Ironman Panama City Beach — Gini Fellows

IRONMAN Florida, November 5, 2016

IMFL 2016 Race Report

This may be the mother of long race reports! There are so many people to thank, I tried to cover everyone in my pre-race comments, my husband Bill, my fabulous son and coach, Patrick, his wife, Jeanne, and my grandchildren Paige and Ian, and Marc, who came from Belgium, and to all of my friends who came to the race, and those who cheered and followed from afar.

Seeing familiar faces on the racecourse was absolutely the BEST! I think I was more anxious than I thought, but I really thought I felt calm. I have to admit my patience was a bit thin. My thoughts always came back to “Pat has always gotten me ready, and this is no different.” I completely trust his coaching.

Gini Fellows Lookin' Good and About To Be an Ironman

Originally published in Huffington Post on November 4, 2016

I checked in with Gini Thursday evening, and she seemed remarkably calm. Here’s an excerpt of our conversation.

Carolee Belkin Walker: So, wow, the race is on Saturday! How are you feeling?

Gini Fellows: Physically I feel great, and I know I’m prepared. I didn’t think I was nervous until last night so I thought, oh, you better go to bed. There’s a lot going on at the Ironman Village. We’ve had a Facebook group this past year so there is a get together.

IMFL Triathlon Camp

Who doesn’t wait until she's 70 to go to camp for the first time?

Well I did and it was a unique experience.

No tents, bond fires, or s'mores. It was a lot of work, but I think I got a lot of experience and information to remove some of the terror of the swim away. I am sure I will be a nervous wreck prior to the start, but at least I feel I can handle the swim. We rehearsed a short version of the swim, getting out of the water and running back in. Our coach gave us pointers on sighting.

Endurance sports, Fitness, Gini FellowsGini FellowsSeptember 19, 2016Ironman Triathlon, Ironman Panama City Beach, Ironman Florida, ExerciseComment

Sport in perspective

This week has been “what were you thinking when you signed up for an Ironman?” I know I am obsessing about the swim, mostly. Will I be able to complete it in the time limit? Can I get through the breakers? Why didn’t I sign up for IM Chattanooga, with a down river swim? Will I be able to keep up the cadence during the bike? The run will be about survival. The list goes on and on.