As the Herd continues its Stampede towards Ironman Lake Placid in July of 2023, many smaller events are being knocked out by Herd Members across the country in preparation. In February, Hooch, EnJen, and Mannimal competed in the Novant Health Wilmington Marathon, posting times of 3:28:35, 3:59:37, and 3:35:04, respectively. EnJen crushed her first ever marathon in sub 4 hours, reigniting hope that eventually a Castillo may actually qualify for Kona. Mannimal, with his time, continues to raise the bar for the OG crowd, while Hooch is cementing himself for a top finish in the Young Guns category, which has clearly become the group to watch in IMLP. While the weather was cool and moist, the challenge presented a great opportunity for these young and old Triathlete’s alike to log the actual distance that they will be tasked with finishing at IMLP. Now if they can stack the swim and ride on top of this experience, great things will be in store for these athletes come July.
In a secondary, and slightly less stressful path to IMLP, Seven continues his onslaught on the Disney Theme Parks across the country. In the span of 6 months, Seven has completed the Disney Triathlon which consists of Disney Land, Disney World, and Epcot. When asked what continues to drive his assaults on the Parks, Seven responded, “It’s really all about the Castles. To be first into the park, you must arrive early, force your way to the front, with total disregard for women and children alike, and make sure that you are at the rope.” In February, it was noted that as the crowd made its final push to the last ride on the Matterhorn, Seven could be heard crying “No Day’s off!” as he sprinted for the turnstile.
As winter turns to spring, more events will be attempted by members of the Herd. Boulder Half , Oceanside Half, Sant Cruz Half and Chattanooga Half. Even though there is a reoccurring theme regarding these events, 70.3 for b******, they all provide a good base for the ultimate goal of completing IMLP. Many first timers are in the group this year, which will make for a memorable event, one way or the other. The highlight of the 2023 Tri Year will be El Presidente, upon completion of IMLP, being entered into a lottery, with millions of other Triathletes, with the hopes of his name being drawn out of a gigantic hat, with millions of names in it, like a one in a million chance that his name gets drawn, so that he can finally fulfill his prophecy of qualifying for Kona in 2024, although it’s not really qualifying when your name goes into a hat with millions of other names, and it’s completely random if you get selected, and oh by the way if you get selected, I’m just going to pay to do it with you just so you know. But at least we won’t have to hear about it anymore.
Keep up the good work Team Herd, and we will see you across the country and at IMLP in July.
