Subaru Ironman Triathlon 2009

[KingOfPain]

For 30 some years when I first came to Penticton, this is the second time I went out to see the Ironman race; and first year I went out and enjoyed the 5 days long Peach Festival, concerts every night and all

I had to wake up before sunrise and WALKed to the event since it would probably be more trouble to drive there with all the road blocks and parking space wasn't going to be a easy find. That's quite an endurance challenge for this out of shape ex Olympic torch bearer ;p

It has been 9 hours since the winner came in and it will probably be another 2 hours before the last guy gives up. On with the pictorial:

With the sound of a bang, all the lemmings jumped in.




Umm, see people drowning over there? You 2 suppose to patrol, not flirt! Heck, I should volunteer for that.




Quite a crowd, this is just on my right hand side, then there's the left, at my back; and that's just at the starting point. Thousands lined the streets along the route. Note the crowd along the treeline across the top.




Winner of the swimming portion. It's funny to see some of them coming out of this race and go pee.




Am I too close? The security gives me dirty looks. Funny how you slap a uniform (a Tshirt in this case!) and they think they are the supreme authority. Ok, maybe it's just my problem with authorities. ;p




Time saving tactic - striptease on the run.




How close am I to the action? You can tell I am using wide-angle and at water level




Think I am worried getting ran over while I am in a crouching position? I am not even in shorts. Better be prepared next year, you idiot.
Probably would not have gone in the water if I remember I walked.




Alright, I have had enough, next idiot to splash me is a dead Ironman. Is that a fish, dinner?




IRONDUCK! Peking duck for tonight, yums!




Hand me the Excalibur!




Okay, that's like right in the eyes. Who did that?




Points to his left, "It's him!"




Caught ya. You are going down, bud.
Last seen running up Okanagan beach with a camera stuck up his behind.




Damn itch...




He laughs at the short guys




If only Janet Jackson knew about nipple band-aid...
What's up with that? Can't afford a wetsuit? Water too cold? Sharks? Or, self-censorship?




If a face can launch a thousand ships, how many ships can a balded head launch? Okay, that was mean, but he could have said "excuse me"




Stay down, boy!




"I would rather be skiing"




Hmm, let see.. if I go real slow they wouldn't force me to come back next year... If E=MC, um was that square or cube....




WORNG WAY, bud. What's in that bottle!?




Who took a bite off my chocolate bar!?




Took awhile to find this spot. So I slowly wedged my way in the crowd and worked myself in front, getting this shot set up waiting for THE winner to come in.




Excitement built as the pace car entered the picture and the crowd started to roar. Good going, not much behind record time.




And the winner is... that runner in the background. He's more than a block away and I can't get a focus lock on him. Not before, WTF, you are not suppose to turn and take that route!!! I have been waiting at this sweet spot for an hour, I had it all setup...



Every Ironman should carry a portable radio so they know they lost and not waste (some of them) another 9 hours trying to catch up still running after midnight.

Edit: American Jordan Rapp captured the 2009 Subaru Ironman Canada triathlon when he crossed the finish line in 8:25:13
(should have came my way, bud, it would have shaved 5 minutes off)

[mucco]

I love these pics! I'd like to see one of those Ironmans once... lucky man.

[KingOfPain]

Well, triathlons are probably the biggest free events anywhere, so you just have to travel to one. There are many destination tourist spots to choose from.

The IM run here is perhaps the largest in North America, as far as head counts is concerned. It seems especially big since our population is only about 40k. This years participants is over 2600 (growing each year), plus the friends/supports/families, 4000 volunteers, lookie lose, on top of all other tourists in the height the tourist season.

I guess one doesn't know what he's got until it's gone. Some locals do regard this yearly event as a nuisance, myself included at times. I am not a spots fan by any stretch of the meaning. I only went for picture ops.

Normally, I wouldn't care to have pictures of people I don't know, celebs or not. I remember one time I had my telephoto lens trained on Princess Diana and Charles like they were posing for me, but I didn't take the picture because I didn't think it's worth 30 cents to get it printed. I went, to practice getting In-Your-Face. You know, like you really want the pictures, get right up close and personal, hence, yesterdays theme was how close can I get to the action. That has always been a weakness in my photography (not just with human subjects), a sense of indifference, and sometimes too obvious.

[KingOfPain]

Disclaimer:
I had no knowledge of the death of an Ironman, or anything serious had happened when I posted this little pictorial - That would have been in bad taste.

A 66-year-old man has died during the swim portion of the grueling Subaru Ironman Canada triathlon in Penticton.

I am debating whether I should delete the captions...