Chicago Marathon 2013: Lindsey And Liz Guide Me To Personal Best

Prior to my first ever marathon in 2010, I signed up to do a twenty miler to see if I was ready to run. Elite marathoner, Jennifer Pfaff volunteered to guide me the second half. In 2011, I reached out to head coach and owner of NJOY Racing, Ironman triathlete, Kimberly Shah inquiring if I could join the team's Saturday morning runs. Not only did Kimberly welcome me with open arms, she offered to guide me for those runs. After guiding me for a mile, Kimberly volunteered to be my eyes at that year's Chicago Marathon. That year, Kimberly and Jen teamed up to take me 26.2 miles in 4:50:20 which was forty-six minutes faster than I had run the marathon a year prior. Breaking the five hour mark enabled me to qualify for the Boston Marathon in the Visually Impaired/Blind runner category, but I was not too pleased. Sure, I was overly excited that I had finished faster, but I was a bit ashamed of the congratulatory e-mails, voicemails, and Facebook messages. After all, I had run a very slow marathon, but because the standards for blind/visually impaired runners are what they are, I had run my way to a qualification which I did not feel I deserved. In fact, when I see what my friends who have their sight must achieve to earn their way into the field of the famed Boston race, I feel it is an insult that the Boston Athletic Association does not force blind and visually impaired runners to deliver faster times which would be considered elite. I felt that I could run faster the following year. In 2012, Kimberly and Jen once again agreed to be my eyes as I attempted to break four hours at the Chicago Marathon. With their help, I did. My 3:58 was much better and had me feeling more deserving of Boston. Still, I wanted to keep improving. I wanted to run faster in 2013.

When 2013 began, my focus was to run the Chicago Marathon even faster. Each of the last several years, that has been the highlight race. After all Paula Radcliffe had inspired me to run 26.2 miles when she shattered the world record at Chicago in 2002. I have always enjoyed running in Paula's footsteps at Chicago. Unfortunately, circumstances dictated that Kimberly and Jen would not be available for a third consecutive year. Who could I ask to guide me? Before I could iron that out, an opportunity to qualify for Paratriathlon US Nationals came along. Not confident in my swim, I decided to pass on it, but pro triathlete, model, actress, Jenna Parker insisted I go for it! After all, it would be better to know for certain if I was or was not good enough instead of sitting around wondering. My race journey took me to Austin, Texas where I won my first ever national title then to London where I raced at Paratriathlon Worlds having the great honor and privilege to represent the United States Of America on Team USA. The focus over those months was Nationals and Worlds preparations. In July, I decided to attempt to break my personal record for a stand-alone 5K. I turned to elite runner, Elizabeth Bilitz to guide me. As we entered the final mile, she screamed, "Come on, Is! You got this! Yeah!" On route to breaking my personal best by three minutes, I had run my fastest ever race mile in under 6:50 all thanks to Elizabeth. The Chicago Marathon was months away and I knew I had found the woman who I wanted to run me in the second half of the race. The only question which remained was who would help me set the tempo the opening half? I spoke to Keri Serota, co-founder of the Dare2Tri Chicago Paratriathlon Club, who was in charge of Disability Services for the Bank Of America Chicago Marathon. She told me she has an ever-expanding list of men wishing to guide and that she could put me in contact with one or two of them. I knew that within my group of runners and triathletes, I would find someone. I reached out to my first choice. I asked the lovely and talented Ironman triathlete, Lindsey Cook who immediately said yes!

Liz and Lindsey would take me the distance. Would I be ready to go 26.2? After all, from late February to the middle of September the focus has been on sprint distance triathlons. The Chicago Marathon was only weeks away and I did not have the volume of miles which most would consider proper training. Each year I run the marathon, I have always done a twenty miler as a way to gage myself and prepare mentally, but this year I did not do that event. In fact, after returning from London, I was so ill, I would not have been able to run more than a couple very slow miles. Chicago Marathon race week arrived. I was scared. I did the miles I was assigned and kept worrying about those I had not done leading up to this. I knew that the most important thing to do was have fun. I had enjoyed my most successful season in triathlon. I won a national title. I went to London. Along the way, I had deliver my fastest ever bike and run splits in a couple different races. Jenna helped me relax by saying the marathon should be all about fun and celebrating my overall achievements. After all, I had reached higher than I ever had in previous years. for the first time ever, I had been named to the Dare2Tri Elite Team. I had represented the USA in an international race. That did not remove the concern I had for Chicago. I wanted to run well so Lindsey and Liz could be proud of me. I wanted them to enjoy their experience guiding me. If I ran slow, made excuses, or walked during the race, it would not be a good experience for them. It helped that both said they would have fun and help me run my best race. In the end I thought to myself, I have learned so much from Jenna Parker about being mentally tough and racing my heart out. I have learned so much from Kimberly Shah and Jen Pfaff about reaching for excellence. I knew in my heart, I could run my personal best at the marathon distance even without the miles in training because all the work I had done to this point had made me fitter, faster, and stronger.

One day before the race, I stepped out of my front door and there waiting for me was the beautiful, Lindsey. We had lunch then went to marathon expo where we picked up my race packet and her race guide packet. We had the chance to meet up with friends and make new ones. Then we head for dinner. After which, I went home to pull out my race tether and gear from Pinnacle Performance Company whose orange colors I would be sporting for the marathon. I tossed and turned attempting to sleep. I kept telling myself I would run a personal best. I had run 26.2 miles before so this would not be a new experience. I should not be worried for there would be no swimming involved. At one point, I woke up drenched in my own sweat. I was scared.

4:15a.m. was my wake up call, but I was up forty-five minutes before that and I could not sleep. I picked myself up out of bed, checked Facebook and Twitter, and then put on my Pinnacle gear. I had my usual race morning breakfast then received a call from Lindsey that it was time to go.

We reached the race location where we met up with Liz. Together, we walked to the Disability Tent where it was warm. I sat in front of a heater for most of the time. Lindsey and Liz helped me stay relaxed and they assured me all I had to do was run my race and place my trust in them. Lindsey and I made our way to the start corral just in front of the pros. My buddy, Abe Cortez yelled out my name as we walked. I had the joy of seeing Hailey Danisewicz who was running her first marathon. I was shivering. This was the first time in several years where I would not have Kimberly along side. I would not have Jen with me for the second half. How would I run? Will I have the ability to go strong or will I end up disappointing Lindsey, Liz, and Jenna? The gun sounded!

Lindsey and I crossed the start. I was a bit pensive for the first hundred meters, but I kept telling myself to be calm. Lindsey called out as we ran. she informed me of obstacles and our surroundings. Fans were all around. We ran through a tunnel. People were loud. We headed towards a bridge. I thought of Kimberly's joy in past years to see and hear the deafening roar all for us. Lindsey had the same excitement in her voice. Fans yelled out as they would for the entire race. Some screamed, "Go Sexy Isra." Others yelled, "Go Pinnacle!" Lindsey said she would keep me at a steady pace. I slowed a bit then Lindsey would have me speed up. I felt comfortable. I did my best to truly take it one step at a time and not worry about how I will feel at mile ten, sixteen, or twenty. Every so often Lindsey would say, "You're doing great. I'm so proud of you." That filled me up with joy. I was doing well. Then came the helicopters and police. The pros were nearing. Lindsey did a great job to keep me clear of them. A couple of the pros praised her for guiding while a couple encouraged Sexy Isra to run strong. The miles piled up. I was getting a little nervous because I had to use the rest room. It was not a major deal at that point, but as we covered more ground and I drank more liquids, I would have to stop somewhere. Could I hold it? Maybe for a few miles, but not for hours until I crossed the finish. I debated on whether I should say something. I decided to stay quiet and keep running. Some times it would hit me and I needed to go badly. Other times it was as though I did not need to go. Lindsey informed me that the three hour pace group was passing us midway through mile 5. I told her my friends, Jen and Bridget, had to be in the middle of that. If they were not, they would be coming soon. Within thirty seconds, I heard female voices behind me nearing fast. Lindsey and I looked to our left as those women passed. It was Jen and Bridget. We wished each other luck and they ran ahead. As Lindsey kept me at a very steady consistent pace, I heard a man yell out, "Sexy Isra! Hey Israel." He neared from behind and patted me on the back. It was Peter Mullen, one of the men who had guided me in my first ever marathon in 2010. He wished us well and he continued on. As people passed, many gave Lindsey compliments for guiding while others said how inspiring I was for running. One gentleman passed by and said, "Hey Pinnacle, I know you can't see, but your guide is very hot." I smiled thinking, of course I know she is. As Lindsey and I neared an aid station, Andrew Murray ran by on his way to a twelve minute personal best. He cheered us on and wished us well. The miles were flying by. Lindsey kept me at a very consistent pace. Before I knew it, we had passed the tenth mile. All of a sudden, the halfway point neared quickly. Wow. It would almost be time for Liz.

We made it to the halfway point. Lindsey said I was looking strong. I was feeling it too. Liz joined us and took over guiding duties. Lindsey ran with us for a bit before departing. Liz measured my tempo, found my pace, and off we went towards the back end of the marathon. There are some very loud portions of the marathon. Most of which are near the beginning. One loud place is what is known as Charity Mile. All the non profits for which people are running are lined up in a row and their volunteers packs the streets creating what I consider to be the most deafening part of the course. In this section, I have a difficult time hearing my guide. This time was not an exception. Liz called out instructions and I was lucky to hear her. I found myself rattled. I was doing my best to stay focussed on her, but in doing so, my pace slowed and I was feeling anxious of running into people. I ran into the shoulder of one person then stepped on the heel of another. Both were wearing earbuds and would not have heard me anyway. That was tough. Liz helped me make my way through it, but then we had to make up time due to my slowing down. Liz had me pick it up for a bit to get on track. The miles flew by. Before I knew it, we were at mile sixteen. Only ten more to go. I was tired of course, but still felt good. My need to use the rest room would go and come. I was becoming concerned because I knew we were nearing the time in the race when I would usually start to fade. Jen would always get on my case to push harder. Liz might do the same. In past years, I had put in the miles which helped me respond, but this time, I may not be able to do so. The only positive was I had shown all year long that I was much better prepared mentally to dig deep. As we dipped in under single digits in terms of miles remaining, I started calculating the time in which I needed to run to cross the finish. We reached mile nineteen. I heard LMFAO's Sexy And I Know It which made me think of Jen. Any time we hear that in a race, she always tells me, "There's your theme song Sexy Isra. You need to run strong." It was at about the same place last year in this race when we heard the song. For the first time since early in the race, I missed Kimberly and Jen. As Liz and I crossed mile twenty, I smiled. Ten kilometers to go. I was tired yet my legs were still moving. Had I slowed? At different points, but Liz would have me run some pickups to get back on track. I was hurting. I was also happy because I felt I was running my fastest marathon. I kept thinking of those runs I had done in previous years with Kimberly along the Chicago lakefront. I thought of all the work, advice, and guidance Jenna had given me. I did not have the marathon miles, but I had the fitness which I never had before. I was lighter and stronger. With each step I was getting closer and it was time to dig deeper and push harder. Liz kept telling me to pick it up. I would. There were a couple moments where I felt I would slow down which I used to mentally prepare myself for another pickup. I felt tired, but I did not feel like I was fading. In past marathons, I faded for long stretches before gathering myself for the final mile, but on this day, I was remaining steady. Liz said we were nearing a turn where we would come up on her college and sorority sisters so we better pick it up and look strong. she did not want to drag me through those streets. She wanted me to work for and earn my pace. We made the turn. I pushed hard. It hurt. I was not going to let Liz down in front of her sisters and that sign. Yes, there was a sign cheering and encouraging Liz and Is! That was us. We were killing it. Liz told me we had crossed mile twenty-three. Just over five kilometers to go. I was getting more and more tired yet I was still running my fastest marathon ever. I could not fade now. I needed to finish this. There were moments I wanted to slow, but Liz would not let me. Maybe she could see it in my body language or on my face, but at those exact moments, Liz would have me run some pickups. Those helped. I thought to myself, at some point here, I am going to have to pick it up and just keep running hard to the end. I need to finish strong to close out my best race season. As I did on the run portion at Paratriathlon Worlds in London, I started to count down the approximate number of minutes I had before the finish. Knowing it was around twenty minutes, I started to push a little harder. I did not know how much I had left, but I was going to try. We neared mile twenty-four. I started to think of Jenna, Kimberly, and Jen. I played a montage in my head of various moments throughout the year. Jen guiding me to my fastest half marathon in January by having me close with my fastest ever final two miles. Until this day, that run was my longest of the year. I thought of qualifying for Nationals. I thought of how Justin hoped me clinch the US title with a furious final two miles. The end was nearing. I needed to run faster to end it quicker. As we neared the final mile, Lindsey joined Liz and me on the course. With those memories on my mind, Lindsey on my right, and Liz guiding me on my left, it was time to flip my Pinnacle Performance hat backwards and get down to business of closing the marathon. 2,000 meters to the finish. I pushed hard. I could not tell if I was running faster, but I was trying. Loud speakers played ACDC's You Shook Me All Night Long. Lindsey voiced her joy at how consistent my pace looked. Liz screamed, "Come on Is! You got this. Finish this, Is!" I pushed harder. I pumped my fist. I thought if Kimberly and Jen were here they would love how strong I was closing. "800 meters, Is. That's all you got. Finish!" As Liz yelled out, I smiled and pushed on. We were closing in on my fastest ever marathon. I did not have the proper volume, but I had the fitness. I had the toughness. Now I was showing myself that I had the heart. Lindsey and Liz prepared me for a turn. We made it nicely. I was running under control and strong. A quarter mile from the finish. My friend, David Hardin, yelled out my name. I was pumped. Lindsey and Liz were excited. I was closing the show. I raised my fist and pumped one final time as Liz guided me across the finish line. I had crossed in 3:50:28.

I hugged Lindsey and Liz. They had helped me run a steady consistent race. they had just helped me run my fastest marathon by eight minutes. When I crossed the finish line, I had become a three time Boston Marathon qualifier. At the finish, Keri Serota greeted me. She was so happy. She was screaming her congratulations with such excitement, it gave me chills. I laughed and thought about Jenna. I had done it. With no pressure and a mindset to cap off my year by celebrating and having fun, I had run my personal best. This race was a credit to her. I truly am fitter, faster, stronger. I head into the winter months knowing that with proper training next year, I can achieve even more. I know that with continued guidance and training I can get even closer to where my friends who have sight have to be to BQ. I now believe I can do it. I have a support network filled with marathoners and triathletes who will motivate and inspire me to do it. I have a great company in Pinnacle Performance Company whose CEOs, directors, and employees believe in me. Not just those in the US, but those in their UK offices too. I have the support of Dare2Tri Chicago. I have the continued backing from Matt Miller's C different Foundation. I have amazing, talented, beautiful women ready to guide Sexy Isra as I continue to build upon my success to find special things inside of me. Thank you to all. Thank you to Lindsey Cook and Elizabeth Bilitz!!

Triathletes Are The Toughest

It may be argued which group is the toughest out there. One may say that triathletes are the toughest. Someone may respond with another answer. Either way, a study now shows that in fact, triathletes are tougher than any other group of people. They can withstand pain longer than anyone else. Here is an article which discusses the study and its findings. The best part is that the lovely and talented pro triathlete, model, and actress Jenna Parker is quoted in the piece. Enjoy!!

Kate's 5 Athletes To Watch At Chicago Marathon

On Sunday night, I was made aware of this entry posted on the examiner.com web site a couple days ago prior to the Chicago Marathon. The five athletes to watch during the race. One of the names listed is that of Israel Antonio. It also contains a blurb of what I have achieved this racing season. Thank you to the wonderful writer and athlete, Kate Bongiovanni for including me in this list. I am honored.

Lindsey And Liz Guiding Me To My Chicago Marathon 2013 Destiny

I use to think people who ran marathons were crazy. I use to say I would never do that to my body. Paula Radcliffe ran through the streets of Chicago faster than any woman in history. On that October day in 2002, I fell in love with the marathon distance. When Paula next ran the distance even faster through the streets of London than she did in Chicago, I was inspired to run 26.2 miles.

It took many years, but finally, on 10-10-10 I ran my first ever marathon in Chicago. I needed my first one to be on the streets where Paula set the world record. Rich Karnia and Peter Mullen helped me become a marathoner by guiding me to the finish. In 2011, I turned to Ironman triathlete, Kimberly Shah and elite marathoner, Jennifer Pfaff to be my eyes. I improved my time by forty-six minutes and qualified for the Boston Marathon. In 2012, I once again turned to Kimberly and Jen to help me break the four hour barrier. I did. I improved my time by fifty-two minutes on route to a second straight Boston qualifying time.

This Sunday, I will be guided by two amazing women. Ironman triathlete, Lindsey Cook and elite runner, Elizabeth Bilitz. It will be an honor to run through Chicago guided by two amazing, accomplished, beautiful women. In 2013, I have been able to achieve my wildest dreams. I would have never guessed I would win my division in Sugar Land, Texas on route to qualifying for US Paratriathlon Nationals. I would have never believed I would race at the CapTex Triathlon as part of the field racing in the Paratriathlon US National Championships then actually pull off the victory to win my first ever title. I then had the great privilege of representing the USA in London at the World Championships. Now, I return to Chicago to close out my season. As is the case before every race, I am nervous. I have achieved so much this year, but I wish to do more. The truth is, the focus all year long has been on triathlons and not long distance running so I am not quite sure how my body will react to being pushed to 26.2 miles. One can argue, the Chicago Marathon is the capper on a tremendous season and I should view it as a celebration. I certainly will. One can also argue that I wish to do my very best so I must be willing to push through the mental and physical struggles to run my fastest marathon ever and qualify for the Boston Marathon for a third consecutive year. Of course, when I first reached out to Lindsey and Elizabeth, that was the plan. I wanted two talented individuals to help me break my current marathon personal best by at least thirteen minutes and help me capture another BQ. It has been said that life is what happens when you are busy making other plans. While I was looking to prepare for the marathon, I won a national title, was named to Team USA, and went to London. While I was not able to put in the volume of miles needed to prepare to run the marathon, I have been training all year long. I find myself running 5Ks and 10Ks faster now than a year ago. In fact, I am running those distances one minute per mile faster if not more. I am lighter than I have ever been entering a marathon weekend. I am as light as I was in high school. I am much stronger too. The marathon distance, while a race to be respected, is one which does not scare me as much as it use to scare me because I have tackled it successfully three times. I have improved my time each time. I am always in better shape and better mentally prepared. I feel both is true in this case even if I do not have the volume under the belt. I have the wisdom of previous attempts. I have the wisdom I learned from Kimberly and Jen. I have the guiding light of the talented, amazing, and beautiful pro triathlete, Jenna Parker. I have the comfort of knowing that this year, unlike any other year, I have displayed the ability to overcome pain late in races to finish with strong sprints to the finish. I have been able to withstand physical, emotional, and mental self doubting to motivate myself and get stronger as I near the end of races. If I trust Lindsey and Elizabeth as I know I will, then I merely have to leave my life in their hands. They will get me through the marathon. If I enjoy the experience and focus on how this is a celebration then before I know it, I will near the end and maybe just maybe, I can throw down one final mad dash sprint to the finish to cap off my most successful year with a personal best and a third consecutive Boston qualifier. If I do that, Lindsey and Elizabeth will be proud beyond belief. Somewhere out there, I believe Kimberly, Jen, and Jenna will enjoy a measure of pride and satisfaction for how they played a role in inspiring, motivating, and preparing me.

For anyone out on the course on Sunday, feel free to say hi to the fella sporting the Pinnacle Performance hat, racing top, and shorts. You may also spot him by noticing the two beautiful women, Lindsey and Elizabeth. Check the back of his top and if it reads: Sexy Isra then you will have found me!

Lindsey And Liz To Be My Eyes In Chicago

In just over one week, I will run my fourth consecutive Chicago Marathon. I grew up admiring marathon runners as I was always glued to the television watching Chicago, New York, and Boston. I would also think people who run these races must be crazy. I said that I would never run one. Then, the beautiful and talented Paula Radcliffe broke the world record for female runners in Chicago 2002. Months later, Paula stormed home again to a world record shattering time in London 2003. I was inspired! I wanted to run 26.2 miles. Thanks to her performances. I was hooked. Each of the last two years, I have been guided by my friends, Kimberly Shah and Jennifer Pfaff. Each of the last two years I have shattered personal records. First I set a new personal best by forty-six minutes on route to my first ever Boston Marathon qualifying time. Then Kimberly and Jen joined forces once more to guide me to a fifty-two minute improvement on route to a second Boston qualifying time. Next week, I will turn to two different women to be my eyes. One is a beautiful Ironman triathlete named Lindsey Cook and the other is a beautiful elite runner named Elizabeth Bilitz. Both are excited to be my eyes. Both are ready for the challenge to go fast and keep me on pace. I hope I am ready to deliver a good race.

Paratriathlon Worlds 2013: An Incredible Road To London

I have lost count at the number of amazing individuals who have worked with me to help me get my swimming in order. From the wonderful Kerry and Arica to Erwin, Clive, Todd, Michael, and others. More recent, I have worked with my friend, pro Ironman triathlete, Kimberly Shah. Even with so many splendid individuals offering to help me and taking time to be with me in the pool, I have never been able to master it. When the opportunity was presented to attempt to qualify for Paratriathlon US Nationals held as part of the CapTex Triathlon in Austin, Texas on Memorial Day, I immediately said no. Yet even before the opportunity, I had been thinking about it for I remember having a conversation with my friend, model, actress, singer, Amanda Grace about the possibility of Nationals. She was firm in her belief that I could and would do it. I was not as sure. Still, Amanda insisted that if I went for it, I would achieve it. As evidence, she used all my past races. Besides, doing well at Nationals would give me a chance at being named to Team USA for Paratriathlon Worlds in London. amanda believed I owed it to myself to go to London. If having one beautiful woman believe in me was not enough, then maybe two would convince me. Pro triathlete, model, actress, Jenna Parker also felt I could qualify for Nationals. She insisted I could manage the swim. In addition to that, my bike and run were strong enough to enable me to cross the finish line with a qualifying time. The only question remained is who would ever be able to take on the challenge of guiding me for a chance at CapTex? Enter ABC Houston TV producer and Ironman triathlete, Justin Sternberg. Justin had gone to the Houston Marathon to do a piece on blind individuals running in the event. Justin had been intrigued by watching the story of a retired professor named Charlie which aired as part of the NBC Ironman World Championship in Kona coverage. Justin's interest in seeking out other blind athletes lead him to the C Different Foundation and its founder Matt Miller. Shortly there after, Justin received a phone call by the very man who had inspired him, Charlie, asking if Justin would guide him for an Ironman. The race was just over a week away, but Justin said yes! Since then, Justin had been a volunteer guide for others. As a strong triathlete and his experience as a guide, Justin was the perfect one to be my eyes.

I met Justin two days before we ever raced together. One day before our first ever race, he took me out to do some open water swimming where he had a chance to see my swim. On race day, he did a tremendous job helping me through the swim. I may not have shown it in my face, but very quickly, I realized how spectacular of a job Justin was doing that I gave myself over to trusting him. I found myself coming out of the water in last place four minutes behind the next closest competitor in my division, but the swim was done and the race was on! By the fourth mile on the bike, Justin informed me we had taken over the lead. We reached the second transition where Justin informed me that we had crushed the bike so much that we could walk the entire run portion and we would still qualify for Nationals. I coasted to the first place finish and had punched my ticket to Austin.

I had never felt more at ease in the swim than I did with Justin so my first choice for my guide was he. Justin agreed to meet me in Austin to help me race the the US National title in Tri6A. Really? Seriously? I would be racing for a national title. Amanda and Jenna had believe in me. All which remained was going out and winning it. At Nationals, Justin and I were out of the water first. We extended our lead on the bike, but in my favorite discipline, I started to fade. It always takes me the first mile on the run to get my legs after the bike. Not only was I fading on the run, but I was doubting my ability to find my run legs. I began to believe I did not want it. I would be happy with second place. As I reached the mile one marker, I thought of Jenna which is when I realized I had not traveled all that distance and spend all that money to fade at my favorite discipline. It was at that moment when I decided it was my national championship. I was going to go take it! By pulling away in the final two miles, I had stated my case for why I belonged on Team USA for the right to race at Paratriathlon Worlds.

Amanda Duke, USA Triathlon Program Manager, informed me that I was named to Team USA. In my wildest dreams I could have never believed I would be on the team. Jenna and Amanda Grace had believed, but I did not. Unfortunately, Justin would not be able to guide me in London. I turned to Daniel Tun, Ironman Triathlete and one of the co-founders of the Dare2Tri Chicago Club. He would guide me in London. As a warmup, Dan and I were set to race the Paratriathlon Mideast Regional Championships at the Chicago Triathlon. One day before the race, Dan was injured and was unable to guide me. Don Reichelt, Ironman triathlete and regional instructor for Newton Running, stepped in at the very last minute to help me win the Tri6A Mideast championship. I was in need of a guide for London. With only a few weeks before race day, I turned to Justin once more who agreed to meet me at Worlds to be my eyes.

On a hot September day, I made my way to the airport. I met up with other members of the Dare2Tri Chicago Elite Team with whom I would share the flight to London. It was certainly nice to have so many friends on the plane with me. I felt at ease for the eight hour flight. We arrived on Tuesday morning. After settling in to my hotel room for a bit, I met up with the rest of the group to walk around the city. I had to keep pinching myself and remind myself I was in London. I was in William Shakespeare's homeland. I was in Paula Radcliffe's home country. Paula had first inspired me to run marathons when she set the women's world record in Chicago 2002 then shattered her own record in London 2003. Now, there I was walking her streets. That night, I had the opportunity to run through famed Hyde Park guided by Keri Serota. Keri is one of the Dare2Tri co-founders. In fact, the last time Keri had been my running guide was in 2009 when she offered me a chance to run in the GLASA Twilight 5K. I went to the race, met her for the first time, and minutes later, Keri was guiding me for the race. A couple months later she offered me a chance to join the GLASA Chicago Marathon team. In 2010, I ran my first ever marathon as a member of said team. All these years later, Keri was once again guiding me. This time, we were running through the streets of London. The next day, Keri helped me out again when I joined the Team USA early morning bike ride. Since Justin had not made it to town yet, Keri rode the tandem with me.

One of the more interesting experiences came when I had to walk from the team hotel to another building for my classification appointment. This is where I would have to present a picture of myself as well as medical documentation validating that I in fact was completely blind and eligible to race in the Tri6A male category for Worlds. I walked with USA Triathlon Program Manager, Amanda Duke. It was such a joy to spend time with her. I had always heard people I trust raving about what an amazing woman she is, but this was my first chance to be around her for an extended amount of time. I learned that everyone is 100% correct about how splendid she is. amanda is wonderful, warm, and funny. I do get nervous some times not knowing if my humor and sarcasm are being taken well, but it was clear, Amanda not only "got my humor", but had her moments where I could appreciate her humor and delivery. Like I said, it was such a treat to spend time with her and get to know her a bit outside of my usual triathlon only dealings with her. I practiced some voice warmups preparing to answer some questions. I waited. The ITU officials reviewed my paperwork. What was taking so long? One would think they would read over the information provided by the medical professional, maybe call me before them, ask some questions, and be done with it. Apparently, not. After some time, amanda approached the officials and learned that apparently, there was enough doubt in their minds to whether I was completely blind as instead of confirming me as completely blind, they told amanda that I would continue to be up for review at future events. I guess as officials reviewed my documents, there were others observing me in the room. The best conclusion to which others and I could arrive is that during this period of observation, officials watched me and noted that I did not carry myself like a stereotypical blind person. I did not tilt my head downward. I did not sway back and forth. When I interacted with someone, I would do my best to look them in the face which to the officials must mean that I was making eye contact and what blind person who supposedly can not see would ever make eye contact? Again, these are the best conclusions to which we could arrive. why else would I not be confirmed even with doctor's validation? This is one of those moments where I am left shaking my head in disbelief. I am made to jump through hoops just to be able to race on an elite level and when I jump through those hoops, it is not good enough because I do not fit a mold or some close minded vision of what a so called blind person must act like or be like. As one friend said, it is beyond insulting. "You're blind, but you're not blind enough to be blind. They don't want you to be you." I do not want to be a blind triathlete. I just want to be a triathlete. I am not some special case. I am just a human being wanting to race.

The anti doping meeting, athlete race meeting, and packet pickup were very much standard. It was certainly splendid hearing friends describe the buildings and read the years of construction for each one. Of major concern was the wind, cold, and rain. The rain would make for a slick road and as Justin and I learned prior to race day, it would make the sharp turns on that technical course very tough on a tandem. On race day, as we walked towards check in, I heard about many triathletes bloody and scraped up from taking falls on their bikes. Crashes everywhere. People were going for it and were seeing their chances end in disappointment. Justin said this was not the time to be heroic. We would do our best on the bike, but if conditions were as bad as they appeared, we would play it safe. It would be better to live to fight another day than end up hurt, with a broken bike, or worse. As Justin lead me out to the swim start, we joined the other athletes. I was number twenty. We lined up in chronological order. One by one, the public address announcer called out our name and country. I heard, "Number twenty. Israel Antonio. USA." I teared up. I almost cried. If that would be my highlight for the day, what a highlight it would be. I never imagined I would be hearing that. Justin told me to relax. He would help me through the swim. I was more confident than I had ever been. If I stayed relaxed, I could comfortably front crawl through this swim. Justin said the water was as calm as a pool. Kimberly Shah had recently told me that when I first started working with her on my swim, I was a way back of the pack swimmer, but in recent weeks, I had moved up to middle of the pack. I knew I could manage the swim so long as I did not allow my mind to play tricks on me. I entered the water. Justin told me to relax. It was cold, but I did my best to remain calm. I had done open water swims plenty of times. Kimberly had been working with me exclusively in open water. Even if I had to break it up into manageable meters, I should do so as to not panic. If I had to take pauses to regulate my breathing or heart rate then so be it. After all, this was Paratriathlon Worlds! It took amanda and Jenna to convince me I could qualify for Nationals for me to even attempt that yet there I was seconds away from racing against the fastest Tri6A men in the world. The horn sounded. The race began. I moved through the water. I was smiling. Maybe not outwardly, but inwardly, I was happy. Then like a punch to the gut, I was hit by some panic. I tried to relax. I could not. I yelled out for Justin. He was tethered to me swimming less than one meter away. "I'm here, Israel. I'm here. Relax." I could not. I needed to flip to my back to calm down. I did. With a snap of a finger, my world championship dream was over. I would not be able to recover that time against the fastest men in the world. Even more disappointing was finding out from Justin later on that before I freaked out, I was cruising along in the middle of the pack. I was moving faster than I had ever moved. I could not say how long I lasted before the panic. I know it was early on in the water. Needing to flip to my back and a fear of front crawling again only to endure another anxious moment put me so far behind the field that the next wave, which went off four minutes after my wave, had athletes who were flying by me. It was a long day in the water. It ended up being my second best swim time, but considering how bad my swim is, that is not all that fast.

With the rain and slick conditions combined with a technical course, Justin and I had our work cut out for us. I was so emotionally spent coming out of the water. What kept me going was thinking of Jenna and Amanda and their belief in me. My bike and run were strong. I was not sure how much of that I would be able to show on the bike. I rolled out of transition ready to pounce, but Justin reminded me to play it safe. We needed to ride one loop so he could get a feel for when we could push and when to be conservative. This would give me a chance to gather myself emotionally. When Justin felt we could, he would yell at me to push. I would dig down and push hard. When I started to feel pain in my legs, I would once again think of Jenna and amanda knowing that I was here because they were so firm in their belief of my ability. I would smile and remind myself that I was racing at Paratriathlon Worlds in London. Who would have ever imagined that? Justin said each time he looked, we were rolling at speeds between twenty and twenty-four miles per hour. there were a couple times when we'd push it on a straight away were we were riding at twenty-eight miles per hour. I will never know, but in my heart I believe under better dry conditions, we could have pushed in the low thirties. Again, I will never be able to prove that.

We finished the bike and headed to the run course. It always takes me one mile into the run to find my legs, but this was Worlds. there was not time for that. I needed to go from the moment we left transition. Due to ITU rules demanding my guide and I had to remain within a certain number of centimeters of each other, I was using a new running tether which was created for me just the day before. Justin and I tested it out one time prior to the race and it seemed to work fine. As we made it on to the run course, I noticed our elbows kept hitting. I was annoyed by it. It did not seem to bother him. I guess it did not matter for we were in the midst of the race. I kept telling myself to get moving. If I pushed immediately it would be over in less than twenty-two minutes. I kept repeating that to myself. Justin was happy with my pace, but asked me to push more. Within a few hundred meters of beginning the run, I had reached the pace I would run for most of the 5K. Unlike never before, I had found my running legs almost immediately out of transition. I was running seven minute miles. People from all over yelled out, "Go USA!" Some screamed out, "Go Antonio." The support on both the bike and run were amazing. Hearing people cheer for me, my country, and number motivated me to get under seven minutes and push even more. In the biggest race of my triathlon life, I was delivering my finest run ever! As people yelled and cheered, Justin screamed, "One lap down. One lap to go! Come on, Is, dig." I had hit a physical wall. I figured some water would help me. Justin gave me water. I took a quick sip and resumed. I was moving again. Only, Justin disagreed. To his observation, I had slowed down. I was getting tired and my pace had slowed. Justin yelled at me some more and I knew we were about one mile from the finish. Here I was one mile from completing the biggest race of my life and I was slowing down. Once again, my thoughts turned to the two women who had served as my inspiration all race long. I thought of Jenna's words to me prior to the race. I replayed those words in my mind several times before the race and there I was replaying them in my mind once more. I started to cry, but I knew the best way to show I had been moved and touched by Jenna's support and words was to throw down one final mile. I rolled along knowing I was minutes away from the finish line. I pushed ahead. Justin cheered. Others screamed out. The Dare2Tri crew screamed, whistled, and cheered for us as we ran by them. The other five members of Dare2Tri Elite Team were in transition preparing to go off after my race was over. Hearing them yelling for Justin and me sent chills up and down my body and I knew it was time for the final kick. We had not reached the final turn yet, but it did not matter. I was going to challenge myself to run out until I had nothing left. We made the turn into the final shoot. A couple hundred meters from the finish line. If I had anything left, it was time to go! A look at the numbers later on showed me that Justin and I ran at about 6:58 to 7:01 pace for the first three miles then sprinted at about 5:20 pace in the final stretch. Maybe my math is incorrect, but still, it was by far the fastest 5K I had ever run in a sprint triathlon by over two minutes. In fact, my run time at Worlds was faster than my fastest stand-alone 5K by a minute. I walk away from that experience knowing that by next season I will be able to break twenty minutes in both a stand-alone 5K and a sprint triathlon 5K.

The highlight after the race was having a chance to meet the wonderful people of Pinnacle Performance Company's London office. Special thanks to Clare and Lizzie for opening your hearts to me with a memorable post race dinner. It was such a joy to be in the company of such lovely, talented, and funny women. Of course, those adjectives can also be used when discussing the splendid women of Dare2Tri with whom I then had a chance to dance the night away to close out my London trip. I could not have asked for a group of more amazing individuals to spend time with then the splendid folks of Dare2Tri.

This has been an extraordinary experience. I would have never believed that I would finish 2013 as the tri6A Male US National champion. I could have never imagined I would race at Worlds in London. There are so many wonderful people and and organizations to thank. Thank you Dare2Tri Chicago for putting me on this year's Elite Team. Thank you Pinnacle Performance Company for your continued support. Thank you to the good folks at C Different Foundation for bringing Justin into my life. Thank you Justin Sternberg for being my eyes at the three best races of my triathlon life. I could not have qualified, won Nationals, or competed at Worlds without help from such a tremendous person, athlete, and friend. Thank you Jenna and Amanda for believing in me well before I ever began to believe in myself. I would have never had the courage to do any of this had it not been for you two insisting there were special things inside of me which the world needed to see. Also, thank you Jenna Parker for always being my guiding light and teaching me to go beyond the limitations I set on myself. I could not ask for a better person and friend to teach me how to race and how to fined those special abilities inside of me.

Christopher Nolen's Four Seasons

On Valentine's Day 2014, a movie will be released which looks to be a blast. It will have some funny, tender, and touching moments. It will be a wonderful film for all to see. The film is Christopher Nolen's Four Seasons. You can see the plot, a bit of the story, and the talented cast in the trailer which I will post at the end of this entry. I am looking forward to it because it looks like a well written well made movie. I am especially looking forward to it since the beautiful, talented, and amazing, Amanda Marcheschi appears in it. That alone makes it worth the price of admission. To see what I mean, check out the trailer and make sure to check out the piece when it is released.