Thank You Everyone

Without sounding like I won a Emmy or Grammy award or sounding cheesy I would like to dedicate tonight's post to the people who helped me and also supports me in living my dream and racing in Kona. There is so many people out there and forgive me if I forget to mention your name. Also forgive me if tonight's post is not interesting to everyone out there but anyone who is doing Ironman Triathlons knows how important family and support is to achieve your goals.

Before I start with all the thank you, just an update on today. After my early morning swim, bike and run we headed to "Turtle" beach or if you want the real name it's Keauhou beach to do some snorkeling and meeting up with turtles. Above is one Skillie ( Turtle) meeting the other Skillie.

This beach was much better than the one we visited earlier and we could at least snorkel and lay on the beach.

During this mornings swim the pier was packed and it is really busy out there, don't want to think about race morning, it going to be so busy. Also met Hiroyuki and Mika from team TBB we were also out swimming this morning.

From tomorrow it is really going to get busy. Tomorrow morning I have an athletes breakfast with Mark Allen and Luis Varges my coaches together with my fellow Mark Allen athletes. Then I'm off for a massage and tomorrow night is the official welcome dinner or as it used to be called the Pasta Party.

Friday is my last training sessions and then it is packing and racking the bike and transition bags before a very early start and long day on Saturday. So I thought it will be best to thank everyone tonight.

As they say just to get to the start line in Kona or for that matter any Ironman is already an achievement and only when you are 3 days away from the biggest Ironman day of my life do you realize it.

Doing an Ironman is an individual sport and you can't blame nobody but yourself when you stuff it up but no matter if you achieve your goal or don't it comes with a lot of support and motivation from all your friends and family.

Before I continue I forgot to post these pics last night. Me fooling around outside the Bubba Gump Restaurant.

Being a Christian I first need to thank the Lord for Everything He has blessed me with.

I also want to thank Kim and Dejone for their support no matter what and for all those long weekend hours alone when I did my long rides or runs. Thank you girls, I love you. Hopefully the Hawaii vacation makes up for it.

To my Mother and my sister, Heloise and Gerhard her friend thank you for your support. Wish I could have bring you along to experience this amazing atmosphere. When I'm out there on the bike I will think of you whenever I look at the little photos of you on my bikes handlebars, especially the ones of my late Father and Mother in Law.

To Mark Allen and Luis Varges my coaches from http://www.markallenonline.com/ who has guided me for the past year thank you. I believe I am in the best physical and mental shape of my Ironman career.

Then to my three Witbank friends, Jacques (http://www.trijackal.blogspot.com/), Warren (http://www.pastorwarrengraham.blogspot.com/) and Johann de Klerk. You are always there to motivate and encourage. All those phone calls, tweets on twitter, and blog comments helps a lot.

To my friend Bryan Payne ( http://www.trainingpayne.blogspot.com/) thank you friend for all your motivational comments and blog entries, as I said before you are a real inspiration.

Thank you to everyone else who also left comments on my blog, and to all the twitters out there.

To Nina Jack and Dana thank you for your support and all the help with us getting sorted in the US on our trip. It's really appreciated.

I know I have left out a lot of people but if I continue I will be sitting here all night and it will be a very long blog entry. Thank you to everyone and be sure that I will be thinking of you when I'm stuck in the Lava fields on Saturday sweating it out to do something I chose to do and although it's not easy it is something I enjoy so much.