Blue Ridge Virginia Ironman Triathalon

I did not finish this race.  I did not finish because 6 miles into my bike segment my left crank fell off my bike.  I tried to "fix" it using a spare tire and sticks to tie it back on but it was not fixable without a new bolt.  Evidently the titanium bolt sheared into three pieces and it required a new part.  The race did have a bike repair guy (very nice gentleman who owned a local bike shop) but he told me the part would have to be special ordered and the bike was nonusable until it arrived.   Renting a bike was not allowed per the rules evidently.  I took my bike back to Jacksonville and my local bike shop replaced the part for free and fixed the bike for free.  Mr. Kane built this bike and has tons of experience.  He had only seen this twice before and it was always due to a defective part.  The part was a SRAM RED crank bolt, which is top line, but sometimes crap happens.  While not finishing the race, I did Swim the 1.2 miles in 36 minutes (better than I thought).  I also felt really good on the bike and was passing people.  I would have finished if my bike had not sustained a freak accident.  Roanoke is a pretty town and the drive to the race was 5 hours each way.  I had a hotel in Roanoke for two nights. I signed up for a 70.2 race in Willmington, NC in 2019 for OCT2020 but the 2020 race was cancelled due to COVID.  The 2021 race was in Roanoke and not in Willmington, NC because this is where they let me use my credit.  I started to prepare in 2019 and didn't actually start the race until 2021 so I had a long time to get ready for it.  Preparing for such a long time allowed me to become a better swimmer.  I swam a lot of miles preparing for this thing.   The attempt was expensive.  I bought a new bike for $5,000 a wet suit for $500, registration for $300, and two days hotel.  It is disappointing to not finish after such a time and money investment.  However, it had a valuable life lesson.  I failed to finish, but I felt good about it because the journey of preparing had benefited me.   Its the journey not the destination.  That being said when I get back from Guam I will have to do another one of these just to say I finished one.