One more time….
Ironman #19 is in the books!
Ironman Texas 2025 was an unforgettable day. It marked my final Ironman on American soil — and I was incredibly grateful to share it with my longtime training partner, Debbie Ragals. Fittingly, it was her 10th and final Ironman as well. We've both come a long way.
Leading up to the race, everything went perfectly. I was part of the XC program again, and, as always, Troy and Michelle made the whole experience feel easy and relaxed. I didn’t even feel nervous until the night before the race.
The swim was smooth and comfortable, and the bike ride was a pleasure compared to last year — less wind made a big difference. One of the most memorable moments on the bike course was watching the pros fly by in both directions on the highway. The speed and form of both the men and women were just jaw-dropping.
Unfortunately, I did witness a serious crash during the ride. Three cyclists went down right in front of me. I stopped to help, and one of the riders appeared to have suffered a bad injury — possibly a broken collarbone — after hitting a traffic cone and going over his handlebars. There was a lot of blood. I truly hope he's made a full recovery.
Aside from that, the ride went to plan. But after such a tough winter in the Northeast — and only one outdoor ride before race day — I really felt the lack of road miles when I hit T2.
The run was... a different story. From the first mile, I could tell it wasn’t going to be my day. Debbie caught up with me quickly, and we started a run-walk strategy together. A couple of miles in, we made a joint decision: with a six-mile uphill backpacking hike in Big Bend National Park just two days away (a story for another day), we’d mostly walk the marathon.
What followed was a long, but surprisingly enjoyable, afternoon and evening stroll through The Woodlands. Ironman marathons come in many forms — this one happened to include a lot of chatting, laughing, and soaking in the moment.
We got our medals. And to cap the day off, I was lucky enough to earn a XC World Championship slot for Nice in September — Ironman #20, my final Ironman, is now in sight.
Back to training. And a stronger performance in France!
