The full Ironman was run the same day I did my half. They went into the water at 6:45 and us at 8:40. I know this guy Mark. He isn't a friend, he's a casual acquaintance I swam with in a group in 2019 and bumped into a few times this summer at events. Mark was doing the full Ironman, his first. I'd told him I was doing the half, my first. After I'd finished, I went home, showered, napped as much as I could and ate a little before going back to find Mark and cheer him on. I found him around mile 20 and shouted "nice job Mark, good pace!" He was walking but I meant it. He was moving forward consistently. He recognizes me and says: "How'd it go?" He was 20 miles into a marathon he started after biking 114 miles (course was a little long) and swimming 2.4 miles. He'd been moving for 12 hours and had two more to go. The first thing he thinks when he sees me is "how'd it go?" The point I think goes with the author's write-up is it's the people that make this. Not just events but everything.