An 80-year-old recently became the oldest woman to cross the finish line at the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. Natalie Grabow completed the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile cycle, and 26.2-mile run in just under 17 hours.
That got us thinking, how would you complete an Ironman in the Twin City?
Swim | Start with laps at one of the YMCA’s indoor pools, preferably William G. White, Jr. Family in the West End, which is closer to the rest of your journey. The health and wellness facility opens as early as 5 a.m., so you can get a head start to set your pace.
Bike | About 15 rounds of The Reynolds Park Loop will bring you to about ~112 miles. You’ll start in Old Salem through the Sprague neighborhood, onto Salem Lake Road.
Run | From Salem Lake, access the greenway using the Long Branch trail map and take in the scenery as you run through different neighborhoods and end downtown. Expect to run on smooth concrete or wooden boardwalk with edge railings during the 20-mile loop. Add an extra 6 miles to finish the part.
Maybe the Twin City will host the event one day. Tell us, will you take on this challenge? Let us know if you complete this route, and we might feature you in a future newsletter.
