As he crossed the finish line, Chad Davidson, instructional supervisor for fine arts, was not expecting to feel so excited when the event announcer said, “Chad Davidson, you are an Ironman!”
This past September, Davidson made the journey to Madison, Wisc. with some friends and family to compete in his first Ironman Triathlon, which consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike and a 26.2-mile run.
“The Ironman had always been kind of a bucket list item for me, but I always figured [it is just too much,]” said Davidson. “I just felt like I could [never] be successful doing that.”
The triathlon was one of multiple races Davidson has completed. While in his 20s, he usually completed either two or three long-distance races each year, but during his 30s he decided he had to sort out his job and focus on his family. Upon entering his 40s, Davidson felt it was time to get back into triathlons.
After registering for the Ironman a full year in advance, Davidson said he often trained six days a week, rain or shine, from January up until the race. Occasionally running in freezing temperatures, Davidson said that he sometimes had to push himself to just get outside to complete his training. With a nine-year-old at home, training for multiple hours on Saturdays and Sundays was hard to do, according to Davidson.
Davidson finished in a time of 13:08:32, clearing his personal goal of “anything under 14 hours.”
A few years ago when physical education teacher Karyn Weber got tired of running marathons, she was told to try ultra runs, in which she now regularly competes.
An ultra run is the term used to describe any walking or running race longer than the traditional marathon distance of 26.2 miles.
On July 20, Weber ran on the Tahoe Rim Trail, located in Carson City, Nev. Finishing with a time of 31:42:12, she completed her 14th 100-mile ultra run. Weber’s personal best in the 100-mile run came in November of 2010 at a race in Arcadia, Okla., when she finished in 19:22:59.
In addition to running in Nevada, Weber has run ultra races in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Colorado, Oklahoma, Georgia and Ohio.
According to Weber, the Tahoe Rim Trail has a number of breathtaking views, but it is a challenging course to run due to the high altitude. The course, she said, is her favorite and the race is the most beautiful she has completed to date.
During these ultra runs, Weber runs straight through the course, meaning sleep is not an option. Food and drinks are offered at the few stations spread around the course. Porta Potties are available on some courses, but on the Tahoe Rim Trail, the mountainous landscape means bathrooms are not available.
Weber plans to compete in another 100-mile run on Nov. 2, in Sylacauga, Ala.
“It’s actually peaceful [out on these runs],” said Weber. “I mean your body is in a lot of stress, but probably the most I ever feel alive is when I’m running on the trails and in the woods. It’s like a sanctuary. It’s beautiful.”
Science teacher Bud Mathieu regularly competes in open water swimming in Lake Michigan.
On Sept. 7, Mathieu took part in an annual swim called the Big Shoulders Open Water Swim Classic, which has been going on for over 20 years off the shore of the Ohio Street Beach in Lake Michigan.
Mathieu, who is a coach of both boys water polo and girls swimming and diving at Glenbrook North, said he finished this year’s five kilometer race in one hour and 10 minutes.
“I think far too often we place limits on ourselves that don’t really exist,” said Davidson. “We say, ‘I can’t do something,’ when what we really feel is, ‘I don’t want to try.’”