Monday, August 27
We picked up our rental car -- a cute silver Kia SUV. Chris immediately went to get in the left side...whoops! Driving on the other side of the road and from the other side of the car was going to take some getting used to! We followed QLefty out to his family's farm, which was about a 30 minute drive down the shoreline into the country. One of the coolest things about this trip is that QLefty grew up in the very city the Championship race was being held...and his mom still lived there, on their family farm! Honestly, what are the chances of that?? QLefty needed to take care of a few things there, so he decided to travel there at the same time as us so he could also watch the race. This was such an amazing benefit!! He invited us to stay at the farm for our entire two week stay, and it allowed us to get the "living like locals" feel. AMAZING.
We arrived at Seaside Chalets and he showed us to our room...it was a quaint little space with a small kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. We got everything unpacked and then we all went for a quick dinner before we fell into bed, exhausted. The interesting thing about this place...everything shut down around 6:00 pm. There isn't much open at night. We did stop to get some groceries on the way back, then we slept for about 13 hours straight, and woke up feeling refreshed and ready to explore!
Tuesday, August 28
After having lunch at our chalet, we went to explore the farm. It was a very cool place, and it was all built by QLefty and his dad back in the day. We walked up to a lookout spot and were treated to a gorgeous view of the Seaside shoreline and Indian Ocean. Breathtaking! We also had our first experience with the wild monkeys! We heard them running on the roof, and when I opened the blinds at the chalet, one jumped down from the roof right in front of me! I MIGHT have said a very loud curse word in my surprise!! I also scared him, and he took off! There were about 15 wild monkeys there, and though they never got close to us, they were very, very curious about us.
That afternoon, we went into Port Elizabeth to get some necessities at a store similar to Walgreens and check out the lay of the land. On the way home, we had an amazing sushi dinner at Ocean Basket -- the thing about South Africa -- the food was incredibly cheap!! We ate like kings the whole two weeks!
Wednesday, August 29
We had some things to take care of on Wednesday -- we went back into town to the Boardwalk, so that Chris could check in for the race, get his race packet, pick up his bike from the bike transport, etc. The Boardwalk was the hub for all things race-related, and we were there multiple times throughout the week. When we got back to the chalet, Chris did a short ride on his bike to make sure everything was working properly, and then we went to a huge mall about 20 minutes away for dinner. We tried some traditional South African food there, and it was tasty! We walked around the mall a bit and then when we got back, QLefty came over and we all chatted for awhile over wine. It was a good day!
Thursday, August 30
This day was one of our two Ironman volunteer experiences! We visited the Early Birds Daycare facility that had just opened about one week earlier and was funded by the Ironman Foundation. During the Ironman Expo earlier in the week, we helped pack backpacks for the children that were handed out during this visit. Now, to be transparent — most people know that I am not really a “kid” person…so I wasn’t sure what to expect from this experience. I can honestly say that I was incredibly moved by the entire day there!
When we arrived, we were met with the little toddlers singing a song for us! It was such a sweet sound. We all filed into the playground area where we each handed out a backpack to one of the children. Chris and I found two little girls and spent some time with them going through their goody bags. We helped them open their snacks and drinks, which they thoroughly enjoyed all at once until they were gone. Then we introduced them to their coloring books and crayons, and spent some time coloring with them. They really loved the sheets of stickers — they loved sticking them on their faces and bodies! Throughout the fun, we were taking selfies with the kiddies. It was joyous to see how enamored they were with their reflection in the camera phone. We finished off by spending some time pushing them on the swings and seeing their joy.
This daycare is providing these children with a safe place to spend their days, and they are getting food and skills that are necessary for their survival and their future. It was amazing to see how much the Ironman Foundation pours into this community and how appreciative the teachers and children are of everything. I loved spending a day in this environment and pouring into the sweet children.
When we returned to the Boardwalk afterwards, Chris wanted to do a practice swim in the Indian Ocean so that he could get a feel for the surf entering the swim course. The beach was beautiful, and it was pretty chilly water. Definitely wet-suit weather. It was a good thing he practiced, those waves were no joke! From there, we went back up to the Boardwalk to watch the Parade of Nations -- similar to what you see during the Olympics, with athletes from every country walking with their flag. So many countries were represented at this championship race, it was amazing to see! Chris jumped into the USA group when they went by :) We then had a delicious lunch at the Boardwalk and then did a little shopping in the Ironman merchandise tent.
That evening, near the Boardwalk, we attended the Welcome Reception and had the honor of sitting at the Ironman Foundation VIP table! The food was so yummy, and the Welcome presentation was great too. Then there was the mandatory athlete briefing before we headed back to the chalet. We ended the evening with more wine and chatting with QLefty!
Friday, August 31
We slept in a bit and then after breakfast we went back up to the lookout spot. The monkeys followed us up there, and we were able to watch them all hanging out in the trees, eating fruit and frolicking. So cool. Then, QLefty drove us down the shore a bit so Chris could check out the bike course. Man, it was a very, very hilly course. Quite intense. Even in a van!
We headed back to the Boardwalk so that I could attend the VIP spectator briefing...the boys went to a nearby restaurant for some beers while I went on the 2 hour briefing. So glad that I went, it was very informative and we even did a walking tour of all the VIP spots where we could go during the race. Super helpful! This VIP experience was incredible!! I was so blessed to be part of it. There were great viewing locations on each leg, just for us. We were also given tickets to a free breakfast race morning, and there was a huge fancy tent at the finish line that also had food and champagne! After the briefing, I met up with the boys, and we all had dinner together before we went back and Chris worked on getting all of his race stuff prepared for race day.
Saturday, September 1
This was the day of the women's race! They separated the men and women races for the Championship, since there were so many athletes for each one. At the end of QLefty's driveway, we were able to park the car and watch all of the women come by on their bikes! It was so fun to see this part of the race, since I typically don't see much of it! Then we headed back into town so that Chris could do his bike drop off and gear bag drop off. We had dinner with another racer staying at the chalets named Ben, and then went back to get a good night's rest prior to the BIG DAY!
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