Accepted to Ultraman Championships 2009!!

Incredible news!!

I was invited to participate in the Ultraman Canada Championship race!

Ultraman Canada is a 3-day, 318.6 mile individual ultra-endurance event.

Entry is limited to 30 solo participants and 5 relay teams and is by invitation only. The event is more than 2.25 times longer than a full Ironman Triathlon.

Day 1 starts with a 6.2 mile open water swim immediately followed by a 90 mile bike ride that traverses the Richter Pass and concludes in Okanagan Falls. Cutoff times are 6 hours for the swim and 12 hours for the entire day.

Day 2 is a 170 bike that begins in Penticton and concludes in Princeton. Cutoff time for the bike leg is 12 hours.

Day 3 is the final stage and consists of a 52.4 mile double-marathon run from Princeton to Summerland. Cutoff time for the run is 12 hours.

This is an international event and athletes are expected from around the world. Each athlete must be accompanied by an individual support team of at least two persons over the entire course, and I am hoping beyond all hope that my great friend Kelvin Shields can crew for me as he did in Tempe. I’m also very hopeful that Connor will be able to leave summer camp and join me in this incredible pursuit.

I intend to train smart and remain disciplined. This is not necessarily about training super hard, it’s more about putting in the long hours to build up an aerobic base. David Warden, my world class triathlon coach who got me from corporate sloth and coach potato to Ironman, has agreed to stay on for this event and to plan all aspects of my Ultraman training. I am also seeking input from any and all past Ultraman finishers that they might provide fitness benchmarks that I should try to achieve prior to the event. (There is very little information available about how to train for such a long event.)

No doubt, I am in over my head. And that’s exactly how I like it. Race Director Steve Brown courageously and generously invited me to participate and I don’t intend to betray his trust or confidence.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!

A great, candid shot of my world famous coach, David Warden and me only seconds after the finish. He got me through this and helped me accomplish one of the toughest goals I have ever attempted in my life.

Well I finally achieved my goal of completing a FULL IRONMAN!! I was joined at the finish line with my wife, my son, Connor, my great friend Kelvin Shields and of course, David Warden.

Throughout the day, I was supported at every turaround by my great friend Kelvin Shileds who surprised me by driving all the way out to Tempe to be there. I was also grateful to have my world famous coach, David Warden to keep me focused on our carefully structured plan designed to finish "standing up and with a smile on my face."

Soon, I will post a photo log and hopefully find a way to upload a video of the finish where Connor jumped through the line to run the last 200 yards or so with me.

I will detail the race and the week leading up to the race, along with a lot of photos, in just a few days.

The highlight of the day was hearing the announcer say,

"John Callos.......YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!"

I really couldn't believe it.

All these months as documented on IronAmbition, and it all came to an end in just 13 hours and 58 minutes. Sounds like a long day, but it really only felt like a 3-hour workout.

One little tidbit though: At mile #2 of the run, I was thinking, "What? over 24 more miles to go? No way!" But before I really knew it, I had somehow progressed to mile 22 and only had less than 5 miles to go. At that point, I knew that I would be an Ironman that night.