As Strong as Iron

Caitlin Friel / contributing photographer "Ironman" competitor Bob Kennedy spends hours every day running and bniking to keep in tip-top shape. Dedication like Kennedy's takes incredible amounts of energy - it isn't unusual for Kennedy to put down a whole pizza for dinner.

Waking up for early classes can be about as fun as getting tonsils taken out for many students. But, imagine waking up at 7 a.m. and jumping on your bike for a 5-hour bike ride. Sophomore Bob Kennedy of Mount Cobb, Pa., spent the past 20 weeks of his life training intensively for the strenuous "Ironman" race in Panama City Beach, Fla., on Nov. 5. The Iron Man includes a 2- mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run back to back. Kennedy finished the race in five hours and 10 minutes.

"On a weekday, I’ll get up around seven, have a cup of coffee, maybe three," Kennedy said. After waiting for the weather to warm up, Kennedy gets on his bike — named "Snow White," — for a 5-hour bike ride toward Dayton on country roads, trying to avoid hills. "I try to do flat land training because Florida is flat," he said. After getting back from his ride, he has allows himself five minutes to do a transition, in which he puts away his bike, gets on his running gear and runs for 45 minutes.

I’ll come home, catch the football game, do my schoolwork and relax. I sometimes go out with my friends, but I’m always in bed early — 10:30 at the latest," he said.

Kennedy said weekends are the longest. His alarm goes off at 5 a.m. and, depending on the day, he either attends a swim clinic, takes a 5-hour bike ride and a 45 minute run, or a 24-mile run, which he runs in about three hours, followed by an hour-long spin on his bike. "I’ve been training nonstop since last November for half Iron Mans," Kennedy said.

His diet is more of a science because of all the nutrients and energy he needs. For breakfast, Kennedy eats three bowls of cereal. Throughout the day, he snacks on granola bars or pretzels and he has a sandwich for lunch. For dinner, Kennedy eats half a box of pasta with four or five meatballs or a whole large pizza.

In high school, Kennedy’s swim coach told him about local sprint triathlons, which include a 500-yard swim, a 15-mile bike ride and a 3.1-mile run. "When she suggested it, I thought to myself, ‘I can’t do one of them, are you nuts?’" Kennedy said. After a month of no physical training, Kennedy decided to go for it. "When I finished the race, I couldn’t stop smiling. I knew this was what I wanted to be doing. I knew it was something I’d have a passion for," he said.

And his passion only has grown. He joined JMU’s Triathlon Club his freshman year and now is the secretary. After two weeks on the club, some members asked about competing in an Iron Man Competition. He had always dreamed about doing one, but had dismissed it as a pipe dream.

Two other members of the JMU Triathlon Club, Seniors Becca Moore and Anne Mishler, participated in the "Ironman" competition Nov. 5. Kennedy has plans to do another Iron Man race within a year or so, proving his love for the challenge. In the mean time, he plans to do a shorter race this spring.

Focus is the key for a Triathalon performer. Kennedy said, "It’s knowing that you can’t fake an Iron Man. You need to go out and train, because if you miss a workout, you’re in trouble."