The IRONMAN 70.3 competition was held in Sandusky, Ohio, July 23. President John Langell and his wife, Sara Whittingham, M.D., invited members of the NEOMED community to join them in the race, during which athletes participated in a 1.2-mile swim in Sandusky Bay, a 56-mile bike through Sandusky and Erie Counties and a 13.1-mile run along the shoreline of Lake Erie. Michael Wright, director of Academic Services, took them up on the invitation. All three successfully finished the race.
The experience of the IRONMAN was excellent. It pushed you physically, but oddly enough it was still enjoyable. After Dr. Langell promoted the event to the University, I decided to get on board and be a part of it. I run a not-for-profit Soccer Club in North Canton — Kings United — and I am always telling the kids that you have the ability to push through difficult practices, games and life experiences. I wanted to show them an example of that.
Not going to sugarcoat this — this was a difficult experience but one that is just as grueling mentally as it is physically. This was my first triathlon. I usually stick to running, playing flag football or soccer.
Next time I will train more appropriately. I may not have put in the training that I needed to be at peak performance, but it was a good benchmark for me to prepare for the next one. The longest race other than this that I have completed was the Canton City Marathon, which I did well in.
I am looking forward to dedicating an entire year to train for the next one. I would invite anyone who would like to train and do this with us next time.
— Submitted by Michael Wright, M.Ed., director of Academic Technology