Ironman 2009: A True Love Story
When hundreds of people clawed at her body, she swam.
When the hills were huge, she rode strong.
And, even when her feet were covered in blisters and people were throwing up beside her, she continued to run.
Yes, Stephanie Corker Irwin conquered Ironman Canada 2009 with a smile!
This past weekend my sis became one of the few people in the world to complete an Ironman. She made it through 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking, and then ran 26.2 miles! (That run is the distance of a marathon!) Leave it to her to prove the power of a little perseverance and a HUGE positive attitude. … and a year of training, of course.
I don’t want to say that “I’m proud of her” (even though I am) for those words can’t do this feeling full justice. But on the drive home from Penticton, I tried to find the right words to summarize it. To be honest, I’m not just proud her, I’m completely inspired by her love!
Not only does she love a good challenge (heyo Ironman!), but she sends out heaps of love to everyone in her life all year round and this race was proof of that. As I tweeted for her at @GoodMorningFab, the replies/messages/cheers/words of encouragement on Twitter and Facebook kept flooding in! And I mean FLOODING! This girl has a zest for life that has infected so many around her! It was a privilege to be there beside her on race day, but a true honour to help her feel some of that love she was getting back from all those following her race online.
At the end of it all, the natural elements – despite their best efforts – could not compete with the force inside Steph. Watching her cross that finish line truly brought tears to my eyes. Especially when it was announced that she crossed at 11:39. (Quote from Steph pre-race: “If all the stars aligned, I will complete it in 11:40″) She did it! Despite all the pain she went through over this past year, she walked away stumbled away with a bigger heart than I have ever seen before – ready to write the next chapter of her incredible adventure!
I’d usually find a way to close off a story like this with some relevant thoughts to you as the reader, but not today. Today I type in absolute awe of the love I have for my sister and the love she brings into the lives of everyone around her. She’s totally worth it.
She’s an Ironman!
Pick of the post: Mistress Barbara – I’m Running (a new great work-out song fit for this occasion)
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Great post Matt. I loved following your Tweets for Steph on Ironman day.
You did a great job!
This post really shows the love you have for your sister. (you could probably teach my brother a thing or two about expressing feelings for his sisters)
You and Steph support each other and are each other’s rock. There aren’t many friendships like that, regardless if the pair are siblings or not.
You two are an inspiration to many. You make the world a better place. Thank you for being here.
[...] Being with Steph as she finished Ironman Canada (and tweeting for her all along the way) [...]
[...] our first marathon, together, my Mom flew to Vancouver to follow in our footsteps! While Steph was becoming an Ironman and I was continuing to run around in my underwear, this power momma was hitting the pavement [...]