Published August 30, 2017 03:48PM

We set up a photo tent at this year’s Ironman 70.3 Oceanside to capture racers just after they crossed the finish line. In that special moment of elation and exhaustion, athletes completed the sentence above—and surprised us with their candor, humor and thoughtfulness. Most of all, they showed the power of triathlon to make us treasure our bodies for the extraordinary things they let us do, like covering 70.3 miles under our own power.
Photographs by Rob Hammer