In 1999 I gained entry in the Hawaiian Ironman race for the second time. I had begun training for the 1999 triathlon season in January by lifting weights in the rec center at Saint Louis U. At the time I did not think that I was accomplishing a lot but, in retrospect, I think that the weight training gave me an excellent base upon which to build later training for the swim and bike portions of the Ironman race.

When the weather became good enough to bike regularly I started a regular training program, increasing my weekly mileage until I was doing 200 miles most weeks. This was accompanied by about two hours of swimming with a master's group at a local YMCA and about 45 miles of running per week. My longest runs were about 18 miles (with the 620 running club of St. Louis) on Saturday mornings. I did my long bike rides (up to 112 miles) on Sunday mornings.

As further preparation for the Hawaiian Ironman, I entered three half-ironman distance triathlons. These were the Gulf Coast Triathlon in Florida, the Blackwater Eagleman Triathlon in Maryland, and the Florida Challenge. My times became progressively better in these races and I began to feel confident that I could finish the Hawaii Ironman, barring some unforeseen catrastrophe.

I was accompanied to Hawaii by my wife (Judith), two sons (David and Peter) and in-laws (Dick and Kelley Wicklund). We arrived in Kona one week before the race and Dick rode with me as I got some last-minute biking mileage in before the race. Being a spectator at the race whetted Dick's appetite for triathlons and he participated in the Kona half-ironman race the next year. He hopes, like me, to get in the full Hawaiian Ironman in 2001 or 2002.

I took time off to pay a professional visit to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory to discuss the installation of a new instrument that Sean Morrissey of my department at Saint Louis University has been developing. It measures pure tilt of the Earth (being insensitive to translation), the first instrument to be able to do so. The side of an active Hawaiian volcano would be an excellent place to test it.

As always, on race day at the Hawaiian Ironman, excitement was high as competitors waited for the race to start. Water conditions were excellent and I waited about 2/3 of the way back in the mass of competitors. The gun sounded and I began swimming for what seemed an eternity in an attempt to complete the 2.4 mile out-and-back swim in a reasonable time. As I emerged from the water at the finish, however, I was surprised to see that I had finished the swim course with a time that was about 35 minutes faster than my time in 1996. In the bike leg, by the time I reached Hawi (the turnaround point), I knew that would I easily make the cutoff and go on for the run. I did so and finished the race with a time of 14 hours 17 minutes. Although this was about six hours behind the winner (Luc Van Lierde) I was exhilerated at finishing the race. Approaching and crossing the finish line on Alii Drive was, as with so many triathletes, one of my life's most memorable moments.

I finished 20th in my age group (60-64). I had intended this to be my last Ironman race but the next day I realized that, had I been two years older, I would have finished second in the 65-69 year-old age group. This realization whetted my appetite to try again in 2001 when I will be 65. I think that I can improve my times in all three segments of the Ironman Triathlon World Championship and hope to do so if I can get in it one more time.