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146--California: Big Kahuna Half Iron-Man @ Site News     Aug 23 2003 - 17:10 PST cherie writes: It happened on September 7, 2003. Five friends gathered to compete in a half iron man. Kevin, Mark, Justin, Dave and Chris swam 1.2 miles, biked 56 miles and then ran a half-marathon (13.1 miles!) I was exhausted just following them around in a car snapping photos! Friends and fans gathered at the Santa Cruz boardwalk to cheer them on as they raced past historic lighthouses, crashing waves and brightly colored carnival rides that define Santa Cruz. Click on each picture to see it full size. read comments (0) | write comment| views: 3785    | rated: 0.0    printer-friendly version   Kevin aces the 56 mile bike ride and finishes the race in 5 hours 36 minutes! Justin, Chris, Kevin and Mark ready to get in the water at 7:05 am. Mark and Sarah. The silver caps (30-34 year old men) prepare to start the Half Iron-Man. Mark waiting for the start. Goggles on. And they're off! A splashy start. You can only imagine how cold that water is. The swimmers go all the way out, past the sailboats. The view of the racers from the pier. The Santa Cruz Boardwalk. Around the pier and back is 1.2 miles. Lots of rescue crew on duty. Spectators eagerly await the first swimmers in! That's a lot of pier to swim around. Greg cheers Kevin. Kevin is one of the first swimmers out. Now a quick run on the beach and he jumps on the bike. Look what Mark can do with water! The cheerleaders! Cherie and Sarah with little Cecilia. Liam waits for his dad to get back with Sarah. I have to drive to keep up with Kevin! Kevin averages over 21 miles per hour on the bike. You can't argue with the view. I took this photo right before Kevin passed the guy. Up and down the beautiful California coast. The cheering section! The last mile. Kevin finishes the bike. Kevin comes around the bend. Mark rounds the corner. Dave waves goodbye. The beautiful Santa Cruz scenery. Kevin, only a few miles from the finish line. Mark waves hello! Justin runs by. Cherie cheers Kevin! Chris and Kevin, side by side. Chris pulls ahead, he and Kevin agree to finish the race side by side. That smile means it is almost over! The fans wait by the boardwalk for the racers to finish. Dave crosses the line just after Justin. Chris and Kevin tie. Many of the racers cross the line with their kids. Justin and Sandy celebrate Justin's great time! All the finishers get a cool Tiki medal. Mark and Sarah. All the guys--Kevin, Mark, Chris, Dave and Justin.