The Road to Kona; Chicago Edition

Break Through Multisport is happy to announce a new feature that will be exclusive to the blog- the ability to follow a Chicago athlete, Greg Khairallah, who will be racing at the Ironman World Championships in Kona this year. Greg is going to provide blog entries, photos and videos about his journey from Chicago to Kona!

Ladies and Gentlemen... Greg Khairallah-

There is always the question - is it better to be lucky or good? I've always considered myself to be lucky. The latest evidence, I won a lottery slot to the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. We've all seen the images of the Big Island - the heat, the black lava rocks, the elite athletes.. Some ask, why bother? I am not an elite athlete. I don't have a sponsor to fund my training. What I do have is the desire to push myself to the limits of my ability, then one step past. Our bodies are simple. Do the training, eat right and you will finish. But the interesting part for me is in our mind. Can we really stick to the program? Can you make the sacrifices to train? There is no cheating an Ironman -you have to do the miles. The M-dot tattoo? Not for me. I like the training. I like the long hours. I like to look at my limits and know that I am good enough to plan for success and reach my goals.

To add to my luck, my fiancée Jennifer is also my training partner. We do every workout together. After completing Ironman Arizona last year, we had planned on taking 2009 easy with just a couple of races and importantly, our wedding on August 29th. Then, on a whim, I paid the $35 for a lottery chance. Sorry, there is no heart moving story of loss, disaster, or accident. But that doesn't make the journey to Kona any easier. And to what end? The simple satisfaction of finishing what I set out to do.

So lucky or good? Who cares - either way, I'll be in the water at 7 am on October 10th, 2009. When Ryan approached me about starting this blog, I happily accepted. A couple of times a week I will be posting updates on my training, and along the way document what I can about the challenges, shortcomings and skills I learn along the way. I hope everyone enjoys reading about my journey to the race.

Greg