By Mike Russo
But at the Ironman U.S.A. competition in upstate Lake Placid on July 20, triathlete Brad Smith passed another test of endurance, swimming, cycling and running his way through 140.6 miles of pouring rain for the right to be known as an Ironman.
Triathlons vary widely in length and difficulty, but those that are called Ironmans encompass a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike leg and a 26.2-mile run - a full marathon - and are perhaps the most demanding tests of endurance in all of sports. Those who manage to finish them usually take between 10 and 15 hours to do so.
Smith, 28, of East Meadow, finished his first Ironman in 11 hours, 29 minutes - almost exactly the time he was hoping for. As if the distances weren't demanding enough, Smith and 2,300 other competitors slogged through steady rain throughout the day - 3 inches in all. Smith said he ran the first 13 miles of the final leg, the marathon, without socks, and his heels were bleeding, rubbed raw inside his running shoes. He remembers involuntarily crying during the race and then laughing a few moments later. One of his friends theorized that he had depleted the blood sugar level in his brain, which caused the random emotional mood swings.
Smith recalled a story about a winner of the Hawaii Ironman who, after finishing the race, did several interviews, was checked over in the medical tent, had something to eat and then headed back to his hotel. To this day, his first post-race memory is of taking a shower in his hotel room - hours after the event ended.
"People really do push themselves to and over the limit," said Smith, who himself was rendered incapable of communicating intelligibly with a friend at one point in the race.
In the midst of such an ordeal, Smith said, triathletes look forward to the little things, such as spotting family members out on the course, passing a familiar landmark or taking a break to eat. Hundreds of volunteers lined the course, handing out Gatorade and energy bars to the competitors, but during the cycling leg, Smith rolled up next to a friend, eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
"How are you doing?" his friend asked.
"I couldn't be better," Smith responded. "It's pouring rain, I'm doing an Ironman and I'm eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich."
Smith has been competing in triathlons for five years, but none, he said, have come close to the physical and emotional demands of the Ironman event. While he has a pretty quick recovery time, he added, he was still sore days after the race. "All triathletes always talk about the Ironman - it's like the ultimate triathlon," he said. "It's pretty much every triathlete's goal to do at least one Ironman."
Smith, an 11-year veteran of the Jones Beach Lifeguard Corps, was in good shape for the swimming leg in Lake Placid, in which he finished 49th. Five years ago, a fellow lifeguard and close friend of Smith's told him about his great experience in the Jones Beach Triathlon, and suggested that Smith try it the following year. Smith, who had been looking for some form of competition since his days as a college swimmer, had done some running, so he decided to take his friend up on the triathlon. He added cycling to his training routine, and has been doing triathlons ever since.
Smith said he wants to try another Ironman competition in 2010, but next year he'll content himself with being a volunteer in Lake Placid. The volunteers, he said, were out in the rain all day long helping the competitors, and Smith said he wants to help others the way they helped him.
When he's not training for triathlons, Smith likes to surf, snowboard and lifeguard. The East Meadow High School alumnus is a former emergency medical technician for the East Meadow Fire Department, and is looking forward to volunteering with the American Red Cross.
Summing up his very long, wet, physically and mentally exhausting day in Lake Placid, he said, "It was the most amazing experience of my life."
Comments about this story? MRusso@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
