This must be what the caravans of old were like. Everything needed to keep the wagon train moving had to come along for the trip. At extended stops, entire tent workshops are setup to offer repair and maintenance services. The Ironman event was no different. There were several large tents filled with gear and the men and women who would apply them to the bicycles. Very cool.
And if I haven't said it already, my respect and admiration to the participants of the Ironman Race. They all worked very hard to get here, and to participate. Hats off to them!
____
If you would like to see more of this area, check out Dunedin Daily Photo, and Clearwater Daily Photo. If you enjoy photography, check out my photography blog. Thanks for coming today, I hope you enjoyed your mini-vacation to Clearwater Beach, Florida!
Clearwater Beach, Florida: Ironman Pre-Race Photos
Clearwater Beach, Florida: 2009 FOSTER GRANT IRONMAN Pre-Race Photos
More great pre-race photos of athletes and preparations for the 2009 Clearwater Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3. Everywhere I went, I saw scenes like this one, with athletes partially or fully dressed in race day garb, talking with people that I imagined might be coaches, friends, supporters, family, or just interested spectators. What with 55 countries represented, you can imagine the wide selection of languages, dialects and accents to be heard as I wondered about. It was deliciously worldly and diverse.
And speaking of delicious and diverse... if you click on the photo above, of the colorful shoes on their feet, you will see something that made me laugh out loud. The man on the left is wearing very special socks indeed. The writing says "save the ta-tas"!!! It's true! Click on the picture and read it for yourself if you don't believe me. Well, I knew from the ribbon that it had to be related to some sort of breast cancer awareness campaign. And of course it is. As soon as I mentioned it to some friends, they told me all about it, and that I was, again, late to the game. Well, I know SOME of you out there might not know about it, so I am telling you now, and because I think it's really cool, I am including a link to the website. SO click this link if you are interested in checking out the Save The Ta-Tas website.
Click this link to read about the 2009 Clearwater Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3 on their website.
Oh, and did I mention that the 2009 FOSTER GRANT IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 70.3 was presented by Ford. Yup, they had quite an impressive display down there at Pier 60. They had numerous cars on display, including the Taurus SHO, the Escape hybrid, and the sweet looking Ford Flex pictured below. That baby got back, eh? Oh yeah. It might seem a little boxy, but I think it's kind of cool looking. This one certainly caught my eye! According to the Edmunds.com website, the MSRP starts at $28,550. Click this link if you want to check out the 2010 Ford Flex on the Ford website. If you click this link, you can read the Edmunds.com review of the 2010 Ford Flex.
I don't want to bore you... but I do lots of pictures to share... so come back tomorrow and I will share at least a few more Clearwater Beach Ironman photos.
____
If you would like to see more of this area, check out Dunedin Daily Photo, and Clearwater Daily Photo. If you enjoy photography, check out my photography blog. Thanks for coming today, I hope you enjoyed your mini-vacation to Clearwater Beach, Florida!
Clearwater Beach, Florida: 2009 FOSTER GRANT IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 70.3
Important Notice To Athletes: Click this link to read about the relocation of swim for Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3.
It's back! The 2009 FOSTER GRANT IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 70.3 takes place today, November 14th, presented by Ford. Did you know it was coming? Did you see the barricades lying in the medians waiting to be erected for today? Is your neighborhood one of those getting cutoff for a while?
Think about it: 1,650 athletes; 55 countries represented; ages from 18 to 79 in the field. And not just one 79 year old, but 3! First they will swim 1.2 miles, then ride their bicycles 56 miles, and then run 13.1 miles! All in one day!! Click this link to read about the race on the FOSTER GRANT IRONMAN website.
I had the good fortune to be down on Clearwater Beach this past Thursday as athletes began to appear in droves. In various stages of preparation, including check-in, bicycle claim from the transport service, and practice. Yes, lots of them, running, jogging, cycling all over the place. And good for them too! The only thing I did not see was any of them swimming. Their might have been some swimming, but it was really windy and cold. And in at least one area, I notice the life guards had the red "No Swim" flags out. Yikes. This probably explains why the swim course has been changed. See the link above if you are curious.
I watched the various athletes checking in at various stations around the event area, and I could not help but wonder what it must be like to be part of something so very BIG. Something of a scope so much larger than oneself. Oh my.
So I have lots of pictures to share... come back tomorrow and the next day for more and more Clearwater Beach Ironman photos.
____
If you would like to see more of this area, check out Dunedin Daily Photo, and Clearwater Daily Photo. If you enjoy photography, check out my photography blog. Thanks for coming today, I hope you enjoyed your mini-vacation to Clearwater Beach, Florida!
Clearwater Beach Florida: The Ironman Cometh... With Photos
It's that time again! And wow, are things getting busy out on Clearwater Beach! I was having a photo walkabout out there yesterday, and the place was HOPPING! If you like to get in the mix of it all, and see all the triathletes getting ready for race day, get on down there. If you don't like crowds, and chaos, and mayhem, stay home! :) I am not able to post a picture from my walkabout yet, so today's picture is from a prior event. This man is quite an inspiration! Click this link to see previous Foster Grant Ironman photos posted on this blog.
Click the link to visit the Foster Grant Ironman website. Click this link for traffic information. Click this one to go straight to the course maps.
____
If you would like to see more of this area, check out Dunedin Daily Photo, and Clearwater Daily Photo. If you enjoy photography, check out my photography blog. Thanks for coming today, I hope you enjoyed your mini-vacation to Clearwater Beach, Florida!
Clearwater Beach, Florida: Shells All Around On The Seashore
So, tell the truth, how many pounds of seashells do you have lying around your house right now? Yeah, that's what I thought. Guilty here too, at least 5 pounds squirreled away here and there. Ugh.
But not so much these days. Now I try to be considerate and leave plenty for others to enjoy. Also, I try not to step on shells when I am not shelling. There is no sound I hate to hear on the beach like the sound of joggers crushing shells by the hundreds as they jog obliviously down the sand. Hate it!
____
If you would like to see more of this area, check out Dunedin Daily Photo, and Clearwater Daily Photo. If you enjoy photography, check out my photography blog. Thanks for coming today, I hope you enjoyed your mini-vacation to Clearwater Beach, Florida!
Clearwater Beach, Florida: Quiet Morning On The Beach
One of my favorite times on the beach is early in the morning. It's when the day is just getting started, and it even feels like the beach is still sleeping. The very air is full of expectations for the new day. It's a cool feeling. I love it.
____
If you would like to see more of this area, check out Dunedin Daily Photo, and Clearwater Daily Photo. If you enjoy photography, check out my photography blog. Thanks for coming today, I hope you enjoyed your mini-vacation to Clearwater Beach, Florida!
Clearwater Beach, Florida: Walking, Jogging, Sitting, Shelling: It's All Good On The Beach
Have you been to the beach lately? Why not? After all, there is almost never a time when it's not a good time to be on the beach. For me, any weather is good enough for the beach. Heck, the beach is even nice when it broiling hot... just go for a swim!
____
If you would like to see more of this area, check out Dunedin Daily Photo, and Clearwater Daily Photo. If you enjoy photography, check out my photography blog. Thanks for coming today, I hope you enjoyed your mini-vacation to Clearwater Beach, Florida!
Clearwater Beach, Florida: Blue Skies, Palm Trees and Condo's Anyone?
If you are headed over the Clearwater Memorial Causeway to Clearwater Beach, you can see the Sandpearl Resort and Condo's long before you see any sand! And there is that other condo over there two... or rather and there are those other two condo's over there also...
Ya know, I just CANNOT keep up with it all. And darnit all, it's been way too long since I spent some quality time down on the beach. I think perhaps it's time to head down for a sunset stroll some day soon. Maybe some ice cream too, while I get my feet in the sand and my head out of the office!
Happy April Fool's day... and no, this is not an April Fool's joke.. trying to get back on this blogging horse and post more pics more often. Stop laughing! Oh, like you care anyway! :)
____
If you would like to see more of this area, check out Dunedin Daily Photo, and Clearwater Daily Photo. If you enjoy photography, check out my photography blog. Thanks for coming today, I hope you enjoyed your mini-vacation to Clearwater Beach, Florida!
Clearwater Beach, Florida: Construction? What Construction?
Seriously now, don't let all those half-built buildings, and the construction site netting, and trucks, and construction workers, fool you. Nothing going on down here. Nothing going on down on Clearwater Beach. No, it's not the Billion Dollar Beach. Nothing like that.
No matter what it looks like, Clearwater Beach is NOT being sold out to developers. Nope. That's not it at all. Nope, all the hotel rooms are not being replaced with condo's, sucking up all the parking areas. Nope, that's not it all. This is clearly NOT a case of turning a beautiful resort family beach area into a beautiful rich people only area. Nope.
If you ask me, this is why God invented hurricanes. :) Yeah, if I were rich, I would probably LOVE to have a condo on the beach. See, who says money is not good for you. Who says money is the root of all evil? Oh and hurray for #44, P.B.O.!
____
If you would like to see more of this area, check out Dunedin Daily Photo, and Clearwater Daily Photo. If you enjoy photography, check out my photography blog. Thanks for coming today, I hope you enjoyed your mini-vacation to Clearwater Beach, Florida!
Clearwater Beach, Florida: A Bad Day At The Beach...
I saw a bumper sticker out there once that said "A Bad Day Fishing Is Better Than A Good Day Working." I hereby declare the same can be said of Clearwater Beach.
A bad day at Clearwater Beach is better than a good day at work! Even if, like in the photograph above, you are driving a work truck out there to earn a living. After all, you could be working anywhere, but if you get to work down on Clearwater Beach, you are likely to have some great scenery!
____
If you would like to see more of this area, check out Dunedin Daily Photo, and Clearwater Daily Photo. If you enjoy photography, check out my photography blog. Thanks for coming today, I hope you enjoyed your mini-vacation to Clearwater Beach, Florida!
For your convenience... (results open in a new window)
