What’s the next-best thing to being in Kona for the Ironman World Championships? Having some triathlon friends over for an Iron Dinner while watching the live stream — an event that involves proper psyching and fueling. So here’s how the evening unfolded, thanks to the extraordinary cooking of Mr. J:

After getting their race numbers at the door, guests “racked” at the table accordingly, with place cards that held their number and mantra. At the head of the table? The live stream.

But first up? Pre-race fuel:

What’s a race without a goodie bag?

A tense moment as Amanda, Joe, Jess and Lisa root for Chrissie Wellington to make her move on the bike course.

How did we not get pictures of the main event? That would be Lamb Biryani, lentils, and whole grilled snapper with pineapple and mango salsa, followed by lemon sorbet with strawberries and strawberry Clif Shot Bloks and brownies. Oh, I know: No leftovers = no photos. Some evidence that it happened:

And Amanda and Joe look pretty happy with his cooking, as they await the final course.

In the end, Craig Alexander and Chrissie Wellington weren’t the only winners. We might not be doing Kona, but some challenges feel that big. Thanks, friends, for all the support and fun on and off the course.