Ironman Arizona 2015 by Lee Gruenfeld - Babbittville - Babbittville

IMAZGruenfeldFeaturedImage – Babbittville

Our man on the scene, Lee Gruenfeld was in Tempe for Ironman Arizona, and brings us these images from a rainy day of racing.

: Pro men get ready to start the swim.

: Swimmers head off into the dark abyss….

: Pro women before the swim start

: A special breed of Iron-Tough: imagine doing 140.6 blind

: Faces before the start of an Ironman reflect all emotions.

: The rolling swim start gets…rolling

: Swimmers head under the Mill Avenue Bridge under the watchful eye of swim safety volunteers

: The sun tried to come out and then surrendered completely.

: Two pro men exit the swim

: Iron Volunteer: It’s a hands-on job. But on this day, sunblock was just a wishful thought.

: Wetsuit stripping with gusto

: Brian Roselauf at the beginning of his 112 mile ride

: How good does a hot chocolate sound about now?

: A hike up Hayden Butte yields an eagle-eye view of the bike course

: Volunteers from Tribe Multistport wait to lead the top pros on the run.

: First into T2 by a country mile, Andrew Starykowicz. A 4:03 bike will get you that.

: Lionel Sanders into T2, about 15 minutes after Starykowicz

: Defending champion Brent McMahon runs out of T2 with time to make up after a flat on the bike.

: Meredith Kessler heads out on the run. How do you know you’re having a good day? Check out the number of bikes in T2.

: Second out of T2, Dr. Amanda Stevens

: An emotional Lionel Sanders getting a little love from the hardy Iron Spectators as he reaches the finish line first.

: The newest member of the Sub-8 Ironman Club, champion Lionel Sanders reaches the finish line in 7:58:22

: Defending champion Brent McMahon threw down a 2:46:25 run to finish second in an impressive 8:00:57

: The weather had an effect on spectators too

: Meredith Kessler had one of those epic days every Iron Athlete dreams of to capture her second title in a row at Ironman Arizona

: Number One on the day, Meredith Kessler is greeted at the finish line by Mike Reilly

: You’re not supposed to need space blankets in a desert race.

All photos © 2015 by Lee Gruenfeld