[Editor’s note: 52 weeks ago Margaret Bravo weighed 221 pounds. After 12 months of SBR training and proper nutrition, she wears a slinky size 8, and weighs a mere 130 pounds. What follows is her account:]

Swim - Mass running start. I found the ocean exhilarating, there was quite a left flowing current, so I was pushed closer to the buoys than I wanted to be. Had a hard time fighting for my own "personal space". There was a guy hitting me on the head with a closed fist and I found myself getting aggravated. I thought to myself, "You can get yourself worked up and crazy or you can just let go, relax and really savor your first Ironman." So that's what I did. Just focused on my stroke, expending as little energy as possible and finished the swim feeling like I had swum 200 meters instead of 4000. When the shoreline was in sight, I made sure I kicked like a banshee like Christophe told me to in order to restore circulation to my lower extremities and prevent dizziness when I stood up. I was able to stand up and run without any problems. The time was 10 minutes slower than what I was shooting for but I thought it was a small trade off because I felt so good and refreshed.

Bike- Bane of my existence since I fractured my shoulder on it in July. My nemesis. I had only 2 goals. A) Not to do another Mary Lou Retton dismount off the bike and B) Just hit the cutoff. Strong, strong headwind the first 40 miles or so. I looked down at one point and saw that I was doing 14 mph and thought "Oh my God, you’re not going to make it!" Luckily the wind abated and I felt stronger as the day went on. I passed Christophe (Vandaele, SBR’s owner and my tri mentor), and my family and friends at mile 90 and sobbed the next 5 miles. I was overwhelmed that people loved me so much that they would stand out there in the wind and cold all day long. Finished feeling terrific and with a huge smile on my face. I still managed to fall into a ditch during the ONLY turnaround the course had. Note to self: work on handling skills over the winter.

Run - Felt very, very good the first 18 miles or so. Had to walk through the aid stations because I don't know how to run and eat a banana without requiring the Heimlich maneuver. Saw a lot of friends I had made on the course. Grabbed Mike Nelson's (my fellow Overweight Challenger) hand as we passed each other. Saw Israel Rodriguez from the SBR team and we yelled encouragement to each other. Around mile 19, my left ankle started to throb and I couldn't bend my right knee. So I started to go into walk, shuffle, walk mode. I felt my heart sink a little because I had hoped to have a walk-free marathon. I still felt quite strong, my legs just weren't cooperating. It started getting very cold and the moon was out. Now I'm going to describe something many of you have never and will never experience - being in the back of the pack during an Ironman. It was like being in that movie, "The Night of the Living Dead." I had about 6 miles to go and I was walking. People were staggering around, wrapped in Mylar blankets, grimly putting one foot in front of the other. I kept looking at my watch, seeing my chance of a 13 hour then a 14 hour Ironman slip away. But I had such an overwhelming sense of peace and joy. I knew I was going to make the cutoff and all I had to do was just keep moving forward. I reflected on my year and felt so much gratitude because I had truly been given a miracle, a second chance at living a healthy life. Every race I did this year, I felt like I was thumbing my nose at death. Forget about times, with me it's about SURVIVAL. I have a friend that I used to smoke with battling stage 4 cancer. I was surrounded by people with these zonked out looks on their faces and felt really happy about all the guidance and support I had gotten from Christophe because I had nailed the nutrition, still felt really great and hadn't even had a single stomach cramp. My leg just wasn't being friendly. I knew all my loved ones were waiting at the finish line and would never leave. They had all these blinding floodlights on and I felt like a fugitive from "America's Most Wanted." "But I swear officer, I really did do all those hill repeats, I’m just slow." The volunteers and fans were AMAZING. They all greeted me by name and encouraged me. By mile 24, I felt well enough to go back into walk shuffle mode. At the finish, I grabbed my 2 daughters' hands and they crossed with me.

So it's been one heck of a year. I'm grateful for all the guidance and support I've gotten from the SBR store employees and the team. I truly savored all of the training and realize now that it's a journey and not a destination. Mike has become one of my closest friends. The seed's been planted. I've signed up for Ironman Louisville. Throughout my life, I've had some near misses. A fraction of an inch more here, slamming on the brakes a second later, a mile faster here and I would have been dead. I've become convinced that I have a guardian angel looking out for me. Just never realized he was Belgian. Thanks Boss.

Regards-Margaret