Ironman: Beginning My Athletic Career
“This time spent with my father was truly the reason that I fell in love with Triathlon again.”
Before I share my brief story of athletics and training with InsideOut Health + Fitness, allow me to talk about Ironman. No, this is not about Tony Stark. It began as a debate of what event was the hardest to complete. Was it the Waikiki Roughwater swim (3.8k)? Was it the Around-Oahu bike race (180k)? Or was it the Honolulu marathon (42.2k) (HT School Web Desk, 2022)?
To settle this debate John and Judy Collins decided to make the first “Around the Island Triathlon'' which consisted of all three in 1978 in Honolulu, Hawai’i (Ironman, 2023). It then changed locations to Kona, Hawai'i in 1982 (Wechsel, 2022).
They determined that if someone could finish, they would be declared an Ironman. The race grew in popularity and became the race known today (Ironman, 2023). Ironman is a triathlon race consisting of 3.8 kilometer swim, 180 kilometer bike, and a 42.2 kilometer run in which that needs to be completed in 17 hours.
Today, if someone completes this race within the top five of their age group and depending on their gender they have a chance of going to the world championships in Kona, Hawai’i or Nice, France.
Now, on to my story, triathlon has always been a part of my life. I remember at a very young age, maybe 4 years old, going to races with my grandparents to watch my father compete in several triathlons. I am not sure what my first triathlon was but myself and my two older sisters did several kids races over the years with the Multisport Canada Series and the Tri Kids Series in Ontario.
At a young age my dad enrolled me into learn to swim classes and organized soccer. Soccer was somewhat enjoyable, and I continued with that through public school in grades 7 and 8.
As I was growing up and started to enjoy the sport more and more. At some point along the way my dad invited me to train more and more with him for triathlons and I really enjoyed it. The time spent with my father was a bonus. I finally moved up from the kids races to give-it-a-try, sprint, Olympic, half iron distance and then finally an Ironman.
During a time in high school where my mental health was not the greatest I fell out of love with training for the sport. I would sit in my room and feel down about myself and watch my dad training for years on his journey to Kona and finally getting an Ironman Legacy slot for the World Championships in 2019 helped me turn that around.
My dad was always my biggest motivator and source of inspiration. The long training hours together in our pain cave, outdoors in the rain or snow and on the good weather days help me develop the required mental toughness for the Ironman distance.
During this time spent with my father truly is the reason that I fell in love with Triathlon again. I love that it has helped me so much in my emotional and mental wellbeing. The time spent chatting about everything with my father, from what's for dinner to what’s the secret of life and the time spent thinking to myself about the same things during solo training have helped me become the person I am today and I am very proud of that. I then completed Ironman Tremblant In August of 2022. I have proven to myself that, as Ironman says, “Anything is Possible”.
Triathlon, exercise, and healthy living in general has now become a focus for me so much that I have decided to continue my training with InsideOut while also completing a two-year Fitness and Health Promotion program at Centennial College. I have loved sharing my passion and experiences while working with InsideOut so I can help guide others in fitness and for making healthy life choices.
References
HT School Web Desk. (2022). The ironman triathlon: A worldwide competition born out of a debate . HT School. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://htschool.hindustantimes.com
Ironman. (2023). History. Ironman. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://www.ironman.com
Wechsel, F. (2022, November 30). 8 options: Will there be an Ironman in Kona next year, and if so, how many? Triathlon Magazine Canada. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://triathlonmagazine.ca