Race Coverage

Finding Hidden Victories...

Monday, 30 August 2010 07:37

Graniteman Events co-founder/co-director Bill Corcoran is a great guy. And a pretty darn good triathlete, too. In the un-photoshopped pic here he is proposing to the totally beautiful Heather, who could barely hear her fiance-to-be's gaspy words--Bill had just finished the Square Lake Half--because she was listening to AC/DC ("Highway to Hell") on her iPod. Bill and Heather are now blissfully married. Bill submitted this wonderful story:

MTN - Here is my race recap from the Baxter race as well as a little flavor and history about the struggle prior to and during the race. Keep in mind, I am not a writer, so feel free to scrap the whole thing as necessary. Thanks! - Bill Corcoran

Since 2004, I have had the pleasure of using this great sport we call triathlon to heal both my outer and inner wounds. After going through a tough divorce, triathlon gave me a healthy way to deal with the ever so difficult challenges that life brought me. The long workouts gave me time to pray,..

think, and look inward. It has been very therapeutic, and as a positive byproduct, at the age of 30 I rekindled my competitive drive. That began what I call "the sickness". I somewhere along the line forgot that I did triathlons for fun. Year after year, I trained harder, smarter, and got faster. I got the new bike, Garmin, wetsuit, and all of the other gadgets that us triathletes like to play with. I fell in love with swimming, biking, and developed a love hate relationship with my running shoes. For a couple years, while putting in the necessary 60-70 mile rides to get ready for a 1/2 Ironman, I actually referred to my bike as my closest friend. It became a little like having a 2nd dog. Loyal, obedient, it worked hard when I needed it to, and it was always close by.