By Martin Stringer
In the world of sports, and particularly the world of endurance sports, the Ironman race is one of the highest pinnacles of human athletic achievement. The 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run is the daunting challenge facing anyone who wishes to earn the label of “Ironman”. Moreover, as intimidating as those distances sound, the 140.6 miles must be completed in under seventeen (17) hours. Many try for years but are never able to cross the line to receive this accolade despite all their training, dedication and work towards this ultimate goal.
Here in our own back garden of Orange County a group of thirty-two (32) regular people have set themselves the challenge of competing in, and hopefully completing Ironman California to be held in and around the city of Sacramento on Oct. 24, just over a week away. They are regular people: teachers, salespersons, medical billers, attorneys, franchisees, college administrators, retired military veterans, computer technicians etc., all with one distinct goal and objective in mind:- to put their bodies on the line and overcome the challenges necessary to cross the finish line by midnight on Oct. 24 and forever receive the label and bragging rights to be called an “Ironman”. They are not a collection of individuals from all over the southland, nor are they professional athletes. On the contrary, they are a close knit group of friends and amateur triathletes who have taken up this formidable challenge; all members of one local social triathlon team with ages ranging across a spectrum from the early 30’s to 73 years old.This is more-than-likely never to have occurred or ever to be seen again: thirty-two members of a triathlon team attempting something of this magnitude. And, it’s all happening here in Orange County.
This group of people have been training regularly and diligently for over a year. Most of them trained for Ironman Arizona to take place in November 2020, which was canceled due to Covid. They continued to train despite a lack of races in which to participate. They rise when others are sound asleep in the dark hours, to plunge their bodies into the local swimming pools and oceans; to ride the roads and trails, and to run when others are heading to their beds. In between, they work and support their families and loved ones. Their coach and role model is a local triathlete of high repute, Sherry Rennard, of Seal Beach, who will accompany her athletes and undertake this challenge alongside them in Sacramento. She has coached, praised, counseled, challenged, and pushed them to their limits for months on end to prepare them to meet this challenge. No other coach could have achieved what she has done to date and should she and her team be successful, it is highly unlikely that such an accomplishment will ever be replicated in this context, with such numbers. She is a shining light in her athletes’ lives and a credit to the sport of triathlon. Only one week and 140.6 miles separate Sherry and her team from one of the most collectively distinctive and challenging achievements in Orange County athletic history.
