Wish I could get to more Ironmans throughout the year but it is just physically impossible. As you all know there seems to be one every weekend now! There are other great announcers working the Ironman and Ironman 70.3 events like Paul Kaye, Peter Murray, Tom Ziebart, Dave Ragsdale, Joanne Murphy, Eric Gilsenan, Dave Downey, Michael Lovato, Cameron Harper, Alain Cyr, and more. They’re voices that don’t go unnoticed and to work with them and watch their amazing passion for Ironman is a pure pleasure.
How do I pick which events to work (not really work in the true sense of the word). A lot depends on my full time great job with Events.com and how much travel I can pull off in one year. Plus working Ironmans on back to back weekends is a tough call. Being a new Grandpa and loving to be with my family at home in San Diego is always my #1 priority! But the best part of doing what I do is being with all of you who I consider my second family. The number of you I see at the events each and every year I consider my friends.
I’ll be out for a run or riding my bike and one of you or more will pop into my head. I’ll remember your finish, a conversation we had, what you said it meant to you hearing those 4 words, or meeting your children. It is like a page in a chapter of a book that I remember like I just read it. And yes, I am trying to get it all down for a book someday.
Now with the schedule – which consist mostly of the full distance. The good folks at Ironman give me the autonomy to choose the Ironman events I’d like to go to in the US. I am honored that Ironman New Zealand and Australia invite me every year! Ironman chooses who works the 70.3 World Championships and European events. There are a few US Ironmans where my goal is to keep them in my schedule every year (Lake Placid, Wisconsin, Kona, Arizona) until I hang up the microphone (don’t ask when because I don’t yet know).
3/5 Ironman New Zealand (#150 total for me)
4/2 Oceanside 70.3
5/1 Ironman Australia
5/14 Ironman Texas
7/24 Ironman Lake Placid
8/7 Ironman Boulder
8/21 Ironman Mont-Tremblant
9/11 Ironman Wisconsin
10/8 Ironman Hawaii
10/22 Ironman North Carolina
11/20 Ironman Arizona
The reason I can’t do Ironman Vineman here in my home state a family member is getting married that weekend and I am officiating her wedding. It was a tough decision not going to Ironman Coeur d Alene, one I’ve been to every year but it falls on IM Mont-Tremblant weekend. Mont-Tremblant is my only opportunity to call a Canadian event so I chose to go there again for their 5th anniversary. They are on different weekends in 2017 so I’ll be back to Coeur d Alene!
Can’t wait to see you all and your amazing finishes! Happy training everyone.
Cheers,
Mike
