Cozumel Ironman

So we think a 10K is tough, or a marathon or half. Welcome to the world of the iron men and women. Since I began running regularly about 6 years ago, this has been my principal form of exercise and recreation. I like it and I'm stubborn enough to have had some modest success at distances I would previously have never imagined being within my reach. In my 20s and again in my 30s I would pretend to be a runner, thinking one day of running a marathon, that is, a 10K. I'm afraid that's still a prevalent misconception amongst the uninitiated. Friends will query of me: "How long is this marathon you're going to run?" Answer: marathon - 1. a foot race over a course measuring 26 mi. 385 yd. (42 km 195 m). Of course, the next option is: 2. any long distance race.

A couple of years ago I decided to try my hand at triathlon. At that time (and perhaps it still is) the sport of triathlon - swimming, bicycling, and running - was one of the fastest growing recreational sports in the country. I came into the sport clueless, really. In this case, I was the poor newbie asking: "How long is a triathlon?" The internet came to the rescue as I learned there are different grades of triathlon, ranging from a sprint distance (750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run) to the Olympic distance ((1.5km swim, 40km ride, 10km run) and beyond. The grand-daddy of all triathlons is the Ironman. This demands of the athlete a swim of 3.8km, a 180 km bike ride, and a marathon run. Translated into miles, the distances are swim 2.4 miles/bike 112 miles/run 26.2 miles/total 140.6 miles.

My career as a triathlete only lasted a year, though I may return to the sport at some future time, and the only race I competed in was at the sprint distance. This gave me plenty of respect for those who stick with triathlon. It's funny. Triathletes are often people who became frustrated with marathoning. When I tell them I run marathons they at the very least feign awe. "If you can run a marathon, you can complete a little ol' triathlon," they say. Don't believe them! This is a tough sport and one which requires superb discipline.

This is why I am still slack-jawed in awe and envy at the accomplishments this weekend of my friends Dorian and Fred Ramirez. While the rest of us ran a Turkey Trot (at best), Dorian and Fred were in Cozumel for the realization of their dreams of completing an Ironman competition. They proved it: dreams do come true. Dorian finished her first ever Iron(wo)man in 14:26:55 while Fred finished in 15:34:50. Congratulations!

I've known Fred and Dorian for a number of years. Dorian is a lawyer who is also a cellist with the Mid-Texas Symphony. Fred is an engineer who in his undergrad days at UT Austin played the Euphonium in the Longhorn Band. Our team of musician runners from the Mid-Texas Symphony has included Dorian and Fred as we have competed in the Beach to Bay Relay Marathon in Corpus Christi (which happens to be home for both Dorian and Fred) and the Texas Independence Relay. I know their story of transiting from out of shape (Fred described himself as a couch potato) to being two of the most fit people I know. Though I won't pretend to give a blow by blow of how they did it, I will say that they moved towards their goals in measured steps. It has taken them 3 or 4 years to graduate to Ironman and now that they have made it I suspect they have their eyes on something beyond. I consider myself lucky to have them on my team.