I don't know if you've ever been to a rodeo or watched one on tv.  I find the bull riders fascinating.  Tough, compact cowboys in their jeans, chaps, hats, and belt buckles.  And then there are the bulls, sitting in a pen looking like they are just there for a Sunday afternoon chat.  The cowboys lean over the rail and discuss the animals, some of them have a reputation that far precedes them.  However, when the cowboys look at them from the distance perhaps they seem less large, less powerful, and maybe just maybe they can be tamed for the famed 8 seconds. 

Then comes the real test for both the cowboy and the animal.  They are penned together.  The bull has been made extremely uncomfortable, small pen and a rope strapped around their sensitive areas.  Then there is this human getting ready to strap themselves to their back.  Their backs get raised and the bulls prepare for battle.  I can imagine that all they want is to go back to Sunday chatting with their other bull friends.  The cowboys now get that up close and personal look at the animal that not so long ago looked a little bit docile.  Then the decision comes, do they get on the animal and ride or do they reconsider.  Perhaps cowboys can't have a second thought otherwise they would never strap themselves to massive angry animal with it's goods in a sling.  The cowboys get on the bull in that same little pen and they feel the power as they straddle the animal.  Quickly and with purpose they tie themselves in, put their hand to their hat and give the nod. 

8 seconds.  The cowboy and the bull connected in undulating power.  8 seconds. That is all it takes to become a champion.

I guess I felt a little like the cowboy at the rodeo as I've spent the last few days looking at the Molokai Channel in it's corral.  Continue Reading »

Not my night out there in the channel.  2hrs and uncontrollable vomiting. Not my day for swimming.  I'll post more after sleeping.

Noa, the pilot, did a wonderful job to get us back to home safely. 

Tomorrow starting at 8pm Hawaiian time, I'm going to give it my all and hopefully become lucky number 13 to cross the Molokai (Kaiwi).  We will be leaving from Molokai taking off from Kalua Koi and aiming for Makapuu point.  My goal is to continue to swim until I reach hopefully Sandy point on Oahu island.  There will be no posts during the swim as we are running on a very skeleton but talented crew.  Please keep my crew, pilot and me in your thoughts tomorrow evening and Thursday morning as we take on this challenge. 

As always these swims would not be possible without help from many coaches, trainers, friends, family, coworkers, crew and pilots.  Without them, I cannot participate in my passion.  Thank you to all that help me along my journey.

Thank you to my fellow marathon swimmer and friend, Chris Palfrey for writing a lovely detail of Molokai Channel.  It was so lovely in fact that I decided to reuse it.  Chris's write up below: Continue Reading »

I arrived to Oahu on September 11th and promptly started melting like the Wicked Witch after her bad encounter with Dorothy.   Continue Reading »