IRONMAN: Late (but great) thanks

Considering that I’m writing in regard to last year’s Ironman, I suppose I’m a little late — though I think it just took me this long to thaw out. I came out to CDA mainly because the area sounded lovely, and I had heard how supportive the people were of the race. Nowhere was this made more clear to me than on CDA Lake Drive, which I began to think of as “that damn road,” since we had to traverse it endless times in the horrible weather.

Since I had been diagnosed with cancer the year before and had recently completed treatment, I was slower than I would normally be, meaning that I was on TDR into the wee hours. My first loop of the run, on a hill, there was an older woman standing at the end of her driveway, cheering all of us on in spite of the rain and cold. I thanked her and kept going. And then, on my second loop of the run, now in the pitch black night — she was still out there? Yes, still smiling and clapping. This time I stopped to thank her and tell her how awesome she was, and she told me how awesome I was, and this would have gone on forever if I didn’t have a race to finish.

Yes, CDA was everything it was billed to be, and more. And my favorite memory? That lone woman, standing out there for hours. She’s my hero.

TASHA HUEBNER

Chicago