The last time Personal Best checked in with Rob and Shandra Richardson, of Gainesville, Va., they were headed out to Hawaii for the Ironman Triathlon with their baby girl Madison in tow. Now, it appears to be Madison who’s calling the shots.
Rob was swimming in the Richardsons’ pool recently when he looked up and saw Madison. When the pool shut off at the 30-minute mark, she eagerly waited for him to get her in the water.
But when she heard the pool start up again and realized that her dad was restarting his workout, she started crying. So Rob acquiesced and, to her delight, got the 23-month-old Madison into the pool with him.
Even with a growing toddler, the Richardsons are still working out at a breakneck pace in an attempt to make it back to Kona. Rob’s sleep schedule is beginning to mirror that of an infant — he recently woke up at 2:30 a.m. to start his workout.
They had to battle severe wind at Kona — the bikes would often teeter from side to side because the gusts were so strong.
But despite the weather, both agreed that it was a great experience.
The two competed in the Eagleman half-Ironman in Cambridge, Md., on June 14. Shandra finished fourth overall with a time of four hours, 43 minutes and nine seconds, and Rob placed 12th in the 35-to-39 age group with a time of 4:28:36.
