My Brother is The Man, "The IRONMAN!"

If you know my brother Elijah you know that he is "The Man!" Really I don't think there is anything he can't do and everything he does do he does very well! I have always looked up to my brother Elijah as he is only 18 months older than me and we were just a grade apart growing up in school. He'd stick up for me, he'd support me in whatever I was doing and would even let me tag along with his friends. I have so many wonderful memories of growing up and trying to keep up with him and always being so blessed by his great example to me. Elijah has always been one of my Hero's.

Now Elijah lives in Germany with his wonderful wife and beautiful children while he works towards his PhD in international relations. A week ago he was finally able to take to the skies(after delays due to the volcano in Iceland) and Today he became an IRONMAN!

 

In case you're not sure what an Ironman is, it is the most difficult Triathlon in the world! Beginning with a 2.4 mile swim, then a 112 mile bike ride and finishing with a full 26.2 mile marathon! That's a total of 140.6 miles! Elijah learned about the Ironman as a young man and decided that it was a goal he'd like to accomplish before he turned 30 (he'll be 30 in November)! All the Ironman races take place on a Sunday but this year my very own city of St.George, Utah was hosting it's first ever Ironman on the first Saturday in May! Before today I thought you'd have to be Crazy to compete in an Ironman, but after what I saw today, I've decided you have to be very Courageous!

The picture above is of Elijah, his gorgeous wife Marinda and their three beautiful boys, Jacob, Joseph, and Hyrum. I must say that there is no way he could have done this without all of their love and support. Little Hyrum is only three months old and Elijah has been training for a long time. Although he worked very hard to train in a "family friendly" way, I still think Marinda deserves the mother of the year award!

I wish I had a picture of the over 2,400 athletes entering the water for the swim and especially of my brother who swam the 2.4 miles at his fastest time ever (1:27)in the freezing cold water but I don't. I'll have to get on line and upload a picture later. But here's when we first saw him on the Bike course!

 

I love how excited he looks as he flashes his "Hang Loose" sign. This was fitting with his approach to the race as every single time we saw him he was smiling and optimistic!

 

See there he is Smiling!

 

Go #758!

 

Here we are, his Adoring Fans! I couldn't live in a better location for the Ironman. We were able to walk a block from my house and watch the loop where the bikers came pass three times! Later we walked three blocks to where we could see the runners come by 4 different times!

 

Elijah was amazing on the bike and completed the 112 miles in 6:31. Just to demonstrate how much he rocked on the bike, after the swim he was ranked in the 1,299 place. After the bike he had moved up to the 561 place! Not to mention that the bike course was unbelievably difficult and considered possibly the hardest Ironman bike course in the world!

 

Here's a great shot of his Support Crew!

 

Even little Hyrum was always there to cheer him on!

 

This was the third time we saw him, still going strong!

 

Look at that good attitude! Later during the Marathon we saw one of our neighbors who had been helping at an aid station by the Gunlock loop. He said that he saw my brother twice and asked if he was the guy on the pink bike(I'll explain the pink bike in a minute)? He said that he was so impressed by my brother as he heard him thanking every single volunteer and aid person that he passed. He said he was so polite and appreciative. Isn't Lig awesome! That's just the kind of man that he is!

 

Ok, so now I have to pause and explain the pink bike. Elijah bought a sweet Triathlon bike from a guy in Germany but it was pink because in Deutschland at the time T-mobile was sponsoring all the professional bikers. Thus they were tough bikers riding around on hot pink bikes and wearing pink clothes. Lig wanted to paint the bike blue but wasn't able to before the race. . . it is in his plans for when he returns home! But until then it sure made for some fun comments and Lydia especially loved it as she told him that pink is her favorite color!

 

Just a cool shot from above!

 

Imagine that, He's still smiling after riding over 100 miles!

 

A couple of times when we saw Elijah go by it was pretty fast. After one of them his son Jakey started crying because he said he didn't get to see Daddy good enough because he was going too fast. Lig was really wonderful to wave and even give high fives to his sons during the marathon!

 

One of Dan's co-workers was at a bike aid station and sent us a text after she saw Elijah pass. She said he was doing great and was really lucky because he had missed a big bike wreck by about 20 seconds. When I heard that I felt a sudden surge of gratitude that he had been safe thus far and realized that He had family members and friends praying for him all over the world. Prayers are answered!

 

The last climb of the bike course!

 

Swim check, Bike check, Run Elijah Run! If you notice all of his cool body markings you'll see his airbrushed race #758 on his arms, his age on his calf, a smiley face on the other and then with marker he had a J on each hand for Jakey & Joey as well as an H & M for Hyrum and Marinda! He really was running it for his family!

 

He never stopped running, not once!

 

I love this picture of Marinda waving on the other side of the road with an "I Love You" sign and a big smile for her hubby!

 

He's going the distance!

 

 

 

And of course he's still smiling as he passes many people and keeps on running what is considered among the hardest Ironman Marathons. It is literally uphill both ways!

 

It was so exciting to watch all of the Athletes and there was an adrenaline in the air. You couldn't help but be enthused and cheer on everyone who went by! Especially when we'd see Elijah, we'd go nuts screaming and whistling at the top of our lungs and even holding back tears of pride at moments!

 

Especially this moment!

 

Here he comes across the Finish Line! He finished the marathon in just over 4 hours and completed the entire race (including transitions) in 12:27. Ranked the 375th (341 in his age group)person to cross the line! Isn't that remarkable! His goal was to complete the Ironman in 12 - 14 hours and HE DID IT!

 

Can you feel the excitement?!!!

 

"Elijah Bush all the way from Bremen, Germany!"

 

There he is on the Big screen!

 

 

He did it! 140.6 Miles!

 

Elijah . . . THE IRONMAN!!!

 

Elijah Exhausted & Elated!

 

Walking with his Wifey!

 

A classic Elijah shot! He was so excited to eat food and said he doesn't want any more goo or bananas for a while!

 

Now there is a proud Mama and Papa for you!

 

Our siblings in other states and other parts of the country were able to watch him cross the finish line online at ironman.com. They were so anxious to call and congratulate him, almost as excited as his boys were to finally be right next to him!

 

These boys know their daddy is a superman!

 

And this picture demonstrates the Real Man that he is as he finishes and focuses on being a Father!

 

I'm so Proud of You Big Bro!

 

Awwwww!

 

What a dynamite couple Marinda and Elijah are! Supporting each other every step of the way!

 

I couldn't believe all the bikes, this was just one of the pick up spots! I must say three cheers to an incredible volunteer staff who was super organized and helpful!

 

Three more cheers for a remarkable Brother who FINISHED the race!

 

What a day!

 

 

Congratulations Elijah! You are the Man, The IRONMAN!