Mike Neill talks about the end of his pro racing career
After 13 years and 26 Ironman races.
Following his tenth Ironman World Championship finish in October, Victoria’s Mike Neill wrote the following on his blog:
“For the past 6 months I have been going from Ironman to Ironman. My goal was to get back to Hawaii one last time. I accomplished that goal and I am proud of that. I had my fastest race (and what Jasper thinks might be my best race) ever in Texas and I am proud of that. I did get another top 10 finish in Lake Placid which I am proud of. The problem with the new system was that I didn’t plan it properly and I spent my summer trying to get to Kona without an eye to what I would do (or how I would feel) when I got there. I wasn’t physically or mentally ready to take on the distance, let alone the best athletes in the world. That is something that eats at me a little bit, but I am happy to have ended my career at the place that made me fall in love with the sport. 13 years and 26 Ironman’s later I can’t complain about the career or the life I have had in the sport.”
His hometown newspaper also caught up with Mike to follow up on his story.