luckly I find a relatively open area in which to swim. Unfortunately I am not so lucky for Lap 2, but hey I am from the south and you know what they say "Rubbin's Racing" (that is a NASCAR term for some of our geographically challenged readers). Ok, out of the water and we have to run 3 blocks through town to the Transition area. Man is it cold!! Being wet and it being cold do not mix. T1- Not my fastest by far but I don't want to take any chances on the bike. Bike Lap 1- Arm warmers and Knee warmers are the order of the day. The scenery here is worth the entry fee, this has to be one of the most gorgeous places on Earth. I feel great here on the bike but I am careful as there are 111 more miles to go now. Some rollers at the start of the bike course but nothing too bad. The townsfolk and volunteers are AWESOME!! People line the streets out of town cheering everyone loudly. Pretty soon we are past the ski jumps (man you HAVE to have a screw loose to go off of one of those!) and its just the racers with the occasional spectator on the side of the road. Very peaceful and serene here. Finally after about 7 miles we come to Keene Hill, ask anyone who has done this race and they will tell you this hill is fun to descend. I hit 57mph before I chicken out and feather my brakes. You literally coast 4 miles or more off of this hill. The rest of the bike is uneventful with the exception of the incredible people in each of the small towns we pass through cheering us like we were riding the Tour. There is one part of the bike that I have to complain about...In order to get the desired distance there is an out and back of about 7 miles each way on this road that seems like it will NEVER end. However the townsfolk at the turn around have their little hamlet decorated like its Christmas (and for awhile it felt like it was...did I mention it was cold?) and they had Christmas music blasting from these huge speakers. That made the out and back bearable. Coming back into town it is a 10k gradual climb into Lake Placid, this kind of hurts the first lap and really really sucks the second one!! Once again though the scenery more than makes up for the pain that we are all going through, waterfalls and a nice mountain stream that follows the route. Lap 2 of the bike was more of the same with one exception. For some reason I stopped eating about mile 70 or so (bad move) and at mile 106 (last rest stop before T2) I almost bonk. Luckily I gave up caffeine for 6 weeks prior to the race so a Coke and orange slices snap me back to reality. T2-Again a slow affair, not wanting to forget anything I will need. Run Lap 1- Exiting the transition area I see my family for the first time. My wife has a poster made for me that says BRRR! (translation Go DaDa!) This is my one year old daughters favorite word at the time and it gives me a lift as I set out on the last part of my journey. About half way through the first lap I hook up with a guy that I traded spots with during the bike and we decide to run together. This guy is a major comedian and makes the run alot less painful. We cheer for people we don't know (and some we do) discuss the lack of intellegence it must take to go off of those ski jump things ( I am glad someone else shares my opinion). Each aid station on the run has a theme, Mardi Gras, the Beach etc. The volunteers are great!!! Chicken broth is the nectar of the Gods!! I highly recommend the chicken broth, helps to keep you sane. Lap 2 of the run was a little tougher but we know that we are close. Had a bag of Gummy Bears in my special needs bag so we share Gummy Bears with our fellow runners and finally end up giving them to some kids on the route. I am sure their parents really appreciated that!! Rounding the last turn around and I am alone, my run buddy has decided to stop and talk to his parents. I can hear the finish line as I am only 2 miles or so from the speed skating oval. Suddenly a wave of emotion comes over me...in a few mintues I am going to cross that finish line that I have been dreaming about for years. How will I act? Will I cry? Cheer? Jump up and down? I am not sure to tell the truth. As I enter the oval and see and hear the thousands of people going NUTS I see my wife and in-laws standing there with my daughter. I run over and snatch her out of my wifes arms and jog around the oval like I have just won a gold medal at the Olympics. Could I be happier if it was the Olympics? I don't think so. I hear Mike Riley's voice booming over the PA...Brett Daniels YOU ARE AN IRONMAN! Crossing the finish line holding my little girl is the 3rd most powerful moment in my life (after her birth and our wedding {that's just in case my wife reads this....it was actually more powerful} ) Wow what a day....not the fastest by far but that wasn't the goal...the goal was to finish. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Now its time for some food and a massage. Finisher medal around my neck I could have died a happy man (luckly I didn't...I would really like to do more of these). The end of a long day a happy day!

The End
Stay tuned for more race reports!!!