IM Kona '15 - Thank you and race coverage

Karel and I would like to send a big THANK YOU to everyone who has supported us here in Kona (and over the past 13 months since we qualified) through your kind words, comments, emails, texts and calls.

This dream-come-true was more than a year in the making so it has been very special to be able to share this journey to the IM World Championship start line together as husband and wife. 

I am not sure how many times we will cross paths on race day and see each other but I already know that it will be very emotional to be on the course together. I am already excited to meet up with Karel after we each cross the finish line and share our war stories to one another and then bring in the final hour of finishers together. 

Over the past 10 days, I have used social media as a way for Karel and I to have memories for post race but I am so happy that so many of you have enjoyed following along during our race-cation.

It brings me great joy to share our behind the scene moments with you as we gear-up for the biggest triathlon race of our life.

I want to send a big thank you to my mom, family and close friends who provide Karel and I with unconditional support when it comes to our training and racing.
This will be my first IM World Championship (and third Ironman) without my dad but I know he would be so proud that I am here and even more proud of Karel who went from cyclist turned triathlete to IM World Championship qualified athlete. 

We miss you dad. We hope you enjoy the race with the best seat in the house. 

My first Kona in 2007 - what a special moment when my dad was body marking me before the race. 

My second Kona in 2011 - Karel, my dad and my mom were on the sidelines cheering me on.
My parents loved volunteering at the race. 

Although Campy can't read, I hope he knows how much we love him and how he makes our days 100x's better. Every morning is more fun with Campy as every day is not just another day - to Campy, every day is a new day for exploring, loving, playing and sharing lots of furry love. We just love Campy's love for life and his ability to make every day a lottery-winning day. 

We want to send a HUGE thank you to the 2015 Trimarni sponsors who have supported us in so man ways. Thank you, thank you, thank you for believing in us, supporting us and for being there for us!

And last but certainly not least - to the Trimarni coaching team, to all of my nutrition athletes, to all of the athletes who have received a RETUL fit from Karel, to our Jacksonville "family" and to our Greenville "family"......and to all of our Trimarni followers and fans. 

Thank you.
We realize that there are many blogs, social media outlets, professionals and other athletes that you could be following, believing in, trusting and supporting and we thank you for bringing us and Trimarni into your daily life and into your lifestyle. 

Tomorrow will be a challenging day. 

No Ironman is easy but racing on the big island of Kona brings a certain level of difficulty that is not felt in any other Ironman race.

The best of the best endurance triathletes are all racing at the same race venue together, on the same race course for the past 37-years but always with unpredictable weather conditions. 

We will be faced with waves in the ocean, wind on the bike and heat on the run.
As you track us and many other athletes out there on race day, always keep in mind that we are bringing a certain level of fitness to the race but in order to get to the finish line, we must all respect the island.

There will be times when we are faced with an obstacle which may require us to slow down and maybe even stop. But we will not give up.
We are bringing a smart mindset to the race, not excuses.

As you follow our journey as we swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles, we will be experience great moments but also very dark, lonely and low moments.

It is in the low moments that we will channel your energy.  Remember, a great race is the ability to finish what you started. Quitting is not an option.
That the best race result is told by the athlete - not by times on a piece of paper (or online). 

We are not out to chase a time goal tomorrow but instead, our goal is to execute the best we can, with the conditions that we are given, all while focusing on how we can keep our body in the best health possible throughout the day. And with all that in mind, we can then focus on getting to the finish line in the "fastest" time possible.

Also - I didn't talk about this much but Karel suffered from a partial tear in his plantar fascia in early June. It is a very slow healing injury. Thanks to a fantastic PT (Kent - Proaxis therapy), Karel was able to get in some run training but it was certainly limited. But on the bright side - he had huge improvements with his swimming. There are still some limiters with his running so we just want to let you know that if you track Karel and he is walking or if you see paces/times that are slower than normal for Karel, he is going to do what he can to finish the race in the safest way possible.
Despite this setback, Karel has really enjoyed his time here in Kona for his first (but hopefully not last) World Championship.
But then again - he may be running off endorphins and may have an amazing race!

To follow us on race day (and any other athletes/professionals): 

CLICK HERE - to access Ironman live for tracking.
Marni bib number - 2129 (30-34 AG)
Karel bib number - 1739 (35-39 AG)

CLICK HERE - for LIVE footage of the race
(any problems - you can post on the Trimarni facebook page and it's likely that another Trimarni follower will be able to help you out) 

Race day live coverage start time: 6:00 a.m.(Hawaiian time) - 12pm EST

Pro men race start time: Saturday, 6:25 a.m.
Pro women race start time: Saturday, 6:30 a.m
Age group men: 6:55 am (Karel)
Age group women: 7:10 am (Marni)