DONNA BARTEL, Ironman Canada Competitor

"Well, Ironman is over and I survived it!  It was a chilly, hard, long, fun, exciting, amazing day!  I had a great swim and managed to do it without getting kicked, goggles knocked of, swam over, etc.  It was the easiest part of the day!  Once out of the water, I began the bike at an easy pace (as planned), which got harder as the day progressed.  Luckily I missed the rain, but not the wind, hills, and cold.  I managed to keep my focus and the enthusiasm of my supporters helped me have a great bike ride.  Many participants had to drop out because of the cold, but thanks to my husband's advice and my son's shirt under my cycing jersey, I didn't feel the cold too much!  And then it was on to the marathon.  To my complete surprise, I kept a good pace and kept to my plan of walking and running - and ended up finishing 1 hr faster than I expected!  I had several people comment on my "Tri'ing to End ALS" running shirt, so that bouyed my spirits.  it was a very long day, but I finished it feeling great and very happy to have done it.  Thanks to everyone for supporting me, encouraging me and believing in me. We will keep "tri'ing to end ALS" at 2011 Ironman Canada as my husband has signed up to do it! It is an honour to have done this event in honour of my mom as well as all those affected by ALS. "

Your support is greatly appreciated, thank you.

 Donna Bartel