Chasing Kona

Chasing Kona PDF Author: Rob Cummins
Publisher: Independently Published
ISBN: 9781973380399
Category : Ironman triathlons
Languages : en
Pages : 155

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Book Description
Sitting watching TV with a cigarette in one hand, a black coffee in the other and nursing a crushing hangover I switched channels until I found sports. There was some sort of bike race on and I half watched while lighting another cigarette off the butt of my last one for a minute before switching channels again. Just as I hit the button on the remote the commentator mentioned something about the athletes swimming before and running afterwards as well as racing the bike. I thought he said something about the run being a marathon but that couldn't be right. This sparked my interest and I switched back, but he was talking about something else so I waited for him to get around to describing exactly what this race was. I didn't have long to wait as he said they first did a 2.5 mile swim, then 112 miles on the bike all topped of with running a marathon. I was stunned. I didn't think that would be physicially possible and as I lit another cigarette I wondered how many days did they have to do it. I guessed it would have to be three days. Swim the first day, bike the second and run the third but it still sounded like a crazy thing to do. Then he said that they did it all in the one day, one after another without stopping. I was completely incredulous. And hooked. I remained glued to the TV and learned that these bronzed, muscular Greek God looking athletes weren't all professionals either. There was an amateur or "age group" race as well Although I could hardly tell the difference between the pros and amateurs. They all looked unbelievably fit. As I sat there mesmerised I swore to myself that I'd race there someday. I'd stop smoking and drinking and somehow do "The Ironman" At the time I had no idea what that meant or how I would do it and after a while as things have a way of doing I got busy with life and I forgot all about The Ironman and Hawaii. I forgot until several years later when I had actually given up smoking and had taken up triathlon. It had taken me two years and sixteen races of swimming breast stroke before I learned to swim properly. I never once looked even remotely like Kona material but I wanted to have a go at doing an Ironman. It took another three years before I plucked up the courage and lined up for my first one in Nice, France. I finished in the last quarter of the field, hours behind the athletes racing for those precious Kona slots. Nothing I had done up to then had given any indication that I should have had a reason to believe I had a chance at qualifying, but three years later when I asked Aisling, my wife if she thought it was possible she immediately said yes and then she added let's do it. Aisling's belief in me started us on a journey that led to me treading water on the most iconic start line in triathlon, waiting for the cannon to fire at the start of the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. This is how we overcame all of the odds and discovered what it would take to get to the Ironman World Championships. This is our Kona story.

Chasing Kona

Chasing Kona PDF Author: Rob Cummins
Publisher: Independently Published
ISBN: 9781973380399
Category : Ironman triathlons
Languages : en
Pages : 155

Get Book Here

Book Description
Sitting watching TV with a cigarette in one hand, a black coffee in the other and nursing a crushing hangover I switched channels until I found sports. There was some sort of bike race on and I half watched while lighting another cigarette off the butt of my last one for a minute before switching channels again. Just as I hit the button on the remote the commentator mentioned something about the athletes swimming before and running afterwards as well as racing the bike. I thought he said something about the run being a marathon but that couldn't be right. This sparked my interest and I switched back, but he was talking about something else so I waited for him to get around to describing exactly what this race was. I didn't have long to wait as he said they first did a 2.5 mile swim, then 112 miles on the bike all topped of with running a marathon. I was stunned. I didn't think that would be physicially possible and as I lit another cigarette I wondered how many days did they have to do it. I guessed it would have to be three days. Swim the first day, bike the second and run the third but it still sounded like a crazy thing to do. Then he said that they did it all in the one day, one after another without stopping. I was completely incredulous. And hooked. I remained glued to the TV and learned that these bronzed, muscular Greek God looking athletes weren't all professionals either. There was an amateur or "age group" race as well Although I could hardly tell the difference between the pros and amateurs. They all looked unbelievably fit. As I sat there mesmerised I swore to myself that I'd race there someday. I'd stop smoking and drinking and somehow do "The Ironman" At the time I had no idea what that meant or how I would do it and after a while as things have a way of doing I got busy with life and I forgot all about The Ironman and Hawaii. I forgot until several years later when I had actually given up smoking and had taken up triathlon. It had taken me two years and sixteen races of swimming breast stroke before I learned to swim properly. I never once looked even remotely like Kona material but I wanted to have a go at doing an Ironman. It took another three years before I plucked up the courage and lined up for my first one in Nice, France. I finished in the last quarter of the field, hours behind the athletes racing for those precious Kona slots. Nothing I had done up to then had given any indication that I should have had a reason to believe I had a chance at qualifying, but three years later when I asked Aisling, my wife if she thought it was possible she immediately said yes and then she added let's do it. Aisling's belief in me started us on a journey that led to me treading water on the most iconic start line in triathlon, waiting for the cannon to fire at the start of the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. This is how we overcame all of the odds and discovered what it would take to get to the Ironman World Championships. This is our Kona story.

Exploring Winding Roads and Dusty Trails

Exploring Winding Roads and Dusty Trails PDF Author: Joe Gonzalez
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 1796017604
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 278

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Book Description
What is it that makes a person dream and come up with some of the wildest stories one can dare tell to a husband, wife, friend, or stranger? First of all, are they funny stories or scary stories? Are they stories anyone would dare to believe? Are they stories that ordinary people would really like to hear about or read about? And what in the world created such funny or unbelievable stories? Was it stress, or was it insomnia? Or are we just natural dreamers? My stories probably come to me from having too much time in my hands and thinking too much. The following stories probably came to me as dreams when I was doing a lot of daydreaming back in the seventies. At the time, I was pulling my weight while working at White’s Auto Store warehouse in the small town of Shallowater, Texas. I was a certified forklift driver pulling orders, license, and all. I worked in what was called Area 8. I pulled the big boxed toys, bicycles, and lawn mowers. I also pulled the fertilizer bag orders. Working inside a warehouse had many disadvantages. There was always dust all over the place. The warehouse was always hot in summer and pretty cold in winter. Many times when it was slow, I would let my mind just wander off into oblivion. That’s when my stories were born and began to take shape. Characters and names of characters would pop into my mind out of nowhere.

Seeking the Sacred Raven

Seeking the Sacred Raven PDF Author: Mark Jerome Walters
Publisher: Island Press
ISBN: 1610911075
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
Will the 'Alala ever return to the wild? A bird sacred to Hawaiians and a member of the raven family, the 'Alala today survives only in captivity. How the species once flourished, how it has been driven to near-extinction, and how people struggled to save it, is the gripping story of Seeking the Sacred Raven. For years, author Mark Jerome Walters has tracked the sacred bird's role in Hawaiian culture and the indomitable 'Alala's sad decline. Trekking through Hawaii's rain forests high on Mauna Loa, talking with biologists, landowners, and government officials, he has woven an epic tale of missed opportunities and the best intentions gone awry. A species that once numbered in the thousands is now limited to about 50 captive birds. Seeking the Sacred Raven is as much about people and culture as it is about failed policies. From the ancient Polynesians who first settled the island, to Captain Cook in the 18th century, to would-be saviors of the 'Alala in the 1990s, individuals with conflicting passions and priorities have shaped Hawaii and the fate of this dwindling cloud-forest species. Walters captures brilliantly the internecine politics among private landowners, scientists, environmental groups, individuals and government agencies battling over the bird's habitat and protection. It's only one species, only one bird, but Seeking the Sacred Raven illustrates vividly the many dimensions of species loss, for the human as well as non-human world.

Iron War

Iron War PDF Author: Matt Fitzgerald
Publisher: Triumph Books
ISBN: 1637270232
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 318

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Book Description
The classic account of an unforgettable endurance test, now updated with a new introduction The 1989 Ironman World Championship was the greatest race ever in endurance sports. In a spectacular duel that became known as the Iron War, the world's two strongest athletes raced side by side at world-record pace for a grueling 139 miles. Driven by one of the fiercest rivalries in triathlon, Dave Scott and Mark Allen raced shoulder to shoulder through Ironman's 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike race, and 26.2-mile marathon. After 8 punishing hours, both men would demolish the previous record--and cross the finish line a mere 58 seconds apart. In Iron War, sports journalist Matt Fitzgerald writes a riveting epic about how Allen and Scott drove themselves and each other through the most awe-inspiring race in sports history. Iron War goes beyond the pulse-pounding race story to offer a fascinating exploration of the lives of the world's two toughest men and their unquenchable desire to succeed. Weaving an examination of mental resolve into a gripping tale of athletic adventure, Iron War is a soaring narrative of two champions and the paths that led to their stunning final showdown.

Bearing Up Horseshoes

Bearing Up Horseshoes PDF Author: Jenny Pletcher Nolan
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 0557509521
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 181

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Book Description
Emma's great grandmother, Lydia, is a woman who boldly looks fear in the eye and never has she lost the staring contest. It is the summer of 1979, and Lydia's granddaughter (Emma's mother) has been killed in a car accident. Emma and her brothers leave their home in Indiana to visit Lydia on Johns and Kiawah Island in the Low country of South Carolina. Once there a witch chases Emma through her dreams, and the light of day is often even more unsettling as Emma discovers her own family tree shrouded in mystery. With the help of adventure, friendship and faith, Emma discovers she may be more like Lydia than she ever thought possible.

Into the Deep

Into the Deep PDF Author: Missy Fleming
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 1612357369
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
No one understands the fury of the ocean like Zoey. Ten years ago, she lost her leg in a freak shark attack. The night after her sixteenth birthday, she has yet to accept her awkward prosthetic limb or the fact she will always be different. Wary of the sea, and its hidden threats, she ventures to a bonfire at the beach. She's mesmerized by its awesome power, wondering what she ever had to fear, until a rogue wave sweeps her into the cool, salty water. Zoey believed mermaids were creatures of legend, characters in silly children's stories, but it's hard to ignore the captivating tail that's suddenly appeared, or the sense of finally being whole. She abandons her life on land in search of answers about who she really is and where she came from. What she discovers is a kingdom full of intrigue and danger, as well as a royal father she never knew existed. Settling into her role as a mermaid princess, she learns her family is under attack, both on land and in the water. Raging storms swell up, threatening coastal cities, and sea levels rise practically overnight, endangering the lives of everyone she loves. Determined to stop the strange phenomena, Zoey becomes caught up in the race to track down what, or who, is responsible for the catastrophic events. But, Zoey possesses another secret, one born of legend and more powerful than any mer or human can imagine.

Pieces of Eight

Pieces of Eight PDF Author: Deborah Chester
Publisher: Diversion Books
ISBN: 162681595X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 237

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Book Description
A swashbuckling pirate adventure in the time travel series from the “masterful” national bestselling author of the Pearls and the Crown novels (Extrapolations). In his attempt to return to the twenty-sixth century, historian and time traveler Noel Kedran is transported back to the Caribbean in 1697, where black-masted ships rule the treacherous seas and murderous pirates kill without mercy. Stalked by enemies—including his evil twin, Leon—Noel fights to prevent a human sacrifice that could change history, and to stop his twisted twin before he destroys them both for a few glittering, golden pieces of eight. “Chester is a world class fantasist.” —The Best Reviews

The Story of Ellacoya

The Story of Ellacoya PDF Author: Jeanne Clark
Publisher: Beech River Books
ISBN: 0979377897
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 322

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Book Description
"A prose poem saga that celebrates female strength and wisdom, as personified in the fictional story of an Abenaki heroine"--Provided by publisher.

Gourmet News

Gourmet News PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Food industry and trade
Languages : en
Pages : 530

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Book Description


Inside Triathlon

Inside Triathlon PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Triathlon
Languages : en
Pages : 120

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Book Description