Wednesday, September 25, 2002
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Wednesday, September 25, 2002 |
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Fayette County sends 19 athletes to Ironman in Wisconsin
By MICHAEL
BOYLAN
There must be something in the water around here because we have a lot of Ironmen and women. Fayette County sent 19 athletes to compete in the Ironman Wisconsin competition on Sunday, Sept. 15. This is reportedly the largest number of triathletes from any one location in the nation. All members of the Bicycles Unlimited team, the triathletes from Fayette County swam 2.4 miles, bicycled 112 miles and ran a marathon, which is 26.2 miles, consecutively. Athletes have 17 hours to complete the event, from 7 a.m., when the race starts, until midnight. The Ironman was first developed by a number of Navy Seals stationed in Hawaii in 1978. They wondered whether cyclists, runners or swimmers were the fittest. Navy commander John Collins formed the basis for the race and stated that the first one done would be called the Ironman. Over 20 years later, the sport has grown. Now, races feature over 15,000 triathletes and there are over 20 races every year on every continent but Antarctica. The members of the Bicycles Unlimited team are William Barnes, Jr., Louis Boone, Martha Boone, Gary Brown, Kimberly Brown, Edward Finucan, Chuck Garwood, Kimberly Garwood, Rob Kasper, Marion Mehl, Gary Meyer, Davie Piet, Jack Polo, Stephen Powell, Gary Pretzer, Gerald Shoemaker, Daniel Twineham, Pam Shuckies and Glen Shoemaker. The team ranges in age from 32-64, with most of the athletes in their 40s.
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