Six local athletes sweat, suffer, and prevail in Ironman race

By Anya Tikka
MILFORD — Six local athletes trained for four months, often twice a day, to compete in the Ironman Maryland Triathlon race, considered one of the most difficult of all endurance competitions.
The grueling 140.6-mile race includes a 2.4-mile open water swim, followed by a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile marathon. And the weather made it all even tougher. The Oct. 1 triathlon came after a week of continuous heavy rains, said Mike Brown, 52.
“On the day of the race, it rained on and off, but there was heavy wind of 20 miles per hour, resulting in two to three foot waves in the Choptank River, where the swimming was to take place," he said.
The conditions were so rough, even the kayaks and a rescue boat couldn’t get out, cancelling the swimming portion.
The Milford group, among 2,500 contestants valiantly raced on.
They consider themselves a team, although they aren't, really. They train together in the Delaware Valley High School pool, and bike and hike around the Milford area, and have formed great friendships that extend to their families and partners.
Ironman World Championships take place in Kona, Hawaii, every year, with contestants in prior events prior striving to qualify.
Amy Garrison, 45, a nurse from Milford, missed qualifying by only a few moments. She finished in 9 hours, 22 minutes, placing seventh in her age group. The contestants are organized by age in five-year intervals.
Other local athletes who participated include Arielle Lane, 35, a physical therapist from Vernon, N.J., who used to live in Milford; Al Valente, 48, a maintenance supervisor from Dingmans Ferry; the oldest member, Joe Legg, 60, from Montague, N.J., who also used to live in Milford; and Eric Hutzelmann, 49, a mechanic from Milford. Brown is an airline pilot.
The Ironman competition started in 1978, when John Collins, a naval officer stationed in Hawaii, came up with the idea of "combining the three toughest endurance races on the island into one race.”
The tough get tougherAll the local athletes who competed in Maryland share a common pursuit: a lifelong devotion to staying physically fit.
After the swim was canceled, the athletes were sent out on the biking segment in three- to five-second intervals, rather than a mass start. High winds, rain, and some flooding made it extra challenging. The flooding closed some roads.
"The course was rerouted and subsequently shorted to only a 100-mile ride," said Brown.
The weather showed no mercy during the running portion either.
“High tide came in and flooded some of the local streets in Cambridge, forcing the athletes to run through ankle- to calf-deep water for several long stretches of the marathon," said Brown. "After overcoming of all these challenges, the finishers had the honor of being declared an ‘Ironman’ as they crossed the finish line."
It was the first Ironman challenge for Brown and Lane. The others had taken part previously. Legg had participated nine times.
Brown praised the "team's" families, boyfriends, and girlfriends. The competitors couldn’t have done it without their support all the way, he said.
“They came with us to Maryland, and were there to help us by cooking dinner and making sure we had everything on the way," he said.
The athletes had to change sports gear twice during the race. The group stayed together in a rented house, apart from one of the members, who had a hotel room.
“We all had dinner together in the evening and hung out together,” he said.
But even with all the camaraderie and the joy of accomplishment, Brown will give Ironman a pass — at least for a few years.
“Your family is suffering because you can’t do the usual things with them," he said. "You’re training all the time. I don’t know how I did it.”