It's official. Rianman has signed up for Ironman Kansas 70.3 in Lawrence on June 14. It'll be his big race this year as his ultimate goal is to get faster on the bike so I think a few centuries (100-mile rides) are in the plans.
This is the start of Rianman's fourth season in endurance sports. It seems a long way from March 2006 when he did a super sprint on a Specialized Hard Rock hybrid. Heck he even had a beard! Who knew that a 15-year old hybrid would be the start of his quest to being an Ironman and a Specialized fan with both a TT and a road bike.
This fourth season brings another big change...he is "aging up". For age-groupers, those amateurs like Rianman who compete within 5 year age ranges, your 'age' for the current season is what you will be at the end of the year. Rianman will be 39 most of the season, but by USAT rules, he will race as 40 and so is now in the 40-44 group. In some ways it is a good thing because the 35-39 group is pretty competitive and there are a lot of triathletes in the group. Now he'll be young in his age group...that's gotta help right? And maybe some people in their 40s will drop out...this could bode well for his standings.
For me as trisupporter, my work has already begun. I did the actual signing up for IMKS 70.3 and even for his KC Multisport spin class. This is just the beginning. In the coming months, there will be more events to sign him up for, restocking the supplements, dropping off the bike for repairs, picking up supplies, etc. Can't wait ;-)
Ding, ding.
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