Leave it to the next generation. Those of us who are now in the twilight of our running years can now take a major degree of solace in the successes of our children (also see previous post).

Noah Olson, son of CRR Tom Olson, recently completed the Ironman Maryland competition on Sept. 29. His official time was 13 hours, 6 minutes, 23 seconds, including transition times. He finished in the top half (31st) in his age group (25-29), gender grouping, and overall.

Olson had a plan for the day, which unfolded pretty much like he had hoped it would. His time for the 2.4-mile swim was 1:21:22. Then he hit the bike for the long and draining 112-mile distance. His bike time was 6:28:20, an overall average of 17.38 mph, which is super. The challenge was for him to keep the bike leg within reason so as to have enough left in the tank for the marathon. He did so, completing the marathon distance (26.2 miles) in 4:50:02.

According to the elder Olson, who recently completed the local Top of Delaware Sprint Triathlon, “The two transitions were 13+ and 12+ minutes each, as [Noah] took time to stretch, eat, etc. He looked and said he felt good at the finish. I am sure that taking a few extra minutes during the transition was very helpful. It was pretty inspiring to be at various stages of the race and watching and cheering on all the athletes out there demonstrating true grit!”