My Dad's Write-Up of the Race

http://www.teamnebraska.org/PDF.Forms/HawaiiStory2008.pdf

Post-Airdate

After the airdate of the Ironman on NBC Sports life has been very exciting.  My sister found a YouTube video of a segment from the program that included us.  So if you didn't get a chance to see the Ironaman on TV, you can watch the segment now.  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpNqwjBAck4&feature=related

Ironman Airing Date

When in Hawai'i my dad was contacted by NBC Sports and was given the opportunity to be interviewed. We had a lot of fun talking with all of the camera people, they were so nice. On race day they kept calling my mom to see where we were. There is a possible chance that we might be on the program that airs December 13th on NBC Sports. If you have nothing going on I strongly encourage you to watch the program as it is very inspiring and fun to watch. If you would like to see some videos explaining the race feel free to watch these.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx8ae4TfwrE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh1yMnrby3w&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ragbcOPm_w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRHxHapwirw

Race Pictures

Here are some of the pictures of the race. The guys that ride the bikes the whole way through the race are called "hand-cyclists." They do this because they have lost function of their legs. The last 2 pictures are of daddy. He had enough energy to finish strong, giving high-5's to everybody, smiling, and living the moment. We are so proud of him. 13 hours, 28 minutes, and 6 seconds.

Race Day Part 1

Today we were so busy it was insane!!! We got up early and left the condo at 5:30 a.m. We watched the swim start and then headed up the hill to catch up with our bus that was going to take us and other people onto the bike course to cheer the bikers on as they rode. We rang our cow bells until we had blisters on our hands. Dad looked really happy when he passed us on his bike. We are so proud of him. After the majority of the bikers had gone through we headed back to the bus to head back to town. We got back just in time to see the pro's starting their run.

We walked all the way down to "Lava Java" and met there for lunch with Grandma and Carson. Here we sat and cheered on all of the runners that passed. Dad still looked very pleased with himself when he passed us coming...and going. He then left town to go run out to the Energy Lab.
We meandered back towards the finish line and stopped along the way to cheer in a close friend's husband. When we finally got to the finish line it was dark. We waited for over 2 hours for my dad to come in. We rang our cowbells and cheered for everyone that was finishing. Then more cheering arose from down the line of people and from the loud speakers came, "And all the way from Plattsmouth, NE, Rich Propst!" My dad was so happy. He was giving everybody high-5's and smiling the whole way there. Then as he crossed the finish line the voice came over the loud speakers again, "Rich Propst! You are an Ironman!" I don't think that words can describe how incredibly proud we felt for him. He was so happy. I know that he has appreciated all of the words of encouragement along the way. I don't think that he could have done it without all of us right there with him.
We are all now utterly exhausted and are sunburned, and covered in blisters. But we could care less. Dad came in at exactly 13 hours, 28 minutes, and 6 seconds.

Race Day Preperation

The welcome banquet last night was great. There was lots of food and lots of people! There was a show put on with hula dancers. It was cool. There were speeches given and little clips for motivation for all of the athletes. They recognized the youngest and oldest male and female running in the race. The youngest girl was 18 years old and the youngest boy was 18 years old. The oldest lady was 72 years old and the oldest man was 79 years old.

Today we toured the city of Kailua-Kona with my grandma. After that dad organized all of his things for the big race tomorrow. We grabbed his bike and headed over to the transition/check-in area. Here, he checked in his bike and all of his bags. We came back to the condo to let dad rest. Mom is making a dinner of spaghetti so that he can load up on carbs.
He is going to bed early because he is being picked up tomorrow at 4:35 a.m. He goes through body-marking at 4:45 a.m. At 6:30 a.m. the Navy Seals will jump out of a plane and parachute into the water while people sing the National Anthem. The USS Lake Erie pulled in today and will be here to honor the 30 year anniversary of the Ford Ironman World Championship Race. The USS Lake Erie and a picture of the stage at the banquet last night.

Thursday

Today dad got up early and tried out his new pedals on his bike. After that he ran with Carson in Kona's annual Underwear Run. If you would like to see what this really is I have included a link of last year's race. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB0jem3YpgY

When they were done running we all piled in the car and drove to the Outrigger Beach Resort. Here dad was interviewed by NBC Sports. It was so cool! We all got in a family shot and it was a lot of fun. My mom also got interviewed. She said that it would have been nice if she would have known that she was going to be interviewed. The camera guy outside told us a good place to see sea turtles. It was so cool, there were a lot of them there. It took me forever to take a picture when their head was out of the water! But I did eventually get the picture.

We are awaiting the arrival of my Grandmother who has been to all 49 states and as of this afternoon, all 50. She is very excited to support her son-in-law as he fulfills his dream. Tomorrow my dad checks his bike into the transition area. Tonight we will be attending the grand "Carbo-Load" dinner. This will basically be just a ton of pasta! Imagine how much pasta is needed to feed 1,800 people plus their families!!!

Wednesday

Today we ate lunch at Lava Java (in front of the camera) while dad's bike was being "fine tuned." We purchased new bike pedals for his bike. Then we went to the Ironman Expo and got some really cool souvenirs. We also made signs while dad talked to his coach. Carson got the chance to try on a Navy Seal's Diver helmet at the Expo. We came back to the condo and did homework and then went swimming. We ate dinner at "The Fish Hopper" again where we are now local celebrities. The manager of the restaurant just loves dad and he gives us a free appetizer and select seating.

Tuesday

Today daddy went for a short swim in the ocean. While he was swimming he saw a billboard held down by rocks at the bottom of the ocean. It was an advertisement for a coffee shop and there was an arrow pointing out towards sea. Turned out there actually was a coffee shop only it was on a sailboat! They were selling coffee to all of the swimmers that swam by. Later on in his swim he saw a Moray Eel. After that he went to breakfast with Mark Allen. A 6 time winner of the Ironman race. While he was doing this the rest of us all enjoyed the luxuries of the pool and sun. Dad came back and joined us for a bit in the pool.

After we were done at the pool we loaded dad's bike up and drove north. We turned on our airconditioning! -wink- -wink-, oops! I forgot to tell you that we aren't supposed to have air conditioning! For now, air conditioning consists of rolling down the two front windows. We will be turning on every form of air conditioning we can find after the race. We dropped him off at a town by the name of Kawaihae. Then the rest of us drove to the town of Hawi and waited for him there. This town is the turn around for the bike portion of the race.

Upon our return we went downtown for the parade of nations. Dad walked in the parade with Carson. The parade was really neat and ended up at the Expo. Here we were able to meet dad's coach, Paul Huddle. If you would like to read more about Paul visit this site.

http://www.multisports.com/paulhuddle.shtml
We finished up eating on the ocean at Bubba Gumps. It was a beautiful view with great food.

Monday

Today my dad went on a 38 mile bike ride and traveled the entire bike course. The group that he was traveling with (TriTravel) took them to a special spot in the lava fields where they could make little monuments for their big race out of lava rocks. Dad made a monument out of white lava rock to represent his mom and dad as they watch over him as he races on Saturday. While he was making the monument he saw a Humpback whale jump out of the water. He said that it was amazing.

After that we all had lunch at a restaurant called "The Fish Hopper." They had some of the best calamari we had ever tasted and a great view of the ocean. After we were done eating we wandered around town and looked at some shops. One shop had a sign out in front of it saying that anybody running in the Ironman race could come and sign this poster. The shop had a poster for every year the race has been held with some of the competitors signatures and bib numbers on it.

Then dad went to go do a 30-45 minute run at the Natural Energy Lab. My mom, brother, sister and I went down to the tide pools there and watched the sun set. The clouds covered up where the sun set on the water so it wasn't that glamorous. There were so many crabs and really pretty sea shells too.
I included a picture of the sun setting at the Natural Energy Lab.