Over 2,000 intrepid athletes gathered in the heart of the Adirondacks for the tenth annual Lake Placid Iron Man. What’s amazing about this sport is that 17 years ago, when I did the New York City Marathon, running 26 miles was considered a novel, extreme endurance feat.
Now, the Iron Man comprises a marathon run, but only as the dessert, after a main course of a 2 ½ mile swim, followed by an incredible 112 mile bike ride.
By contrast, the Olympic distance triathlon that will be featured in the Beijing Olympics comprises a one mile swim, a 25 mile bike ride, and a six mile run. That’s the event that I’ve done several times.
On race day, we were woken up at the crack of dawn by inspiring rock music emanating from the bandstand at the race start on the other side of Mirror Lake. Family members and friends had gathered to support David Cowan, age 31.
The starting cannon roared, and the swimmers churned the water like a school of piranhas jockeying for position on the freshwater lake. In the days before the race, I had plied the swim course, and found it one of the smoothest most delightful swim experiences of my life, after remorselessly orbiting in chlorinated pools and in choppy ocean waters.
After two circuits, contestants transitioned to their bikes, but the sky opened up with a punishing downpour that lasted the entire race. Incredibly, David maintained his pace, and as he passed our cottage a couple of times we tried to buoy his soggy spirits, but he appeared undaunted as he flashed us the V sign.
Incredibly, the oldest contestant was a 71 year-old who has done 31 Iron Man competitions so far. Many competitors are in their 50s. Professionals complete the three segments in just over eight hours, and David did it in eleven and change, a very respectable time, and a personal best.
The course remains open from the 7:00 AM start time until midnight, allowing a few stragglers to cross the finish line to applause after an amazing 17 hours of non-stop exertion. We saw a female contestant stumble toward the finish line on rubbery legs, fall to the ground twice, and amidst roaring cheers from the crowd, get up again and propel herself forward across the line.
The sport has gone from a freak aberration for hammerheads to such an incredibly popular sport that race entries sell out on the internet within minutes of opening up. There are dozens of events world-wide, and athletes frequently travel thousands of miles to compete.
For my part, I found the athletes inspiring. While I’ll never do a full Iron man, I think of their incredible determination whenever I feel “gassed” while running, biking or swimming. I tasted the hills of Lake Placid on an abbreviated bike ride on part of the race course, ran around Mirror Lake for a fraction of the marathon distance, and swam the lake. And the next time I get caught in a summer rain shower without an umbrella, I’ll remember these intrepid contestants going a whole day in a downpour wearing nothing but sleeveless spandex jerseys, and I’ll just shrug it off.
So whatever your personal Iron Man is, whether it’s committing to a 20 minute mall walk three times a week, or trying a fifteen mile bike ride, or running on the treadmill for a couple of miles, be inspired and BRING IT!
