An iron will to enjoy life

Fare thee well today, Ironfolk.

As you splash, run and bike your way to glory, we'll be doing the same. But you'll cover 140.6 brutal miles in a race against the clock. The rest of us mere mortals will just be taking our sweet time.

You'll swim your 2.4 miles in Lake Coeur d'Alene. We'll splash in our luscious lake whenever we feel like it.

You'll run a marathon. We'll run from one fun event to the next, from this neighborhood barbecue to that family gathering, all summer long.

You'll bike 112 miles. And we'll bike a bit here and there along the Centennial Trail or in the comfort of our favorite gym, because we know exercise is key to our quality of life.

But unlike you, Iron visitors, the rest of us have the whole remainder of the summer to soak in the good times. You'll go back to Los Angeles, to Cincinnati, to foreign soil and distant lands. We get to keep all this.

We applaud you iron-willed competitors and wish you great success. As always, we'll be handing you cool drinks and cheering you on with leather lungs and clanging cow bells. And when you're done, we'll gloat in your success, relishing the proof that if a person sets her or his mind to just about anything, that thing can be done.

You'll be happy. We'll be happy.

You conquered nature, which makes you a winner.

We get to live here. That, we believe, makes us champions.