By MIKE CAPUTO
Epstein, 28, was satisfied with his pace as he made it past the 12-mile mark through torrential downpours. Then, with about 14 miles to go, the blisters on his feet took over.
"Every time I put my foot down, it was like I was getting stabbed in the foot," he recalled.
Instead of focusing on technique, Epstein concerned himself with finishing the race. By the 16-mile mark, he decided to slow his pace, but quickly realized that the pain was more pronounced. Despite persistent agony in his feet as the relentless rainwater soaked through his sneakers, Epstein pushed forward.
"There was no way in hell I wasn't going to finish that race," Epstein said.
About two hours later, the Hewlett native was officially an Ironman. Crossing the finish line "was like an out of body experience," he said.
Epstein, a Hewlett High School teacher and swimming coach, had competed in triathlons before, but never in one that required the strength and endurance of the Ironman.
His journey to Ironman status began two years ago, when he tossed around the idea with fellow lifeguards at Jones Beach, where he works during the summer months.
"I always thought it was something way out of my league, like impossible," Epstein said. "I rose to the occasion over the last couple of years and said 'Hey, why not let's give it a whirl.'"
More like a whirlwind that took over his life. On New Year's Day, Epstein started what would be nearly eight months of intense training leading up to the Ironman on July 21.
That meant setting his alarm at 4 a.m. to train with fellow Ironman hopefuls at the track before he began his workday and continuing his workout after school. It involved six-hour bike rides on blustery Saturday mornings in February along the Long Island Expressway service road. Training also entailed a strict nutrition program, a limited-to non-existent social life, mental preparation and unrivaled teamwork.
While riding those long bike treks across the North Shore, Epstein recalled asking himself: "What the hell am I doing? Why am I here? Why are we doing this? What is wrong with us? This is literally crazy."
Epstein never had an answer, nor did his training partners. Instead of answering the questions, his group remained focused only on its ultimate goal.
On one early morning run intended to be 14 miles, Epstein felt satisfied after 10 miles.
"We are good enough, 10 miles is solid," he told his teammates.
"No we have 14 today. 'Epstein let's go we have four more miles,'" a teammate commanded.
For Epstein, team training was the only way to prepare for the grueling race.
"If I was by myself, I would have stopped at 10 miles," he said. "Those are the days that take you over the edge and it is important to have that kind of atmosphere."
It was the evening of July 20 in Lake Placid, and the Ironman competition was only hours away. Epstein and his training mates feasted on an energizing pasta dinner. By 7 p.m., they were in their hotel beds hoping to get a good night's sleep before a 5 a.m. wake-up call. Epstein and his roommate, Brad Smith of East Meadow, barely got an hour of sleep.
"I was so nervous," he said. "It was kind of scary to put such a major commitment -- eight months of sacrifice and hard work -- putting all eggs in one basket.
"This is a one-day event," he added. "Anything can go wrong from nutrition to cramping to the bike breaking down."
The clock was approaching 7 a.m., and the race was about to start. Epstein remembered organizers and fans telling the racers to "go have a day." They purposely omitted "good" from the sentence.
"What's a 'day?'" he said. "It's when they can't guarantee to be great, or to be awesome, because anything can go wrong."
Mother Nature didn't make it any easier on the Ironman hopefuls, when the rain began pouring down only one mile into the swimming portion of the triathlon. And it never stopped.
As a longtime lifeguard and competitive swimmer, Epstein knew he had a head up on Ironman's first stage. Unfortunately, that only accounted for 2.5 miles of the 140.6-mile race. After completing a slippery six-hour trek on his bike, Epstein started feeling some sense of confidence.
"You just have to run -- but you have to run a marathon," Epstein said of the last stage. "You've got to run 26 miles. I am like 'I'm almost done,' but I knew I still had five hours to go -- that's a long time."
Through the rain and blisters, Epstein completed his Ironman journey in 12 hours and 53 minutes. All of his training partners completed the Ironman as well.
Although his body remains in a recovery mode, Epstein still trains for lifeguard competitions and shorter triathlons. He is also considering another run at the Ironman in 2010.
"I never thought I would be able to do it," he said, "but obviously I proved myself wrong."
Photos courtesy Cary Epstein
