They call it the road to Ironman. They call it this because it takes most people a year to prepare for. What is that these prepare an entire for? Ironman is a long distance triathlon consisting of a 3.8KM of swim, followed by a 180KM of bike ride and ending with a 42.2KM marathon and the joy of knowing that you’ve crossed over to be an Ironman.
I will spend a year training for one day, one event. But, this event is neither the end or the beginning. It will be the culmination and celebration of a year’s hard work, the adventures, memories and friendships created. And, it is the beginning of a new chapter to ask – what next? How far can we push ourselves?
I’m Cid Carver, a crazy 25 year old American who made aliyah nearly three years ago. I will spend the next 12 months training for the Lake Placid, New York full Ironman race. This will be my first full ironman and it will be the first time that I race in the states. The best part is, I’ll be racing as an Israeli and wearing my countries flag as I cross the finish line.
Israel is my home, but when I came here I was not an athlete, I could barely run five km without hating my life or begging for a beer. Now, three years later, I have happily finished two half ironman distance races in Elat, stood on the podium for multiple sprint and olympic distance races and enjoyed two incredible 24 hour 220km relay runs through Israel. I’ve cycled across the country and met amazing people along the way and of course walked away from a decent bike crash.
Over the next year I plan to share weekly updates about how it’s going, training tips and tricks, nutrition, the mental and physical struggles and take you to the finish line with me. It is a lot crazy mixed with tons of excitement for the new adventures and challenges that lie ahead, and I can’t wait to share this with you.
As an oleh who, when I moved here, knew nothing about Israel, had no connection, friends or family, now I want to now share it all with you. Join me in meeting new trainers and hearing the stories of other athletes, finding out about awesome races, and exploring the unexpected and getting tips and tricks to enjoy the sport that you partake in next.
!As they say, let the games begin
Cid Carver//