Some people go to Hawaii to enjoy the sunny beaches. Some go to snorkel, surf or golf. Others go to just chill.
Then there’s Cochrane’s Colin McArthur, who’s in Hawaii to subject himself to one of the most torturous athletic endeavours known to man.
The Ironman.
McArthur is currently in Kailua-Kona, preparing for the big one; the Ironman World Championship triathlon.
“The course is actually not super difficult,” the 35-year-old Calgary firefighter said of the 3.86-kilometre ocean swim, 180-km bicycle ride and 42.2-km run on Hawaii’s largest island. “But the winds and, of course, the heat and humidity can really challenge you.
“So I’m sure it will be a factor.”
McArthur qualified for the Oct. 13 Hawaiian event after finishing 35th overall (sixth in his 35-39 age group) in the Penticton Ironman Aug. 26 with a total time of 9 hours, 42 minutes, 41 seconds. It was his fifth Ironman since 2004 and the first time he’s qualified for the World Championship in Hawaii.
“You try to qualify in every one you do, but I finally got it right last time,” he said of his qualifying effort in Penticton. Moving from Vancouver to Cochrane last year definitely made a difference in his most recent performance.
“One of the big things that helped this year was better places to go for bike rides, better running and a good group of people to train with,” McArthur said.
Riding in the howling winds that rake the roads in and around Cochrane should help him cope with the ocean crosswinds he’ll face on his bike in Kona. Training at 4,000 feet above sea level should also give him a boost in Hawaii’s plush ocean air.
“It definitely will help,” McArthur said. “When I first moved here and started going for runs you could feel the altitude immediately. It felt a lot harder than it should. Now I’m used to it.”
And he’s been swimming nine kilometres, riding 400 km and running 60 km a week at that altitude to get to Kona.
“Just getting there is just the hardest part. It’s so competitive. There are people who are much faster than me who never were able to get there. So I feel pretty fortunate to finally be able to do it.”
And, while he’s there to compete, he’ll be enjoying as much aloha as he can while he’s in Hawaii with his wife and their nine-month-old child.
“Just going to the race is such a cool atmosphere because it’s the biggest Ironman in the world. I just can’t wait to soak it up. More importantly, make sure my wife enjoys it too.
“She put up with a lot this year. She deserves a vacation.”
