Yes, that's right! Daryl finished the Ironman Syracuse 70.3! He had many spectators-Matt and Alyssa came up the night before the race, Daryl's parents met up with us on the bike and Danielle, Brian, Liam and Lily were there for the big finish!
The day started at 4am when we arrived at the park. The 2500 athletes use that time to organize their transition area. Unfortunately, it started raining (and didn't stop until the race began). Daryl tried to keep the majority of his gear in plastic bags to keep things dry.
Daryl was in the 4th wave (out of 20-something) to start. As the time got closer, he got more and more nervous, although if you ask him, I was more nervous. 
It was an amazing site to see. So many athletes and spectators waiting on the beach. The water was fairly calm, but cold-62 degrees!! The start of the swim is always dangerous-lots of arms and legs all over the place. Daryl got kicked in the mouth! In his first tri last year, the swim was the hardest for him. I was anxiously awaiting to see how he looked this time. He came out of the water (1.2 miles) in 39:02 and gave us the thumbs up! Awesome! 
It was an amazing site to see. So many athletes and spectators waiting on the beach. The water was fairly calm, but cold-62 degrees!! The start of the swim is always dangerous-lots of arms and legs all over the place. Daryl got kicked in the mouth! In his first tri last year, the swim was the hardest for him. I was anxiously awaiting to see how he looked this time. He came out of the water (1.2 miles) in 39:02 and gave us the thumbs up! Awesome! 
On to the 56 mile bike... It was a horribly foggy day. You could barely see in front of you. The first spot we went to watch him pass by we didn't see him until he called out our names as he rode right by us! I was stuffing my face with popcorn at the time! Luckily we were able to see him towards the end of his bike route as well. He gave us a wave and smile-he was doing well! He finished the bike in 3:10:05.
It was fun being a spectator and cheering on the athletes. Some looked like they could barely pedal another 10 feet while others whizzed by. Some thanked us for cheering them on and others asked for a beer! Alyssa made encouraging signs for each time we saw Daryl. They definitely got some laughs!
Onto the 13.1 mile run. It's difficult (so I hear) to transition from "bike legs" to "running legs." So the first time we saw Daryl was about mile 2ish and he was not feeling great. We stopped and saw him every few miles until about mile 9. Although he was hurting, he was still in good spirits squirting us with his water bottle as he went by. The car traffic and parking was hectic so by the time we got to the finish, it was only minutes before D came running by. It was an awesome experience...the finishers were running through a crowd of people lining the streets for the last mile. How exciting! His fastest pace was his last mile! 
D finished the run in 2:19:49 for an overall time of 6:15:50! His goal was under 7 (6hr 59 minutes and 59 seconds!) so he blew that outta the water. We were all so excited-but probably not as excited as Daryl! He continues to comment on how great it was to have friends and family there to cheer him on. Overall, it was a great race. He did well and actually enjoyed himself (is that even possible??!). I see a full iron in his future...
D finished the run in 2:19:49 for an overall time of 6:15:50! His goal was under 7 (6hr 59 minutes and 59 seconds!) so he blew that outta the water. We were all so excited-but probably not as excited as Daryl! He continues to comment on how great it was to have friends and family there to cheer him on. Overall, it was a great race. He did well and actually enjoyed himself (is that even possible??!). I see a full iron in his future... 
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