If you would have asked me 12-14 years ago if there would ever be an Ironman event in Raleigh, I would have said you are crazy. It’s funny how things change. Raleigh used to be a sleepy little medium sized city with the State capital and a few universities. Today, Raleigh seems to always be on the top 3 list of best places to live/work in the country.
I was excited when Ironman made the announcement that they were coming to Raleigh. Then I was bummed when I learned it was 3 weeks out from Ironman Coeur D’Alene. No race for me, but lots of good opportunities for spectating. I really enjoyed seeing all of the familiar faces.
Here’s what I captured
After being on the spectator side of the fence for this race, I really have a better appreciation for all of the coordination/planning it takes to put on an event of this length. When you factor in Police, EMS, volunteers, Aid Stations, Water safety personnel, road closures, etc…and then spread that out over 70.3 miles covering 2 counties, you’ve got plenty of opportunities for problems. From what I could tell, everything went flawlessly.
Thanks for Watching!
