17.04.07
Ironman Poem
Sonja Dyason has put pen to paper and put her thoughts on Danielle into prose. This is probably the first and last time you’ll see poetry on broughton.id.au
The Road to Ironman - Sonja Dyason
It doesn’t seem that long ago,
I heard a rumour,
Danni was a couch potato.
I found that very hard to believe,
Due to what she set out to achieve.
With a smile on her face,
The Novice Program completed,
It was the Olympic Distance race,
The next to be deleted.
It was during winter training,
It became obvious to me,
How committed a training partner,
Danni was to be.
In some very nasty weather,
Rain hail and shine,
Danni kept me training,
And drinking little wine.
One very awful day,
We took the road named Nanima,
This is where Danni showed,
She had guts, determination and stamina.
After training all the winter,
At the beginning of the season,
Danni retired from triathlon,
For no apparent reason.
She moved on to running training,
A half marathon in mind,
I thought triathlon gone for good,
But it remained in the back of her mind.
With the half marathon done and dusted,
What event was next to be busted?
It was not too much longer after this,
Danni and I made a plan,
Travel to the Gold Coast,
To do our first half ironman.
Completing the race with ease,
Danni went on holidays,
Hawaii, if you please.
It was here the last piece fell into place,
Whilst watching the world’s greatest race.
Macca was her inspiration,
Port Macquarie, her destination.
She came back from overseas,
Said “Coach, program please”.
So with the support of family and friends,
She committed to some serious training,
And realised that consistency
Was going to be the main thing.
With total focus on her training,
With nothing else on her mind,
She made it to the start line,
I hoped the Ironman God would be kind.
A 1.05 for the swim,
I thought she’d cruise it in,
But it became a little breezy,
The bike wasn’t going to be easy.
After the 180k hike,
Bet she was glad to get off that bike!
I heard in transition,
Danni sat on her bum –
Quite understandable,
With 42 k’s to run.
The run was long,
The run was hilly,
Will she finish?
Of course, don’t be silly!
Danni, as you crossed that line,
I couldn’t have been more proud,
I hope you’ll always remember,
The cheering of the crowd.
You are my inspiration,
I am your biggest fan -
Not only are you a superstar,
You’re now an Ironman!
1st April 2007