Ironman Chattanooga 2021

Once again, Amanda completed another Ironman. This time her 4th and broke her own personal record at 12 hours, 25 minutes. Here is her race recap:

This week was very life-y and writing a race report was the last thing on my mind. But here goes:

IMChatty was an exceptional day for me as a middle-of-the-pack competitor The venue was amazing; the volunteers beyond enthusiastic, and the course challenging without making me lose my religion (like CDA). The river current was respectable with balmy 79F air temps.

I decided to swim an average pace and keep my inner Phelps at bay

I finished feeling fresh as a daisy with a sub-one hour, which set a good tone. Generally speaking, my race starts to go downhill from here.

I heard plenty of grumbling about the bike but I had few issues. The Weston hills proved to be perfect training for rollers and I obsessed over my HR (thanks coach)! It was one of two things on my mind - more on that in a second. But it’s taken me a while to listen to what my body/stomach needs for fuel during long races, and I finished a manageable condition.

I moved onto the marathon knowing that I was crushing my personal best in every discipline, and yet facing my biggest weakness…Running is not my jam. And it certainly showed when I had to tackle dem hillz

My family cheered me on to the end (best Sherpa EVER!) And I’ll forever champion that Ironman finish line feeling. There is nothing like it

But the part of this race that I’ll never forget lies in the bike. It’s where I pray unfiltered prayers. I had a friend that wasn’t doing well and frankly, I left God know what I thought. Sara is everything good about this world, and her terminal diagnosis was unfair. Her health was taking a turn. Near the end of my ride, I sent several final pleas. “Lord, if you aren’t going to heal her then PLEASE don’t make her suffer.”

It’s with a shattered heart that I thank God for answering that prayer.

Two days later she went swiftly and unexpectedly; brain cancer unjustly claimed the life of my 49 year old friend. At the service today, her Rabbi said “… May we all live so that we don’t fear the end.”

My girl Sara lived big and fought hard. Triathlon is one of the ways I live big. Nothing on this side of heaven is guaranteed, my friends, so don’t miss your moments to live with purpose

Photos: Chattanooga | September