This is Palm Springs, California, where Dan and I traveled for Dan´s triathlon. For all those playing along, Palm Springs, California is not like Palm Springs, Florida. Palm Springs, California is in the middle of the desert -- just in case swimming, biking, and running for 3 hours wasn´t challenging enough.
This is the lake where all the tri-athletes began the race and swam for a quarter of a mile (for the sprint race) or a mile (for the international race). You can see all the racers in the distance below. The lake looks calm enough, but both Dan and his brother, Joe, expressed similiar drowning concerns after the race when they had a chance to recover and reflect on the madness that is the T-R-I-A-T-H-L-O-N.
This is a photo of Dan and his incredibly adorable coach. This is a victory photo, after the race, when the athlete was proven wrong about all his fears, and indeed, he did not drown as was the concern during the entire week leading up to the race (that, and... which of the three rented wet suits he should wear).
This is a photo of all three victorious triathletes: Dan (left), Jack (center), and Joe (Dan´s brother, right). We stayed in Jack´s Aunt´s two bedroom condo, it was plush and made up for the fact that we were trapped in the middle of the desert.Dan´s brother, Joe, completed the international version of the triathlon, which was double the distance of the sprint version and last three hours instead of an hour and half. Thus, the well-deserved victory towel upon his head.
This is Dan, before the race. We arrived at 7:50AM and Dan and Jack´s start time for the Sprint race was 8AM. Whoops. This is Dan, trying to mount his bike, which he will have to ride all the way around the lake and then suit up before hitting the water for his quarter mile swim. And he needs to get there in under ten minutes.
Dan doesn´t know it, yet, but he left without his helmet or water bottles, and his incredibly aborable coach has to jump in the car and chase after him -- or else he wouldn´t have been able to ride. Below, is Dan´s brother, Joe, giving himself a cheer for having the luck of starting later in the day, instead of starting 10 minutes after we parked.
5:30AM, the morning of the triathlon, and both brothers are contemplating why they ever thought it would be a good idea to participate in such madness.
This is Dan, before the race. We arrived at 7:50AM and Dan and Jack´s start time for the Sprint race was 8AM. Whoops. This is Dan, trying to mount his bike, which he will have to ride all the way around the lake and then suit up before hitting the water for his quarter mile swim. And he needs to get there in under ten minutes.
Dan doesn´t know it, yet, but he left without his helmet or water bottles, and his incredibly aborable coach has to jump in the car and chase after him -- or else he wouldn´t have been able to ride. Below, is Dan´s brother, Joe, giving himself a cheer for having the luck of starting later in the day, instead of starting 10 minutes after we parked.
5:30AM, the morning of the triathlon, and both brothers are contemplating why they ever thought it would be a good idea to participate in such madness.
