Thanks for your support and congratulations
Tom Kinneman
As many of you already know, I (finally) achieve a long awaited dream of qualifying for the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii in October of 2014. Yesterday I placed first in my age group at Ironman Florida, finishing in 10:40:27. Every leg was a significant Ironman PR: 1:12 Swim, 5:28 bike and a 3:46 run.
I just wanted to thank all my family, friends, training partners and coaches for all their help and support as I prepared for this test, and for all the congratulations since Karen posted the news. Knowing you were all watching on-line certainly helped in those moments of doubt and opportunity during the race.
First and foremost, I have to thank my wonderful wife, Karen, who has put up with the long hours away, the chores left undone and the constant discussion of things triathlon (not to mention the impact on our household budget). And despite all that, her “gentle” encouragement whenever I thought to blow off a workout after a long day at the office to: “Get your butt down stairs and get that training done; you’re taking me to Hawaii!”
Second, a lot of credit has to go to my coaches, Sharon Johnson and Fernando Braz. Sharon didn’t teach me how to swim; just how to swim faster…. And anyone who has ridden with Sharon or done any of her Computrainer classes at Breakaway knows where that bike split came from. Of course, it all would have been for naught if I hadn’t been able to run down the three guys ahead of me coming out of T2. Fernando’s marathon program and the Tuesday night track workouts helped me put together the speed, endurance and, most important, mental toughness to keep pushing right to the last three miles when I finally hauled in the last guy.
And finally, a shout out to all my training buddies and teammates. Nobody can do the volume required for an Ironman without partners to share the journey. Your own accomplishments and dedication are an inspiration to me, and I can’t begin to count the many critical tips and tricks passed along by so many of you over the years. Trust me; I used them all yesterday. While there are too many of you to thank by name, I have to publicly thank a few who went the proverbial “extra mile” this year. Deb Sakr and Caroline Kavanagh were always there for the many long swim sessions, even when they included cold early mornings at Stiles long after their seasons were winding down. Thanks also to the Breakaway crew led by Sharon Johnson and Rich Ebbert for making sure there was a long and interesting ride each weekend. And the long runs early in the year with Steve Seide and John Gorman, and the track workouts with the whole 1B Group at Going the Distance, always required me to bring my best game.
So, as I wind up a great and gratifying year, I look forward to celebrating with you all at the Breakaway party on Saturday, and the TriFury Awards dinner on Sunday. Needless to say, I will be relying on you all for your help again next year as I tune up for the big show in Kona next year. Thank you one and all.
Sincerely,
Tom Kinneman
Mobile: +1 (978) 996-6997
Email: t...@kinneman.net