...the one who endures that the final victory comes

The alarm went off a 4 am this morning and I popped out of bed. Today is Missy's big day...the Philadelphia Olympic Distance Triathlon. She has been training consistently for the last year and half for this day and religiously for the last 20 weeks. The cars are packed, the kids buckled in and we are off.

We arrive at Fairmount Park a little after 5:40 am and the place is bustling. There is an energy in the air that is difficult to describe. There are literally 2,000 or athletes milling about waiting for their heat to go off.

We select a prime location near the bike and run transition area and settle in for what is sure to be an exciting day. The kids are besides themselves as they reel off a series of 50 yard sprints. Its as if they have both slugged a 20 oz coffee when I wasn't looking. My Mom and Dad join Missy's Mom Helene, myself, John, Emily and our cousin Florence for today's festivities.

The racers have been bused over to the St. Joseph's boathouse on the other side of the river and we are left to await their arrival on the other side. This is definitely the most anxious time for me as I stand and wait to see Missy come out of transition after a 1 mile swim.

Dad and I spot her coming into the transition area and alert the others to her arrival. We join together to cheer her on as she prepares to mount the bike and begin the 26 mile ride. I speak from experience when I say there is nothing like the adrenaline boost that you get from having the people you love cheer you on (Missy confirmed this after the race).

Missy stays with in herself and knocks out the bike leg in an hour and forty minutes. This is her first attempt at a race of this distance and it is important not to over do it on the bike portion (it is not how you start its how you finish). She comes out of transition and she looks good...but how will her knee hold up on the unforgiving blacktop of West River Drive?

Our good friend Jess and her kids Shane and Kylie arrive to help us cheer Missy on to the finish. As she passes the halfway point she looks good but just to be safe we dial up a little extra cheer for her. We hustle over to the finish line and wait patiently for her to cross the line. As she is coming down the last quarter mile straight away you can see the strain on her face and slight hitch in her stride (the knee flared up). But there is nothing that will stop her now. She crosses the finish line realizing in that moment a year and half's worth of hard work. I hustle through the crowd (feeling a lot like Adrienne in Rocky...I can't get away from this movie) and make my way to her for a victory hug.

Missy didn't win the race, far from it, and I wouldn't have been more proud if she had. It is hard for me to explain the feeling that you get when you watch someone train so hard for so long to achieve their goals and then they do it...it is the best. Missy was victorious today in her quest to get the most that she possibly can out herself. Her success can be attributed to hard work, didication and her desire to succeed. Tomorrow there will be pain as she recovers from the three plus hours race and in the coming weeks more training for other races but today we celebrate. Congratulations Missy!

"Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes" Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta