****Ironman Longhorn Austin, TX 70.3 Race Report******

Good Evening Everyone,

Ihave finally arrived at home, bathed, am eating a bowl of spaghetti and have been thinking about writting this report all afternoon. So, without further adeu, here it is...

The morning started off early, as always! My buddy Craig and I roomed together, and drove together, he was in one of the first waves, Iwas in wave 15, next to last, so Ihad a little extra time to stand around and do nothing, which was kind of nice. We finally make our way to the water, gun goes off, and we are on the way. The swim was smooth, everyone commented that it seemed a little long, but it is all good, Ihad a great swim and was happy. There was a bit of a bottle neck at the swim exit to get to the wetsuit strippers, and after Iget mine stripped, Imake my way up a steep uphill climb into transition.

There was a lot of gravel on the ground in transition and it did not feel real good on the feet, nor did the gravel that remained stuck to my foot after Iput my socks on and started cycling. What a 56 mile annoyance! Anyways, the bike was VERY challenging! There were 10-15 MPHwinds, lots of hills and from my closest count, over 60 turns on the course! What that means is that you cannot carry ANYmomentum for any period of time because there is a flippin turn coming up. On the 2nd or 3rd turn, it was a sharp right, and goes directly into a 9% grade hill... Iliterally saw 3 people fall off their bikes because they could not make it up! Anyways, everything is going well... Iwas taking a gel every 20 minutes, salt tab every 30 minutes, and a Cliff Bar at the halfway mark. I thought Gatorade was making me feel terrible so Ipracticed without taking Gatorade and up my gels to 3per hour versus 2 and it worked well in training so Ithought Iwould be money. So the Bike ends, and into T2...(Ohyeah... It was AWESOMEto see Darrell and his daughters at oneof theturns. Thank you guys for volunteering!)

After arriving in T2, it becomes apparent that I feel like CRAP! Idid not push it on the bike at all, Ijust generally felt "Not good". I drank 1 full Camelbak of water, 5 x 24 ounce bottle of water, and turns out Icame off the bike severely dehydrated!!! What's up with that??? If Idrank more my eyeballs would be floating.... Oh well, Ihave to get that all in check in the off season. So Istart running, and for the first real time, Iget a taste of what you all talk about experiencing with Gastric Distress!!! I think it was probably due to the excess of Gels. The run course was 3 loops and had some ridiculously ssssssssssstupid steep hills that were looooong! Good times because you get to do these all 6 times! Out and back x 3.... UGH!!!!! So again at mile 3, just like Augusta last month, Iget that familiar "My chest and throat are on fire" feeling, and Iam again reduced to a walk. Here is what Ihave determined is going on... I AMALERGICTOCITRICACID!!! Through process of elimination, that's what it HASto be. So, Iwill toy with that in the off season, and will get this confirmed with my PCP, but Iam willing to put money on it that that's the problem.Anyways, the run turned into a death march, and for the first time, Iactually felt like quiting! But, I didn't... Inormally give all sorts of details about my race in my report, but Iam keeping that bare-bones and wanted to get to the "Real" report.

Last year whenImet with my surgeon to discuss my goals regarding Ironman, he said he would support me and took care of my entries. Keep in mind, Ihad only done a Sprint distance Tri at this point. Well, Iend up registering for 4 x 70.3s and 1 140.6 MDOTbrand races! When Ifirst starting talkingto people aboutmy goals and races for 2009, everyone in my Tri Club said Iwas nuts, along with all my family and friends, and many were "Nay-Sayers", believing thata "Newbie" could barely handle one of these events, let alone 5, in one year! Ihave to say, in retrospect, that if Iknew then what Iknow now, Imaybewould have onlydone half of the races Idid thisyear. Today, as I was struggling, and finding myself getting dissapointed in my result for thelast race of my year, while on the final loop of my run, it finally hit me. Thisis the first time in my life IhaveEVERaccomplished EVERYTHING Iset out to do. Andyes, Istruggled on my run, yes Iwish Icould havebeen faster, yes Iwish Icould have placed in mygroup, the bottom line, is that Ifinished. Ifinished much more than just a race today. I put an exclamation mark on my goals! I turned the mocking ofseasoned athletes, who would never dare to have such a crazy race schedule, to respect. Ihave proven to my friends andfamily that thought Iwascrazy to think ofdoingthis in one year, that Iam certifiably crazy, but also that IAMa finisher, and Iam a doer now and not just a watcher. Ithink my life, in general, was summedup today in my race, and here is my thoughts...

Itrymy hardest to be a great father, and although Ifall short, everyday, Iwake up each day with a brightness of hope, that Ican do better. Ifocus on trying to be a good husband to my beautiful and loving wife everyday, but usually fall way short of that goal. But, each day, ofthe last 17 years we havespent together, Itry harder to love her more, inmy own way. Iconcentrate on work, and try to be an expert at what I do, but Imay fall a little short of being an expert, however, everyday Itry to improve and gain more knowledge. In every aspect of my life, Imay fall short of my ultimate goals, but in every aspect of my life, Iam HAPPY, and I TRYa little bit harder each day. This leads me to my final thought... Life, triathlon, running, etc.... is not about perfection, there's only one who is perfect, however, it is about constant improvement. Today was the toughest race Ihad taken part in, to date, and by far the slowest finish Ihave had to date, but, it was the MOSTgratifying, because when the easiest thing to do would have been to QUIT, Ikept marching forward, and for that Iam extremely proud. Well, that's it, IronmanRace #5, in the books, another SWEETmedal to hang on the wall, and a course that would humble any who try to do it. VIVA LAVIDA.... My body is absolutely shattered, and Iwill not be working out ATALL for 3 weeks. So, if Iam not around as much, know that it is temporary, know that Iwill be focusing on the things that truly matter in life (Being a dad, good husband, soccer coach, provider, etc...) and when Iget back to it, IT's ONLIKEDONKEYKONGYA'll....Much love to all of you who have supported me in this crazy journey called LIFE!!!

-Dan Benintendi www.trimywill.com

********Ironman Augusta, GA. 70.3 Race Report********

Hey Everyone,

Ihope everyone is well! I have eaten a lot, took a good nap, and am now packing and getting ready to embark on the 975 mile drive to get back home in the morning. Ihave had a chance to recall the days events and thought I would knock out the RR before Igo home, so here it is...
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So Iwas scheduled to be off Thursday and was going to leave mid-afternoon to arrive in Augusta, GA in the morning. Well, Iended up working all day and did not get under way on until 9:30pm Thursday and arrived in Augusta at 6pm on Friday. THATDRIVEWASBRUTAL! 975 miles of joy, but ey, at least the scenery was gorgeous. Istayed with my wife's aunt and uncle who live 10 minutes away from the race site, and that was awesome! Igot settled in and woke up at 8am Saturday to do a quick 10 minute run, 20 minute spin on the bike, and jumped in the Savanah River for a 15 minute swim. Boy was that current moving! Iswam downstream 1st then worked my way back upstream and that was kind of cool, just a little more work. Iheaded over to the host hotel, do pre race briefing, packet pickup, bought a sweet Transition bag at the expo, checked my bike in, and Iwas ready to roll.My nutrition leading up to the race was solid, and my body water percentage was 67% so I was VERYhydrated (Thank goodness, more on this later).We went out for dinner, Ihad some BBQ shrimp skewers with rice pilaf and a baked potatoe and Iwas ready to go.

Of course Ijust tossed and turned all night and got about 2 hours sleep, which isn't a big deal because Islept like a log the night before when it mattered! 2:30am rise and shine, and the pre-race rituals begin. Iwas feeling so good and so ready for this race! Ihead to transition and was there right when they opebed at 5am. Igot everything situated. Bike dialed in? Check! Helmet? check! Glasses? Check! Bib? Check! Camelbak? Check! Tires Inflated? Check! Wetsuit, goggles and cap? Check! IAMREADY! So Icatch the shuttle that heads down to the swim start and got there early and took my place in line. Soon enough the pros were making their way down to the start, national anthem, prerace thanks from announcer, etc... And the race is under way! Iwas in the 5th wave which was nice for a change. Iusually am at the back of the race passing people, it was actually kind of cool to see all the elite athletes pass me, they are amazing folks! The weather was low 70's a bit humid and the water was a balmy 69 degrees, def wetsuit legal. When our wave is called, we make our way down the dock, and it was a start where everyone begins holding on to a rope so the current doesn't float you down the river. The horn blows and Iwas off. My stroke was feeling great, water felt great, all was going well... UNTIL some random dude decides it's not very important to site and was swimming at about a 90 degree angle OPPOSITEto where he should be going. So, yeah, Iwas the lucky guy who had the pleasure of watching this guy swim toCuba, and in the process take a HARDelbow to my face! It did not feel good and kind of rattled my cage, Ireadjusted my goggles, calmed down, and got back under way.Overall, the swim wasgreat, especially given the fact that we swam downstream, and IPR'd witha swim time of just over 26 minutes for 1.2 miles (2000 Meters).

There was a 300 yard run from swim exit to transition, so not toosureif thattime was tacked on to my swim time or transition time, but either waywas not a big deal. Igetwetsuit stripped and get to my bike. Isee my Camelbak on top of myhelmet, Isee my glasses, bib andso Iset the Camelbak to the side as I get everything else on. Ihave1 bottle cage on my bike,as Iusually ALWAYS use the Camelbak, andmy bottle was half-full as Idrank some Gatorade from it before the race.Iam coming off a GREATswim and amso amped up to go attack the bike course so Irun out of transition, mount my bike, start spinning, then buckle the shoes and Iam off. Iusually wait 10-20 minutes to start taking in nutrition and fluids on the bike, so Ijust focused on a nice high cadence spin to get things going. 54 of the56 mile ride was in SouthCarolina and the first stretch is through the Friggin Hood.. Very interesting. My pace is good, and Iam starting to get thirsty,so Ireach for my Camelback mouthpiece only to then realize 3 miles into the ride, that INEVERPUTITON!!! Iam royaly screwed! Not only does it have all my hydration for the ride, but it also has ALLof my tire repair,replacement stuff in it. So, needless tosay Iwas living on a prayer! Irealized 2 things at that point... 1) Iam going to be VERYdehydrated by the end of the bike because Ionlyhave 1 bottle cage, and my salt tabs were in my Camelbak so electrolytes were going to be out of whack as well. 2) If Iflat onthe course, Iam for sure a DNF. Isaid a quick prayer and hoped for the best for the ride. It was aGREATride... Lot's of rolling hills and some pretty scenery. up until mile 38 Iwas averaging well over 22MPH until Ihit the headwind the last 14 miles ALLTHEWAYback to transtion...UGH, so Iended up averaging 20.21MPH on the bike and my goal was 20-21MPH, things could not be going better.

After arriving back into transition, Icome to discover that a mound of ants had decided to keep my running shoes and socks warm for me, as well as my hat, and then look down to see my sunglasses laying on the ground CRUSHED! Man, something on every leg of the race! Oh well, so Irun without glasses. Istart off at a nice easy pace and run steady. When Ihit mile 4, Istart to feel "Light-headed" and my vision starts going blurry. I was wobbling and probably looked like a drunken sailor to an extent. Iknew this was the electrolyte imbalance / dehydration catching up with me. At that point, right next to me, was an ambulance, and as Istarted to walk towards it to ask for an IV to be put in, I glance quickly down the road and could see an aid station about 1/4 of a mile down the road. Ok, let me get there and see if Ican make myself better. Istop at the station, stuff 5 sponges in my hat and shirt, drink 5-6 glasses of water, which tasted like hell, took in some Gatorade, a power bar, a gel, and 2 salt tabs. Istarted to feel better, and Ifelt the nutrition really hit my system about 20-30 minutes down the road. So for water, they were using tap water from hoses off houses, which was absolutely disgusting, and a lot of stations did not have ice... Talk about a beat down! Iheard of several people DNF'ing because they got sick from the nasty / warm water, which sux. Iwas feeling a little better as time went on and was at least able to have a negative split on the half marathon... Still VERYslow, but a finish none-the-less! Ithink my 1/2 mary time was 2:38:00 or there-abouts. Iwas really hoping for a 5:15:00 finish, but given the circumstances, Iam VERYpleased with my results. Ikilled the swim and of course was a PR, the bike was a PRfor a70.3 distanceracefor me, and overall was a PRfor total time by 18 minutes at this distance!

Given all the adversity / mistakes in this race, Iam still very pleased! It was a challenging race and as the sun came out on the bike and humidity became present, it made for a pretty good challenge. Iam glad Idid this race, Ihave not decided if Iwould like to do it again, but it is always great to finish an MDOT event because there is just an incredible spirit about them. So this is Ironman event number 4 for 2009 in the books for me, with 1 more 70.3 to go next month in Austin (Longhorn 70.3) and volunteering at IMArizona in November. So, that's it, a great race, a good result considering, and now the brutal drive to get back to my family.... Imiss them a ton. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and happy trails to all...

*****Ironman Louisville, Kentucky Aug 30, 2009**********

Ihave been sitting here for what seems like hours trying to figure out how I am going to put all my experiences, emotions, highs, lows, and everything in between into a somewhat condenced version to give you a full scope of how incredible this past weekend has been for me. So here is my official race report for my first 140.6 mile Ironman triathlon in Louisville Kentucky on August 30, 2009...

My preperations to leave for Louiseville were somewhat bitter-sweet because Iknew Iwas going to become an Ironman in the coming weekend, but also was somewhat sad because my family would not be there with me. Our daughter Ava was starting school the day after Ironman and my wife, Christie and Iagreed that it was more important for Ava to have her mommy there for her 1st day of school rather than her being at a race for daddy! So, after some thought, Itold my wife, why don't we just not send Ava on Monday, and send her Wednesday for her 1st day instead.... After all, it is just pre-school and 1 day won't matter. A light went off in her head and she made the decision to go with me to Louiseville with our youngest boy Austin at the final hour, and Iwas on cloud 9!!! So we pack up the car and set out at 2am on Thursday morning to conquer this 875 mile drive. Everything went well on the drive except the time it took, and we finally made it to Louisville late afternoon on Thursday. Our friends Anthony and his wife Lori met us at the hotel, we got some groceries and called it a night!

Friday morning I wake after a solid night's sleep, Anthony and I head down to the river to get some practice swimming in on the Ohio River during the official Gatorade Practice Swim. The water was 80+ degrees and it felt amazing!!! The swim went well, we got in about a mile, then we headed out of the water and Iwent back to the hotel to pick up the family. After Ipicked up the family, we head down to the host hotel so Icould pick up my packet. On the way Iget a call from my buddy Ryan, who says "Hey bro, did you know you are a "Featured Athlete" in Louisville on www.ironman.com ???" Isay no, and Ihead to the website and found this in the Louisville Ironman Preview...(Scroll 3/4 of the way down the screen)

Ford Ironman Louisville Preview

Record sized field set to compete in third annual event

Published Thursday, August 27, 2009

Sunday's Ford Ironman Louisville event could feature the largest field in Ironman history with almost 3,000 athletes registered from 20 countries for the third annual event here in Kentucky. In addition to the huge age group field, a competitive pro field is also set to take part, headed by defending champions Max Longree and Mariska Kramer-Postma, but both will face competitive fields including a number of Ironman champions.

Australian Luke McKenzie, a two-time Ironman champion already in 2009 (Malaysia and Japan), arrives here in Louisville as the man most likely to take the crown away from Longree, but South Africa's Raynard Tissink with five Ironman titles on his resume, also arrives as another favorite. Added to the competitive list of male pros is two-time Ford Ironman Wisconsin Dave Harju.

Kramer-Postma will face multiple-Ironman champions Nina Kraft, Fernanda Keller and Lisbeth Kristensen as she tries to defend her title. Kraft was a runner-up here in Louisville two years ago, while Kristensen finished third here last year, just eight months after the birth of her daughter, Astrid. Keller is trying to continue a 21-year streak of qualifying for the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona.

The 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run course will utilize a variety of Louisvilles scenic areas, including Waterfront Park, Oldham and Henry Counties and the city of LaGrange. Athletes will end their journey with a finish line celebration at Fourth Street Live!.

Approximately 150 Louisville residents are scheduled to participate in this event that serves as an official qualifier for the Ford Ironman World Championship, taking place on Saturday, Oct. 10, in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

Some of the interesting age group stories we'll be following include:

• Zach Hadfield, 28, Muldraugh, Ky. Zach is an active military member and has been deployed twice to Iraq.

• Andy Holder, 41, Collegeville, Penn. Andy, who lives with Type I diabetes, is the national spokesperson for Good Neighbor Pharmacy. He created the Iron Andy Foundation, which aims to help children, young adults and their families dealing with diabetes and other chronic illness by providing inspiration, resources and assistance to help them achieve their life goals.

• Dan Benintendi, 34, Fort Worth, Texas Dan has lost almost 200 pounds since the beginning of 2008 and is participating in his first Ironman.

• Debi Hatton, 43, Louisville, Ky. Debi is a mother of five children. This will be her second time participating in Ford Ironman Louisville.

• Charles Plaskon, 65, Punta Gorda, Fla. Charles is a legally blind athlete who races for the C Different Foundation. This will be Charles fourth Ironman, as he previously competed at Ford Ironman Coeur dAlene, Ford Ironman Florida and the renowned Ford Ironman World Championship.

  We'll have live coverage of this year's race including video, text updates, live athlete tracking and photos from Action Sports International. Our coverage is set to start on Friday afternoon.
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  After registering and getting acclamated with our surroundings, we head back to the room to relax for a bit and then head back to downtown for the welcome dinner. When we arriveat the Convention Center, where the $30 run-of-the-mill mediocre pasta dinner was served, there were thousands of people there already. Dinner is served, Anthony, his wife and my family sit down at a table of nice folks from Cincinatti, OH and we enjoyed each others company. After dinner it is announced that Mike Reilly "The Voice Of Ironman" was going to be the MC and everyone was going nuts! So he presents a few guest speakers, shows a couple of VERYinspiring and motivational videos, and then begins calling people to the stage. Some interesting folks were the youngest competitor who turned 18 the day before the race and got his mom and dad to race with him!!! Another was a 72 year old man who has completed35 Ironmans!!! At this point MIke Reilly starts talking about the changes one makes in their life in preparing for Ironman and talked about health. He then proceeds toask everyone in the audience who has lost 30 poundstraining for this race tostand.A lot of people, including myself stand up. He then says if you have lost 40 pounds, stay standing, quite a few sit down. Then 50 pounds, most people were then sitting. Then he asks 60pounds to stay standing and there were just 3 of usin this sea of people still standing. He asks the three of us to come allthe way up to the stage. Next to me on the stage was a man who lost a whopping 65 pounds and thecrowd went wild...
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Next to him was this gal who was asked by Mike... "If Iwould have said 70 pounds would you still be standing?" "Yup, she said... "80?", "Yup, "90?", "Yup"... "100???!!!) "Yup" HOWMUCHHAVEYOULOST??? She stated she had lost an amazing 120+ pounds, which is incredible!!! The crowd went nuts...
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Then he comes to me and asks "130??" Yup... 140??? YUP... 150?????? YUP.....175????????????????? YUP... HOLYCRAP>>> How Much Have You Lost??? 200 pounds my friend... The crowd went absolutely bonkers and the amazing reception Irecieved was so emotional and incredible it took all my strength not to start crying like a baby! So after everything calms down, MIke says, you know what we give the Biggest Loser? Isay no, he says an INCREDIBLEBody Scan scale by Tanita (Which I have to say ISTHEBOMB), and a year supply of Erin Baker's Cookies and Granola which I am soooo stoked about, Ilove that stuff!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  So after Iexit stage left,I amimmediately approached by sooo many people congratulatingme on my journey and just really made me feel likea king. One of the amazing people who came to greet me was this incredible Ironman Champion Amanda Stevens...
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  This was an incredible way to start the weekend and after the event I get another call from my brother saying that there was some mention of me again on www.ironman.com and this is what was posted there....
  The biggest loser ...
  Anyone who has done what Dan Benintendi (pictured here left with Mike Reilly) has done over the last few years could hardly be described as a "loser," but he did win himself a Tanita Body Composition Monitor and a year's supply of Erin Baker's cookies last night.
  
  Benintendi has lost 201 pounds during his journey to becoming an Ironman. It was when he reached 400 pounds that Benintendi's wife told him she was sick of living life as a single mom with a husband who was always too tired to help out.
  
  "I decided to make the choice of health over food," he said.
  
  Health has led him to competing in his first Ironman tomorrow. Good luck, Dan!
  overage/updates.php?type=U&race=louisville&year=2009&page=0&order=ASC">http://ironman.com/coverage/updates.php?type=U&race=louisville&year=2009&page=0&order=ASC

OK, so we head back to the room and get some rest... We decide to sleep in Saturday morning and go for a brief 10 minute run and a 25 minute ride to make sure everything was in order. Everything was well, race prep went great, Ifinished packing up transition bags and special needs bags, loaded up thebike and headed down to transition to check my gear in. It was so awesome! You are treated much differently at an Ironman versus a 70.3 for sure. You have a volunteer that carries your gear, shows where your bike is to be racked, and checks in your bags for you... White glove treatment for sure. Iplace everything in order for the morning and head out of transition. We then met up with a couple other friends, Duane and his wife at the Spaghetti Factory, enjoy a nice lunch and then head out to drive the bike course. OHBOY... This course is no joke... Hill after hill after hill, this was going to be a challenge but I was up for it!!! No matter how hard, Iwas going to finish, period! Get back to the room and toss and turn all night in anticipation, of course, and begin the rituals at 2am.

Leading up to the race, I had been battling a cold, and Iwas really hoping it would just go away for the race, but unfortunately, it didn't... This would come in to play later in the race. So, Ibegin the morning trying to get in 1000 calories for breakfast, begin hydrating, and my hydration level was over 60% so Iwas good to go. Iget all my last minute items together, snap a few shots of my son and I and head out. Ihave to say Ilook rather "Dapper" with my nasal Breathe Right strips on my nose...



























The morning was gorgeous... A brisk 60 degrees with a little wind and clear skies and relatively low humidity... Does it get any better than this? We arrive at the race site Sunday morning and tend to our morning rituals there. Then it is a .75 mile walk from transition to the swim start, which was no biggie.... That is until Igot to the swim start. Louisville is different than any other Ironman in that it is a time trial start, meaning people enter the water one by one in a line, similar to what is typical of a Sprint Triathlon and by the time I got to the start Ihad to walk another 1+ mile to get to the end point in the line where Icould take a place in the "First come, first serve" set up that Louisville has. Dang, over 2.5 miles walked and the race has not even started yet! Anyways, it was no biggie, Itook the time to reflect a bit on my journey, on the taskat hand, and to just take in all the surroundings, which were amazing. Ifinally hear the cannon go off for the pros... 15 minutes later, the age grouper cannon blows and the race is under way. The line begins moving quick and I am anxious to get in the water. After a 35 minute wait to get started, Istart running down the boat ramp to the water entry point, jumpin feetfirst and start the 1200 Meter (Approx) swim UPSTREAMto get through the channel. My stroke was feeling solid and everything was groovy! We hit the turn buoy and begin to swim downstream to complete the swim. My cadence was solid and consistant the whole way and Ifelt like a million bucks after the 2.4 mile swim. Ihit transition, get my bags, head to the tent, put my cycling socks and BIB on and head out to the bike. Once I get to my bike, Irealize Iput my sunglasses in my running gear bag, oh well, Iwill just ride without shades, there are worse things that can happen. So, I strap up my helmet, Camelbak, and double check everything and then head out onto the course... TOTALSWIMTIME1:18:09















Imount my bike and start pedaling away, trying to spin in a smaller gear with a higher cadence, waiting about 15 minutes to start taking in nutrition. Things were going well, Iwas feeling awesome and was gearing up for the hills that were awaiting me beginning at about mile 14 and would continue throughout the remainder of the ride. This course was TOUGH!!! I was going at a good pace, keeping my heart rate low and not pushing it as I knew my cold was still present and could feel it zapping me a little on the longer climbs, soI decided not to push or tempt fate. At about mile 65 I felt my back starting to get a little tight and was feeling a little light-headed and was probably somewhat dehydrated and had a bit of an electrolyte embalance. So I stop at the aid station, drink 3 bottles of water, a gatorade, a Cliff Brownie Bar, and a couple Bananas. I then did some lower back stretches that felt amazing and I was good to go... Ifigured I took about 8-10 minutes on this rest and was the best 10 minutes I spent all day!!! Ifelt great getting back on the bike and for the last 50 miles or so averaged above a 19 MPH pace, which Iwas very pleased with. Other than the constant ups and downs of this course, everything went VERYwell and was ready to get on to the run. Ihit transition, take my time getting my running gear in order, do more stretching and head out for the last leg of this challenge. It was stated that the total approximate elevation climb on this course was well over 5000 feet. TOTAL112 MILEBIKETIME 6:19:13

I get out of the transition area and ran down the stretch that leads to the marathon course and the whole place was filled with spectators and well-wishers which was awesome! We headed out and begin running down a bridge that crosses the very river we swam in and then turned backaround and headed through the downtown and residential parts of Louisville. The run had a few rollers in it, but nothing crazy. Ihad decided in transition that my game plan was going to be to walk each aid station and run to each station. This worked great for the 1st 9 miles or so, and Iwas feeling good, UNTIL my cold decided to show it's ugly head and slap me in the face! Suddenly out of nowhere, Ibegan to feel like Ihad a bag of rocks on my chest because of all this congestion, and felt light-headed and not well! Istopped at the 10 mile aid station and drank about a gallon of water, a little gatorade, 2 lava salt tabs (Thanks Eugene) eat a power bar, 2 bananas, went pee, and felt better! So Iwas reduced to a walk/ shuffle for the rest of the marathon, and that's ok. Igot to run / walk with some amazing people, shared some incredible stories of life struggles and joys, and felt such a true "Ironman Spirit" throughout the entire day, there is no way to describe it. As the day and night tarried on, Ikept moving forward, knowing that Iwas going to be close to my 14 hour goal. at mile 22, Iwas able to run for 2.5 miles straight and that was encouraging. I got through the motivational mile, got some encouragement, and headed towards the finish line. It was starting to get cold, but everytime Itried to run, my chest was burning from this cruddy congestion and my throat began to get really sore. Anyways, Iget close to the end, and remember the goal Ihad for this race, to finish strong. I ran the entire last mile and as Iturned the corner to run down 4th street, it felt like Iwas running to the white lights at the "Pearly Gates". Music was blarring, the streets were packed, people were screaming, and when Ihit the home stretch Ihear Mike Reilly yell out, "Here comes Dan Benintendi... This guy has lost 200 pounds to get here and Dan Benintendi from Fort Worth, TX... YOUAREANIRONMAN" As I hear these words, Iraise my hand in triumph over my battle from Obesity, Iswerve down the final stretch high fiving all the incredible spectators, see my wife and my boy Austin, and it finally hits me that I did it.... TOTAL26.2 MILEMARATHONTIME 6:16:45

It is hard for me to put into words the elation, sense of accomplishment, pride, and grattitude Ifeel as a result of becoming an Ironman. It has been a looooong road. A road filled with dedication to training,dedication to changing everything about my life, dedication from my family who hassupported me soooo much in this journey,and a road dedicated to pushing myself to do what so manypeoplewho thought and still think that this achievement is way out of grasp for an Obese person.In closing Iwant my wonderful wife to knowhowmuch Ilove her and couldnot have asked for a better woman. She has stood by me since we were 16 years old and Iam so luckyto have her as my sweetheart. The time that training has had me sacrifice away from my children is not something Iam prepared tocontinue doing to this extent, but I want my familyto know that THEYAREmy #1 priority, and Idedicate this monumental milestone to them. There is no medal that could replace the hugs, kisses, and words "I love you Daddy" uttered by my angel children, and Ihope to hear a lot more of those as Iwill be spending a littlemore time with them now. Ilove all of you who havesupported me through everything Ihave undertaken, Icannot possibly name youall one by one, there isn't enough wordsor time, but Iwant you all toknow that your words of encouragement, support, love, and hope have allowed me to push myself beyond what I thought was possible for me and Itrulyam a blessed man to have each of you as part of my life. MayGod bless us all in our journey to discover who weare, why we are here, where we are going, and what we can do each and every day to make the pathway alittle brighter and filled more with True Happiness. The tears Ished in thisfinal picture, were not shed when Icrossedthe finished line, they were shed when Ifinally found my wife and son and were able to hold and hug them. THATis what this life is all about. Again thank you all for your love and support and thank you for reading this very long account of one of the most amazingexperiences of my life...IDIDIT!!!














Your Friend,

**********Ironman Buffalo Springs 70.3*******************

Hey Everyone,

Bare with me as Iwrite this winded report:

So Friday morning comes around, Iam packed, the family went out for breakfast (Whole wheat pancakes with sugar free syrup....yum yum) Then we got home, gave each other big hugs and kisses, said a little prayer, then loaded up my buddie's car with our gear and luggage and said our goodbyes to our families. The drive was 320 miles, and was completely flat and boring desert driving, but it went by quickly as my buddy Ryan and Ichatted about the challenge that awaited us in a couple of days. We arrive at the host hotel where we stayed, checked in, met up with a few friends for dinner, went back to our room and a few of us had a friendly poker game, then called it a night and were in bed by 10pm.

Saturday morning arrives, Iwoke up at 7:30, which is sleeping in big time for me, start eating and taking in fluids and prepare to get to the race site for a brief race day prep workout with Ryan, me , and our coach Brent (Who raced pro). So we drive to the lake, pay $6 each to get in the park, and begin the drive to the race start. The whole drive from Fort Worth, along with the drive to the lake, Iwas thinking, the elevation chart online about this race has got to be wrong because this is all just flat farm land. Well.... As we drive the road in the park that leads to the lake, we were soon met with a taste of reality. Clarity comes into our mind as we descend a 9% hill for 1/2 mile then ascend up an 8% hill for about 1/4 mile, then back down the back of that hill that leads to the transition area. Oh Boy!!! So, reverse that order, and that's what we are faced with coming straight out of transition.

So we park near the transition area, and Ryan and Iset out for a 15 minute warm up run. We paced 8:45 miles and had 4 x 20 second excelerations.... Iwas feeling great. Then we clipped in our bikes and headed up those hills out of transition to get used to them and do a 25 minute warm-up ride. Going up the hills was not as bad as it looked from the car, but it certainly was not a cake walk. The ride goes smooth, and Iwas wondering why everyone says this is such a brutal race, there was relatively no wind, it was somewhat overcast, and I felt great. We finish our ride, and head to the lake for a 10-15 minute swim, nice and easy. Water temp was 76... Wetsuit Legal, and we had a nice relaxed swim and were ready for the big day. As we are packing up our bikes, I ask Brent, who has done this race 3 times, if the hills out on the course are about the same as the ones we rode inside the park.... His reply: A slight chuckle as he said, uh... no, these are just the little hills to get out of the park. Gulp, me and Ryan drop Brent off and decide to ride the course in the car. More on that later...

We head back to the hotel to meet up with Todd Gollneck to get the GPS Trakker device Iwore during the race, grab some dinner, and try to get an early night sleep. That did not work so well as Itossed and turned in bed thinking with excitement about the day to come. Ifell asleep around 11pm and set my alarm for 2am. Islept well and felt great when Iawoke. Now, to the race.....

We headed out really early because there is only one small road in and out of the race site, and we were told that you need to be there really early because of traffic congestion. So, we were there by 4:30am, got a great parking spot and headed down that hill to set up transition. There were only a couple of bikes racked and as Istart calming down and get into a groove, it finally came to my attention that there were 22-25mph winds blowing!!! GULP.... About a half hour into setting up transition, we were then introduced to our good friend... Mr. Rain. Where did the beautiful race weather fom yesterday go, I thought! This was going to be the race it was cracked up to be for sure. I visit the "John", Idouble check my setup, put the bottom half of my wetsuit on, and make my way down to the start to see my buddy Brent off with the Pros. The race started right on time, and once again, Iwas in the very last wave so Igot to see all my friends go off. The water was a little choppy,my wave was about 75 deep, and Ifelt great as our wave made it's way to the beach for the start. Ibought new goggles on Thursday before we left, the most expensive ones out there, and was so excited. As Iput them on 45 seconds before the start, they fog up! OK, so Iwipe them off, and within seconds they fog again! Irub some spit inside the goggles, and fog again! I am screwed, Imean literally, Icould not see!!! Oh well, time to go. MIke Riley, "The voice of Ironman" yells... GO!!! So we head out. Iwas able to see the flailing arms and just followed those best as Icould for the first 5-10 minutes, the foggy goggles were pissing me off. Iroll on my back, keep kicking, and wipe them out... Idid this 4-5 times... Then Iwas struck with the idea to let them half fill up with water, which was genius! As they would begin to fog, Iwould look straight down and wiggle my head all over the place, and created like a windshield wiper effect, which worked great. The rest of the swim was nice and smooth, uneventful, and Ifelt fresh coming out of the water in around 36 minutes.....

Ihead into transition, get everything put on, including my trusty Camelback, didn't bother with sunglasses because they would just be covered by rain, and there was no sun, so I unrack my bike , make sure Iam in the smaller gears, and make sure Iam clipped in, because literally, once you crossed the "Mount" line, you begin your ascent up that lovely hill, it was for this reason that NOBODYleft their shoes clipped on in transition, they actually put their shoes on in transition, and ran to the mount line with them on,which is rare to see. Anyways, feeling good, off on the bike...

As we make our way up the first hill, the girl in front of me is weaving all over the road, making it very impossible to pass her as she was probably going about 4mph, literally. We get to the top of the hill, Ifly down the back of the hill, hitting 39MPH, then prepare to ascend the next hill which was 9% and boy was that fun!!! I keep my head down, make good peddle strokes, focus on push/pull and make it up. Now, 15 miles of flatness! I get into my aero bars, start hammering out a good cadence and am averaging about 22MPH. Istart taking in nutrition, and am feeling pretty good. We get to our first out and back leg on the course headed south, which gave us a tail wind. The beauty of the Buffalo Springs lake is that it is in a canyon, so we got the pleasure of ascending and descending the canyon 8 times!!! On this first out and back, Iaveraged around 28, and once Ihit the first descent into the canyon Ihit a max speed of 48MPH... Holy cow that was fast. I was flying by folks as if they were standing still. a few seconds of flat, then time to ascend back out of the canyon... The climb averaged 5% for 3/4 of a mile. I averaged 10mph going up it.. GOODTIMES!!! I finallyreached the top, and hammered out the rest of the southbound leg. Ihit the turnaround,and get "Pimp Slapped" bythe wind in my face headed northbound on the same leg. Descend into the canyon flying again, and have an even slower ascend back up out of the canyon. Ok,2 out of the 8 big hills completed!!! We then head eastbound to reach our next outand back leg that heads north and south again. I hammer it out with the wind heading south again, making up as much time as I can and again fly down the canyon descent. This descent is 1.4 miles and Ithink I hit 50MPH on this one, ascending the other side was not as long, just a little steeper. Towards the end of this leg, there is a mountain climb which is technical and on a very winding road, and is VERYsteep and long... It seemed like it would never end. It eventually did and Ihit the turnaround to go very slow down that descent. One more out and back leg that had a very technical ascent and descent laid waiting for me, and Itook it head on and powered through it. As I turnaround and begin the descent, Isaw a 5 bike crash!!! Why anyone would want to go flying around the hairpin turns in the rain on slick roads is beyond me. But, 5 people wrecked and were very seriously injured... A ways down the road Isaw 4 ambulances speedng to the wreck... Not good!!! Anyways, Ihave one more good climb aside from the one going back into the transition area, this is the 1.4 mile climb getting back out of the canyon that was not so enjoyable. Ijust put my head down, hammered it out one peddle stroke at a time, and lived to tell about it . Ok... another 15 miles of flatness, into the wind and rain, but Iwill take it. I felt sluggish for some reason, Ilook down with about 8-9 miles left and my tire looked a little low, but no biggie, Iwas still rolling along at 19MPH. The reason Iwas having such a hard time finishing up the race did not become appearent until Ipicked my bike up out of transition after the race to discover that my rear wheel was flat, and probably had been for the last 6-8 miles. Ifinally finish the ride in just under 3 hours , averaging 18.7 MPH and Iam pleased with that, wish it were faster, but wind and hills don't favor the big boys! Into transition...

Ihit transition 2 and am feeling pretty shattered. Itake my time putting my socks on, getting my whitts about myself, no Port-O-Joy stops, just took my time regrouping and did some stretching. Onto the run... Istart at a nice easy pace to wait for my legs to come to me. We run the flat section around the lake and Iwas feeling OK. We get to the first climb at about mile 2.5 and OHMY GOODNESS!!!! This climb was steeper than the hills on the bike and lasted longer!!! My hamstrings completely lock up and Iam reduced to a walk up the hill. I decided that walking up the hills would be the only way I would survive the run without severe cramping and begin jogging on the flats and descents. Idid this and as Icame to the halfway point, Itook in 5 cups of gatorade, and did some serious stretching, Iwanted to finish strong. Iwas running at an ok clip and continued for about 2.5 miles, then Icame to the bottom of the beast of a hill I previously mentioned and began my walking again. I would then jog easy from aid station to aid station and would take breaks as needed. My legs were completely destroyed! Ireally have not ran that much since my marathon in February because of the ITband issue. I am thankful to say Ihad no knee / ITband pain, but was just shattered from the ride. Anyways, Iput a decent last mile together and finished strong, and was thankful for 2 things. 1) Iwas a finisher 2) That the day was over!

In retrospect, Ihad so much fun being out there. If you are ever looking for a SERIOUS challenge, come to Buffalo Springs! Ilearned a few things that Iam going to take to heart:

* Never under-estimate the difficulty of this or any other venue
* Ineed to drop a few more pounds to be able to get up the climbs a little easier. Iam fluctuating between 210 - 215 now and am 6'2". Louisville Ironman is in a couple months and is just an extension of what Iwent through yesterday so any advantage will help. Ithink 185 might be a good lean fighting weight, but if Istart to look like a concentration camp survivor, Iam going to stop the weight-cutting for sure.
* Ineed much more hill work on the bike and the run, then combine them both on some intense brick workouts
* Never use new goggles for the first time in a race, no matter how expensive or how "Good" they are supposed to be

All-in-all, Iam happy with my result. Ionly came in 6 minutes behind my time in Florida 70.3 last month, which was dead flat and by far a much easier course. This course was Brutal!!! It will test you physically, mentally, and will push you to your limits. Idid learn that the hills were not as hard to climb as Ithought they would be from sitting in the car, and Ithink this analogy can apply to life. So many people people think that they can't do things, and are so affraid to try, but when you make the commitment to do something, and determine yourself to keep your head down and fight through whatever obstacle is standing between you and success, you will truly discover who you are and what you are made of. Today, Iam a 2 time 70.3 Ironman finisher, today Iam feeling alot of pain, today Iam not obese, today Ilook back and see where Ihave come from, and could not be happier with the path my life is on. Iam thankful for this race that kept me humble, but what was so cool about this race were the people. Iliterally had 6 complete strangers walk up to me at the race and 1 on Saturday during my race prep workout, and say, are you Dan? Isaid yes, they said to me, Ihave been following your story and your blog and want you to know that you have been a huge inspiration to me. Icannot express to you the pride I felt running to the finish line, when our names were not even printed on our bibs or were anywhere on my body, and countless people yelling out "Go Dan", You are the man Dan, etc... It is the people that encourage me everyday, which include my family, my friends, and all of you, that help drive me to keep pushing forward and never look back. Thank you for being in my corner, thank you for being part of my journey, thank you for helping me realize my potential, and thank you for reading this VERYlong report......

Dan Benintendi
www.swimfromobesity.com

*****Ironman Florida 70.3 Race Report*****

I am sitting on a plane flying home from Orlando, and have had a full day to recall and replay one of the most gratifying and exciting days of my life. On all of my race reports in the last year, I have made mention of my battle from Obesity. I typically reference where I came from (400 pounds to 200 in 14 months), the trials I overcame with losing my weight, and then would reference my results. This race report will be the last I do that with. I have thought about this a lot over the past 24 hours, and I have come to the conclusion that completing my 70.3 Ironman in Florida is the moment in my life I hammered the final nail in the coffin of Obesity in the life of Dan Benintendi. I will now be the Triathlete that improved upon his results, not just the obese guy turned Triathlete. With that in mind, let me take you through race day through my eyes.

Saturday evening was a time filled with much anxiety! My brother Jeff from Arizona raced along with me, and my sister, Shawnah, flew in from Utah to hang out with us and get some good photos of our day out on the course. I went through my game plan over and over in my head, and had 100% confidence in my nutrition, strategy, and positive reinforcing thoughts. I ended up falling asleep at about 1:30am Sunday morning, and awoke at 2:45am to begin getting ready. That was the most solid sleep I have ever had, no joke, I felt like I had slept for a week when I got up! So, I double and triple check everything to be sure I didnt forget anything and I was set. I started off with a big bottle of Cliff Shot Lemonade (My Electrolyte drink of choice). I then had a whole wheat baggle with crunchy peanut butter on it and then a Vanilla Boost drink to get the day going. My brothers stuff is ready, my stuff is ready, lets roll!!!

We head over to The Magic Kingdom parking lot to catch the shuttle that would take us to the race start. We were among the first there so we got good parking and had plenty of space to set up transition and be comfortable. By this time it was about 5:00 am and the temperature was only in the high 70s, however, humidity at a staggering 90%! I knew it was going to be a scorcher! I go down to the waters edge, survey again the swim course, again check my points of reference for sighting, go pee, meet up with my buddy Brent Paulsen who is a pro and took 7^th at the race last year, wish each other well, and head to the start for the singing of the national anthem and the pro start. I cannot tell you how Electric the atmosphere was. Once the DJ turned on the famous Sandstorm techno song by Darude, there was not a person in the crowd that could not feel the adrenaline as the clock clicked down from 3 minutes, two minutes, 10 seconds, BANG!!! The cannon blows and the race has officially started on time to the second at 6:20am. There were a total of 22 waves that were determined by age group. Guess what wave I was in YUP, dead last. I got to see my brother head out and do his thing, which was really cool. 4 waves later it was my turn to go, I am so excited. I am at the front far right of the beach to get out of the way of the Washing Machine. There were 3 waves starts that were for my age group alone, each having a little over 120. My game plan for the swim Take it nice and easy, relax, enjoy the swim, and conserve my energy for the bike and run. It worked out to a T. The swim went by quickly, pretty uneventful and very relaxing. Sighting was not a problem. I was weaving in and out of people without incident, and only had one Issue on the last 400 meters. I caught up to people that were in my brothers wave and as a dude swam back onto the course from going outside the buoy, he decided he wanted to do a random breast stroke and ends up Scissor-Kicking me dead in the middle of my thigh! The pain went away in a few seconds, I kind of laughed about it, and a few moments later, touched down on sandy ground and began the 400 yard run into transition, it seemed like it was longer, WAAAAYYYY far away from the swim exit, which is probably why swim times were a bit higher than normal, but it was all good, my heart rate never got above 110, and I felt as fresh as a cucumber going into transition...

The good news is, my bike was on the very first rack inside transition, the bad news is I had another 400-500 yards to run with my bike to get to the mount line. No biggie, I did my thing, kept my heart rate down, hopped on the bike, and was fully prepared to attack this bike course like no other. The ride was described as flat, which is partly-true, but it did have a few unexpected hills that were no big deal. I am feeling great on the bike. I decided the week before the event that I would wear my Camelback and use my own hydration, rather than the ones provided to avoid the clusters at the aid stations that are notorious for being home to many gnarly accidents. I could not have made a better choice. I was taking my salt tabs every 30 minutes, sports beans every 20 minutes, and sticks of honey every 30 minutes. I am flying by people on the bike! I have never ridden on such smooth surfaces, such flat roads, and without much wind, advantage me! I especially love flying by the guys who are riding P4s, DAs, P3 Cs, and Plasmas with 808s and full disc carbon wheels. I hit mile 30 and look down at my computer for the first time, just to discover that I have been averaging 23.4 mph!!! Holy cow, I knew I was grooving but Dang Gina!!! Anyways, the last half of the course, a lot more hills and we were into a head wind for about the last 15-20 miles. No harm done, I still averaged 20.5mph and I will take it! Hopping off the bike back into transition, my legs felt GREAT! I felt so fresh and was ready to get into a groove on the run. (If you are wondering, I patted my brothers rear end as I passed him at mile 6 on the bike J )

As I make the long run from the dismount line back over to my rack, I couldnt imagine things going any better. I really take my time in transition, I made a last minute decision to put my BLACK compression socks on for the run, that took a little bit of time, I visit the port-o-joy in transition, put on the fuel belt, turn my race bib around and head out to the run. Boy was it hot, reached 88 degrees by this point, and I couldnt understand why my head was so dang hot until I hit the first aid station and go to take off my hat to put ice on my head, only to then realize, I FORGOT MY DANG HAT IN TRANSITION! That explains that, and the bright tomato that is sitting on my neck now. I decided that because of the heat, I would do 9:30 10:00 miles and would walk each aid station. Get plenty of Gatorade, plenty of water, plenty of ice cold sponges, and plenty of ice to stuff in my shirt. It was going great. I hit mile 5 and uh oh Knee pain! Dang-it! Oh well, got to keep going. It was a 3 loop run course and as I complete my first loop, on to my second loop I caught up to my brother who was hanging his head a bit and was on his first loop. He was a little discouraged, and was concerned he was not going to finish in time for the cut-off. I walked with him for a while, talked to him about the fact that he was 415 pounds a few years ago, and here he is 250 competing in an Ironman. I told him to not give up, and assured him that he belonged here and had every bit as much right to be here as any other person on the course. One foot in front of the other bro, and I will be there for you at the finish line. The moment I caught up to my brother, I realized just being there and supporting him in his journey was way more important than finishing a few minutes ahead of schedule, and it was the best decision I had made all day. To put my arm around my brother and realize a couple years ago we weighed almost 825 pounds collectively, and now weigh 450 collectively brought tears to both of our eyes. I told my brother, when we reach that next fence, I am going to get running again and will see you at the finish line. I smacked his butt and headed off. I felt like I could have ran all day at the pace I was running, I really felt great, except the knee. Just before the mile 12 marker was the final aid station. I stop and pour ice all over me and am ready to hit it with everything I got this last mile. I start to run and my knee was completely done. I had Biofreeze, and lathered a whole packet onto my knee, no help, I kept trying to start and run, no good, I stopped to stretch, no good, oh well, I will walk until I can make the left that says To finish line. I did just that, I managed to put a light shuffle together to cross the finish line, spotted my sister in the crowd who snapped a photo, and was so proud to cross the line a Finisher. Tears did not flow, in its place was the same smile I had been wearing all day. I am sure that when this plane lands and my wife and children meet me at the airport that they will flow then, but the joy in my heart is indescribable. I think the only thing that could have made this day better was if my wife and children were there to hug me at the end.

What a great day! What a great journey! What a great challenge! What an amazing life this is! Everyday we all make decisions that will impact our lives forever, and I am so thankful I made the decision to get my life and health back and begin living again. The pain in my knee is pretty bad right now, but the happiness, joy, and sense of accomplishment I now feel in my heart makes the pain subside. I am Half of an Ironman now! I have another VERY challenging half Ironman next month in Lubbock, TX, then it will be onto the BIG DADDY in Louiseville, KY in August for the FULL 140.6 Ironman. Thank you to all my friends, family, sponsors, surgeon, and strangers alike who have done nothing but encourage, uplift, and inspire me each and every day. I will never forget this day, the feelings I felt that are too great to try to put into words, and the unavoidable desire I have to do Ironman again, just not tomorrow. Thanks for reading the very long account of my race, but believe it or not, this is the condensed version. Thanks for reading and being a part of this journey with me..(Total Chip Time 6:15:15)

-Dan Benintendi
www.trimywill.com

*****TRI BENBROOK 2009 RACE REPORT*****

SoFriday night the family got some mexican food at a local restraunt. We eat there 1 time a month or so and have never had any problems. So, Saturday morning, Iget up at about 5 am and begin to prepare for our garage sale. Iam abruptly awoken to the sound of my little daughter puking in my bed, on my pillow, splashing my arm with a fragrant aroma! Needless to say, Igot out of the bed very quickly and began cleaning up. About 30 minutes later Ibegin to feel "Green" and thus the diahrea commences! Ispend a good chunk of my day on the pot, and eventually end up beginning to throw-up. Throughout the course of the day, Iwas able to keep down 1/2 bottle of Pepto Bismol, 5 ritz crackers, a little gatorade, and a small amount of oatmeal. Not ideal nutrition going into a race. Anyways, Iwas racing no matter what, however the thought of doing the race with a diaper was looming in the back of my mind. Anyways.....

So, this morning, Iset the alarm for 4:30am and the alarm got beat to the punch by my daughter knocking on my bedroom door. I open the door to see her beautiful face, and as she was grinning ear-to-ear saying the words "Goo moni dadeee" out spews last nights chicken nuggets. "Oh No"... Saturday morning incarnate!!!! So, my morning begins today as it did yesterday, elbow deep in vomit. Iwas feeling better, but certainly did not have much energy and was probably dehydrated to some extent. Iwas able to finish a banana, and 1/4 of a peanut butter sandwich. Ialso got down 1 bottle of Cliff Shot lemonade, and that was about the best Icould do for nutrition.

Itake a shower, gather my stuff and head on down the road to the race. It was a balmy 72 degrees with 80% humidity and 19 MPHwinds!!! On the drive to the race, to add insult to injury, it begins to pour down rain. Lovely!!! By the time Igot to the race site, the rain cleared up and as Igot checked-in, marked, and set up my transition area, Ifelt pretty good. (Probably 60-70% of my norm) Imeet up with a bunch of folks from the Tri club and we go get a warmup swim in before race debreifing. Warmup went well, Iwas feeling as good as Iwas going to feel. Ipounded a little more Cliff Shot and it was time to start.

There were well over 400 people in the event and Iwas seeded as bib #61 based on my estimated 300M swim time. They were sending people into the pool every 10 seconds and the rough part was that there was traffic coming both directions in the pool, so you had to be very careful in trying to pass. The poor guy in front of me got his ankles slapped every stroke for the first 4-5 lengths because he was cramming the center of the lane, and people coming the opposite direction were doing the same. Ifinally found an opening and went for it at 200 M and busted out the rest. The results show that my swim split was 3:00 on the nose for my 300M swim, which is deffinetly a PR. I get out of the pool, off come the goggles, and into T1.

T1 was smooth, in and out in 54 seconds, Ican't complain. On to the bike! Oh Ilove wind! on the way out, 18 MPH wind in your face with up to 30MPH gusts, no thanks. There were some good hills out and in on the bike, but it went smooth. Icertainly did not feel 100% but Ifelt OK. Iaveraged 25MPH on the way back in and overall, averaged 20.1MPH on the bike. Igot passed 1 time on the bike, by my buddy Ryan, Ipassed 15-20 people to hold my own. Iget back into transition, and Iam beginning to drag, no energy left at all. Itake my time putting my shoes and socks on, chug some Cliff and finish T2 in 1:33 not great, but it is what it is.

Iwas feeling terrible the whole run. At about mile 1 my stomach began to feel like it was in knots, and I begin running with "Clinched Cheeks" so I did not have an accident. Seriously, Ithought Iwas going to have to run into a bush, but Iheld it in and didn't have to evacuate, thank goodness. I basically just try to survive the run, feeling like crud, but still suprisingly, having a lot of fun seeing the faces of so many friends cheering me on. I ended up averaging a slow 8:22 p/ mile pace. This was frustrating because just Wednesday I PR'd on the 5k at 21:29....This 26:05 5K time was almost 5 minutes behind that... Oh well, Iam glad I finished, and Iknow if Iwas in 100% health, Iwould have cleaned house.

All-in-all it was a great day considering. It is always a blast to race, always a blast to be amongst friends, and always a blast to have my family, especially my new born Austin cheering me on. (Ava stayed home with Grandma due to the spewing previously spoken of). As per the results, Ifinished 4th in Clydes, however the guy who placed third either set a new 5k record for a 5K in 11:52, after averaging 15.7 on the bike, or he did not finish all 4 of the fingers (Out and back portions) of the run, which is likely the case. With that being said, I unofficialy took 3rd in my division finishing 1:19 behind the 1st place Clydes in a finish time of 1:12:45. My splits were as follows:

Swim: 3:00 300Meters (1:00 p/ M) T1: :54 Bike: 41:10 (14 miles) average pace (20.1MPH)
T2: 1:33 Run: 5k 26:05 average pace 8:22 p/mile TOTALCHIPTIME: 1:12:45

Well folks, that's it. Another race, another great experience, and an interesting day to "TRI MYWILL." It is funny how a short little sprint Tri can humble you and make you realize how tough it can be to push through struggles, challenges, and not-so-perfect conditions. Now it is time to set my sites on my first Half Ironman in Orlando, Florida in 20 days and counting..... Icannot wait! Have a good one ya'll.

****Keller ST. Patrick's Day Triathlon****

I woke up at about 4:30am felt great and was ready for the race. I drank a 16oz bottle of Gatorade Focus to get my hydration going, then ate 2 slices of wheat toast with some margerine, had a couple spoonfuls of peanut butter a granola bar, and was ready to rumble. Idrank a few more fluids closer to the race.

Now for the reality:
a balmy 39 degrees with light drizzles going on... BRRRRRRRRRR!!!
The thought of jumping out of the water and getting on a bike wet and
cold was not very appealing at all! There were over 700 people registered
for the tri so it was a great turnout and everyone froze together!!!
It's sad that to "Warm-up" I had to jump INTO the pool and swim some laps
before-hand. Anyways....



They started us off according to our estimated 300 meter swim time
we put on our registration form. I put 5 minutes flat for my time.
(My fastest time for 300 Ihave is 4:11) So I was very conservative in my
estimation and was seeded as BIB#119. Appearently, folks have no idea what
a 5 minute 300 meter swim consists of because Ipassed 2 swimmers on the
1st LENGTH (Not lap, length) 5 minutes?yeah right... Anyways, Ispent all
5:03 that it took me to swim, dodging people who need to get their heads
and rear-ends wired together I guess. Anyways, Iwas happy with my swim
time, could have done it quicker, but why tire for a few seconds?
I made it out of the pool and was slappped with the weather when I ran out
the door of the Natatorium in to Transition #1 and my feet almost
immediately froze on contact with the concrete! On to the bike...



Ihad only got a chance to ride my new Tri bike 1 time before this
race and it is NOT like riding a road bike! Ifelt like Ihad never ridden
before and the musclesI engage being aero felt like they had never been
used before yesterday. My bike split was awful! Iaveraged almost 20 mph on
my road bike on this same course last year in The Monster Tri, yesterday I
averaged a weak 17.5 mph... ugh! Anyways it was cold, wet and miserable
out on the road, and I know in just a few weeks Iwill be a force to be
reconned with on my new bike, just need to get a little more saddle time in!
Going into Transition #2, Igot out of my shoes on the bike and hit
the frozen ground running into transition. My feet were so cold they felt
like they were getting stabbed! I got to my setup, racked my bike,
with my frozen hands tried my hardest to get my socks on, I finally did,
pulled on my shoes & used my Yankz and I was ready to jam on it on the run...


The run went by WAY fast... I guess anything feels fast when you just
ran a 26.2 mile marathon 2 weeks ago. The 5k was pretty much flat and there
were a lot of people on the trail. Iended up running the 5k in 23:48 which
translates to 7:41 minute miles... I'll take it. It was not until Ihit
mile 2 that I could actually feel my feet again... Ithink that if my feet
would have felt 100% and were warm, Icould have ran in 21 minutes, but we
will get em next time!



Overall, Iam very happy with my race, Iended up taking 4th out of 43
in my division. There were only 4 minutes that seperated me and 1st place,
and had Ieven had my road bike out there, Iwould have mopped up 1st place,
no problem. Anyways, Ihave some work to do on my new bike, thank goodness
it is warmin up outside, and everything else is progressing nicely! Thanks
to all my friends and family who always love and support me, you are the
best!



So, year-to-date for my events, Ihave ran a full marathon, finishing
10th out of 61, and a Sprint Triathlon finishing 4th out of 43 people in my
respective divisions. Iam very happy with the results and I will be a
fine instrument of Triathlon Warfare by the end of the 2009 season!
Take care ya'll...

*****Cowtown Marathon Race Report*****

Well, today was an awesome day! I came in 10th place out of 61 in Clydesdale division with a finishing time of 4:23:01 for 26.2 miles! So let me back up and tell you about the day:

I woke up at 4:45 am, did some lite stretching, pounded a 32 ounce bottle of Gatorade Focus, and followed that with a big bowl of oatmeal. I took a couple big bites of peanut butter, took a shower, got dressed, got my hydration / fuel belt loaded up, and waited for my friend to pick me up to head out to the race. When I walked out to get into his car, I immediately felt like I was getting stabbed by the cold air and 22mph winds that were blowing. I went in to the house, grabbed my jacket and we were off. The race started promptly at 7:30, and we arrived at 6:30. We hung out in the car to keep warm until about 6:50, then we headed to the "John" I chugged another thing of Gatorade, atea bananaand was ready to go. They had a 5k 10k half marathon, full marathon, and Ultra marathon. The half, full, and ultra started together and the start line was packed! Over 17,000 people this year between all events!

Istarted off strong!! Maybe a little too strong, but I was feeling great, aside from 35 degree weather and 20+mph winds, and a course that had hardly and flat spots, it was all hills... the longest one being 2.5% for over a mile at mile 21 or so!!!My goal was to finish between 4:00:00 - 4:20:00, knowing that if all the stars aligned and we had optimal conditions, Icould probably pull of a sub 4 hour run. The day actually went by pretty fast, and aside from the conditions, it was a great race. Yesterday I drank so much fluid and this morning I drank so much fluid to be completely hydrated, however,I ended up having to stop 5 times on the course to tinkle because I was not sweating out the fluids! (Probably 10 minutes of wasted time!) For nutrition, I took in Gatorade at most stations, I went through 4 bags of sports beans, and went through 1 pack of electrolyte tabs (Salt & loads of potassium). It really helped me to not hit the "Wall" this time around. Leading up to the race... Monday, Tuesday, and half of Wednesday were protein load, the rest of the week was carb load, it worked great!

As for my pace, my splits are below:

Dan Benintendi #131

Age: 33 Gender: M

If I would have started out a little slower, Iprobably would have had a stronger 2nd half, but I will not complain with an overall average pace 10:02 p/ mile. It has been 13 months since my surgery and as long since I weighed 400 pounds. I am so grateful to be able to do what I now love to do... Endurance Sports!! My family was there to greet me at the finish line... I rode out with my buddy so they would not have to sit around freezing for 4+ hours waiting for me, so they got there about 45 minutes before I finished, and I was so happy to see them. Well, that's it, a great day, a great event, a great result, and a great start to 2009 that now has 2 sprint triathlons, 4 Half Ironmans, 1 Full Ironman, and another Full Marathon. Here's to marathon #2 under my belt with a 30+ minute improvement from my last one, in much more difficult conditions. Thank you all for your love, support, and encouragement, I could not have done this without you...

-Dan Benintendi www.trimywill.com

Dallas "Run The Rock" Race Report

A Thanksgiving Update & Race Report....

About 10 minutes after we finished the 5K my 10K started. I have not been feeling 100% with some congestion and limited lung capacity. Anyways, I wanted to finish my first 10K in about 52 minutes. The course was a lot hillier than I had thought it would be, but it was a lot of fun, through some nice neighborhoods. I finished in 54:02 (Unofficial) according to my watch when I crossed the start and finish line. It was a mass start and there was no chip reader at the start so those who were stuck at the middle or back of the pack had to wait a few minutes to get going, and the official times will reflect that misfortune. Official results to post in the morning. All-in-all, I am pretty happy with my time on my first 10k!


My son Ayden, and nephew Alex ran the 1K Gobbler Trot. They both were pretty quick and got their finishers medals... That by far will be the highlight for their 2008 Thanksgiving! It is amazing to think that my first Thanksgiving post op was spent at a running event, rather than sleeping in until 10am, eating a bunch of donuts, and harasing my wife about turkey not being ready! What a difference 10.5 months makes!! I love my life, love my family, and am looking forward to spending the day at home relaxing.

9 Month Post Op Triathlon Race Report....Keller, TX Monster Tri
on October 27, 2008 7:12 pm
Published

Ok,

So yesterday was an awesome race. The sun was shinning, the air was brisk, and the atmosphere happy and cheerful! This was my 2nd Triathlon since my surgery in January when I weighed 400 Pounds. I have now lost 180 pounds and was feeling so great for this race.....

The event was sold out with over 515 entrants, and I ended up estimating my swim time for 300 Meters at 6:00, knowing full well I swim it in about 5:15. The lanes were 11 feet across and you only went up one lane then moved over to the next lane in a snake pattern, so no traffic coming from both directions, so I knew it would be easier to pass the slower swimmers as I had been seeded as number 217. Well, I blew by 7 people on the swim finishing in 5:48. (The chip reader wasa good distanceaway from pool exit so alot of seconds attributed to that). First transition took a little longer than I would have liked at 1:46, then I was off to the 2 loop bike course.

This bike course was 13 miles, and had some brutal hills. The front end of the course was pretty flat with a few rolling hills, but the last half was pretty challenging. I ended up with a time of 38:29 averaging just about 19 MPH. I'll take it! Transition 2 went fairly smooth, still a little longer than I wanted at 1:20, but acceptable....Off to the run.

The run was pretty flat, and very scenic on a paved trail through trees and a nice park. I passed a bunch of folks on the run, and my confidence in my run has dramatically improved! I finished the 5K run (3.1 miles) in 27:14....I'll take it! I could have pushed a little harder, but I am way happy with my results.

I competed as a Clydesdale along with about 30+ guys in the 1-39 year old division. At packet pickup I met a couple dudes who have completed multiple Full Ironman distance Tri's andwere competing as Clydesdales, along with a dude from my Tri club who is an Ironman finisher as well. So, needless to say, I had no real hopes of walking away with hardware, but I took a respectable 7th! I ended up finishing 120th overall and had an absolute blast competing. Last month at my first Tri, I finished the same distances at 1:34:00... Yesterday, I shaved 20 minutes off that time! I am heading in the right direction!

I have signed up for a full marathon here in Dalls in December, and it will fall on my 11th month surgiversary. I think I a ready. I am running about 30-40 miles per week, and will build up for the full marathon, I can't wait. Also, I am going to register for the Louseville, Kentucky FULL Ironman in August of 09....I am addicted to this sport! Thanks for reading and I have copied some pics for you to check out.....Thanks for all of your support and encouragement.

***Results:

http://www.doitsports.com/newresults3/client/195714_226309_2008.txt

9/20/2008 The 10th Annual Denison Dash - Denison, TX

Today I Did It.... I Am A Triathlete...8 Months Post-Op
on September 20, 2008 4:50 pm

Ok Guys,
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Today was such and awesome day!!! We had to leave at 4:30am this morning to get to the triathlon race site in time, so we packed up and headed out. The morning was absolutely gorgeous and the staff and volunteers at the race were incredible. All-in-all, I am VERY pleased with myself in regards to my performance. I went into my first race with 2 goals. #1 Goal....DON'T FINISH LAST....#2 No matter how tired I got, I would not stop swimming, pedaling, or running.

Well, not only did I accomplish these two goals, but managed to come in 2nd in the Clydesdale division ages 7-39!!! My splits were as follows:

Swim: 5:48 in a VERY crowded pool (Placed 33 Overall on swim time)

Bike: Averaged 18.7 MPH on the hilliest course I have ever ridden!

Run: Averaged a slow 10:12 Mile over a very rugged terrain & trail run.

Of course as we are about to start, the guy who has been in this race the last 4 years itterates how much he hates the bike ride because of the hills! I am thinking the worst.... I will say my legs were shot and they certainly did not feel like moving at all after the ride, but we got em moving, and I am still alive to tell about it. I loved my first outing and am hooked...For more pics go to my profile and view Triathlon folder. Thanks guys for all your support & encouragement.

Contact me with feedback dan@trimywill.com