Zak and I are in Lake Placid today to cheer on a friend who’s participating in the 2011 Lake Placid Ironman.

(click pic to enlarge!)

All those green and pink round things in the water are the athletes who were waiting to head out on their 2.4 mile swim at 7 AM this morning. (The men are in green, women in pink.) After their swim is a 112 mile bike ride and then a 26.2 mile run for dessert.

The energy here in Lake Placid is absolutely amazing. It’s an awesome reminder of how inspiring it is to witness a race. If you’ve ever considered participating in running race or similar athletic event yourself but it feels too intimidating – just go watch.

Whatever your distance – a 5K, a 10K, a half marathon or full – find one near you and see what the experience is like as a spectator first. (Better yet, volunteer!) It’s so helpful to see that there are plenty of seemingly ordinary people out there doing some really extraordinary stuff. People of all shapes and sizes and varying fitness levels. Seeing it live and in person makes it a lot easier to believe that you really could be one of those people too.

(and signing up for a race is a great way to stay motivated when you first start running too!)

Last I heard, there are 2800 competitors today, only about 30% of them women. It’s definitely cool – but there’s no Ironman in my future! Not even a triathlon. I’m not here to be inspired! If the enormous amount of time required for training and the $625 entry fee weren’t enough to deter me – the sharks (yes, fresh water sharks – I’m sure they exist) and octopuses and other miscellaneous sea monsters out there waiting for me during the open water swim definitely keep me away.