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Source: Chris Lieto
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October 18th exactly 4 weeks after my first Baby boy was born. 6:40am and getting ready to get in the clear beautiful water of Kona, Hawaii. Reflecting on the year we have had. Great things have happened. Great season of racing and lots of media coverage during those races, which I think have done great things for my sponsors as well as my career. One last race and the biggest one of the year. After racing for a couple years now I have learned to be more relaxed in preparing for the day of any race. I was excited and calm leading into this race. Feeling more prepare! d than before and ready to conquer what ever the day was going to bring. The previous 2 years at this race were plagued with injury or mechanical problems. This year I was praying for a smooth day.

Excited, relaxed, and confident I dove in the waters of the bay to warm up for the race. Feeling a peace around me I prepared for the day and lined up for the swim start.

7am the canon fires and off we go. The 2.4 mile swim was a calmer swim than normal but still at a fast pace. Exiting the water with a group of others just seconds behind 4-6 athletes in the front and off on the bike. The weather was calm and sunny which would anticipate for a fast but warm bike segment.

112 miles up to Hawi and back. There was a group of 10 or so of us that rode together for the majority of the ride. It did turn out to be a warm ride and it was a good pace. Coming into the run transition I was second off the bike and took my time in transition to prepare myself for a solid run.

Off onto the run at a steady pace. 6:30 pace per mile every mile for the first 14 miles. I felt very comfortable and confident in the pace I was running and felt like I would not have a problem running this pace for the whole marathon. At this pace I knew I would finish in the top 3 or 5. At mile 15 or so I was out on the highway where it got really hot and the air was still. The heat was starting to get to me. The 90 degree plus humid weather was causing havoc on the field. This was right where last years champion Tim Deboom had to pull out of the race this year, due to heat stroke. I pushed on but needed to stop each mile at the aid stations to cool my body down. I had to dowse myself with ice water and sponges trying to get my core temperature down.It ended up helping in the long run but did slow down my overall pace. I stayed strong and finished hard trying to catch one last competitor.

Crossing the finish line in 13th place with a time of 8 hours and 39 minutes less than 5 minutes to 5th place. After crossing the line my body shut down and my legs fell apart as well as my body. I was carried away and to the Medical tent. Everything was fine after an I.V. and some cold water. I was very happy with my finish in this World event. The best in the World were here to compete and I finished 13th in the midst of the tough hot conditions of the day. I am very pleased and very excited about the things I learned racing that day and am very excited about applying them to next year and conquering that day the best I can ìat the top". Expect more!

Thank you to my wife Karis and my baby boy Kaiden for their patience and help leading up to this race. Also to my In-laws Judi and Lloyd for there help with Kaiden so I could get my rest and training in for this race. And to the rest of my family for there daily support in training and the race. I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for my family and friends.

Thanks to my sponsors for making this year a great successful year - TYR, Primal Nutrition, Giro, Oakley, GU, Litespeed, Reynolds, Polar, Continental, Penta H2O, Computrainer. With all the products helping me recover from training and prepare for race day and for the gear that carries me to those victories. I am looking forward to many more next season.

See you all at the races.
Chris Lieto

Chris Lieto
Husband, Father, Professional Triathlete

Chris is a Two-time Ironman Champion and former U.S. National Ironman Champion.  He recently won Ironman Canada and finished 18th at the World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. To learn more about Chris and his triathlon pursuits, please visit www.chrislieto.com.