Sure, the Ironman World Championship is a test of strength, endurance and mental toughness.
The flying arms and legs that turn the swim into a contact sport, the temperamental winds that threaten to re-direct cyclists onto the abrasive surface of the Kona lava beds, the temperatures in triple digits that torment athletes — all of those things left indelible marks on three local athletes who were fortunate enough to participate in Ironman’s showcase race last month in Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i.
“Fortunate” is their word, not mine.
The race — a 2.4-mile ocean swim, 112-mile bike ride, and 26.2-mile run — is open only to 1,800 athletes who qualify. Some of those are professionals, who make a living from their ability to push beyond reasonable limits. But most are everyday athletes such as Vancouver residents Sandi Wiebe and Tim Winestorfer and Ridgefield’s Darin Shields.
Just getting to race at Kona is a testament to their drive, to a single-mindedness that Wiebe half-jokingly called obsessive-compulsive.
As described by the Clark County contingent, the Ironman World Championship is a celebration of human determination, an event that draws participants from around the globe to experience an ultimate individual challenge soaked with rock concert-esque crowd energy.
“You feel like you’re in Triathlon Town, USA,” said Shields, describing the crowds of fit folks running and biking around Kona in advance of the big race.
Training for an Ironman requires months of time-eating, diet-restricting discipline. To participate in the Big Race at Kona, athletes must be among the top finishers their age at a certified Ironman event.
In this case, traveling to Hawai’i turned into an endurance event for Wiebe and for Winestorfer. Flight delays, followed by a shortage of rental cars and confusion about condo keys turned getting from Clark County to Kona a two-day trek.
But a rough commute isn’t going to sidetrack a committed triathlete.
Wiebe, 60, is a World Championship veteran. This was her ninth go at the Kona course, and twice she has earned age-group championships. Because of a hamstring injury suffered in May, Wiebe knew she couldn’t contend for another title. But she didn’t want to miss out on the experience.
“I’ve had some great races in Hawai’i, and some not so good races,” Wiebe said. “But it’s always good to finish.”
This time it took Wiebe 16 hours, 6 minutes and 8 seconds to reach the finish line. And she was fine with that.
“I came across the finish line happy,” she said.
Winestorfer and Shields also enjoyed their first Ironman World Championship. Winestorfer, 54, rode a bike with a unique wood-frame designed just for him by Renovo. If that slowed him slightly, it didn’t bother him.
Winestorfer entered his first Ironman event in Spain in 1999. This was his 16th Ironman race, but first time at the World Championship event. His goal was to finish in less than 12 hours, so he was OK with 11:57:12.
“For me to get to the podium (top three in his age division), I’d have to be 70 years old,” quipped Winestorfer.
When he turns 55 next year he’ll be at the young end of his age group, and hoping to break 11 hours.
The Oct. 7 race was only the second Ironman for the 43-year-old Shields, who qualified for Kona on Aug. 29 by finishing his first Ironman — Ironman Canada — in 9:53:46.
With barely a month to recover from that race, Shields knew he wasn’t going to be at his best in Hawaii — but he wasn’t about to pass on the chance to be a part of a championship event.
After completing the Kona course in 11:06:06, Shields hurried to refuel on fish tacos, nachos, pizza and a couple beers. He said the highlight of his whole trip came later, when he returned to the finish line for the final hour before the course was closed.
The celebratory atmosphere as the crowd encouraged the final finishers across the line, Shields said, was the perfect conclusion to a championship day — an indelible memory that he insisted will be with him much longer than the taste of salt water from the swim or the sting of the sunburn that left his entry number outlined on his arm. That hour at the finish line, Shields said, will provide emotional fuel for future triathlons — challenges he can’t wait to face.
Paul Danzer covers Community Sports for The Columbian. Reach him at 360-735-4521 or paul.danzer@columbian.com.
