To the editor:

Dear Sir or Madam:
I was wondering if you would be kind enough to submit the following information in the Holt County Independent for me? I do have a picture I could send as well if you would like. Thank you for your time.


On Sunday, April 25th Angie Farnik, a native of Verdigre, NE, competed in the Memorial Herman Ironman on historic Galveston Island, along the Texas gulf coast. The 70.3mile race consisted of a 1.2mile saltwater swim in the Offats Bayou, 56mile bike ride along the coastline and a 13.1 mile run through tropical gardens and towering glass pyramids of Moody Gardens.

There were Professional and amateur athletes from countries all over the world such as New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland, Canada, and England competing in the race. The men’s winner and overall winner was Terenzo Bozzone of New Zealand finishing in a time of 3hrs and 49min. The female winner was Samantha McGlone of Canada finishing in a time of 4hrs and 17min.

I thought the most difficult part was the swim in the bayou. The water was wavey, dirty and salty. Swallowing a gulp of dirty salt water whenever I took a breath was disgusting. I could barely see my hand in the water and we were constantly having to look up to make sure we weren’t going to get kicked or hit in the face by another competitor. At our pre-race meeting they told us to watch out for Jellyfish and oyster beds. That was a little scary considering this was my first open water swim.

Competing in a ½ Ironman was the most amazing experience of my life. It’s something I never dreamnt I would or could do, so to accomplish such a feat was truly rewarding. I finished in a time of 7hrs and 19min, which qualified me for the Ironman World Championships. The average finishing time for a ½ Ironman is 8hrs and 10min. I was fortunate to meet Michellie Jones, Australia, who was the 2006 Ironman World Champion and a silver medalist at the 2000 Olympic games triathlon. Everyone I raced against and all of the spectators and volunteers were so nice. It was such a positive and enthusiastic environment, an experience I will never forget.