I’ll start with a big thank you and much love to Sharon (@mtnester1) for supporting and cheering me on as I pursue my athletic endeavors. I know you are tired of me schlepping a bicycle around with me, but I love you for putting up with it :-) 

I also want to thank my coach Kimberly (@ladybaba_13) for her continued efforts to coax another iota of performance out of me.  Thankless work for sure :-)

I became a product ambassador for the first time for @nuunhydration.  It was an interesting experience and I have no idea if I’ll be invited back, but what matters more to me is that if you see a product on my posts, it’s because the product has been good to me as an athlete and I hope others will benefit .  So a shout out to many other products for which I receive nothing but goodwill (and sometimes better performance) – @wildcycler (rad designs), @altrarunning (these shoes enable me to run day after day), @zygogram (the best swim headphones ever), @formswim (smart goggles that let me focus on swimming), @desoto_sport (my tri-shorts and tops), @iamspecialized (my road and gravel bikes), @cervelo (my tri bike), @garmin (my watches, pedals, sensors) and there are others I’m sure I’m forgetting.

I did a smaller number of events this year because of injuries, scheduling and life events.  This year I only did one triathlon – IM 70.3 Honu in June.  As always, it’s a great race.  I enjoy the bike leg the most, trekking up to Hawi and back. 

I started the year with the New Year’s Cheer race in Volcano, HI at Volcano Winery.  It’s a 3 hour race – a trail run counting as many laps as possible – and it’s the first podium I’ve been on, maybe ever.  I came in second but, to be fair, there were only three of us running the race :-).  No matter – I was proud of the effort.

I also participated in a pickleball tournament earlier in the year and my partner Terri Lee (from Maui) and I secured a second place finish in our group.  As I did then, I continue to thank Terri for being a great partner.  

My biggest event of the year was L’Etape du Tour – a race on Stage 14 of the 2023 Tour de France.  It was by far the hardest ride I’ve ever done with 4100m of climbing.  I’ve posted about it before, but it was my athletic highlight of the year and one I’ll remember always.  If I can, I’m going to do another one, but not 2024 (I wasn’t very excited about the stage they are racing this year).  

Another great highlight was in April, when Sharon (@mtnester1) and I rode our bikes around the Tulips in Skagit county.  We don’t often get to ride our bikes together but every time we do, it’s special for me.  

I brought my gravel bike to Israel in October and was fortunate enough to get one good ride in before the terrorist attack on 7 October sent us to our bomb shelters and eventually home.

One interesting thing to note this year is that I started lifting weights again.  I’ve learned how to do belt squats to deal with my continuing back issues and have rehabilitated my separated shoulder so that I can now to push-ups and pull-ups again.  It feels good to be back in the gym.  

Next year’s calendar is starting to take shape.  I’m planning on doing two half-Ironman races (Honu in June and Tri-Cities in September).  I’m considering doing Levi’s Gran Fondo as one of my bicycle events.  If things are good enough to run the Tiberius race in Israel, I may do that 70.3 as well.  I’m sure I’ll find a half-marathon and other bicycle events as the year goes  but this is what’s on the calendar so far.  I hope everyone had a great 2023 and that you achieve your goals for 2024!