Local women will travel to Hawaii for Ironman triathlon

Debra Cully can blame her 26-year infatuation with triathlons on a trip to the dentist's office in the early 1980s.

She had recently taken up running and competed in a 10K, the knowledge of which led her hygienist to mention an upcoming triathlon at Moraine State Park. Multi-sport events were still relatively uncommon back then, and though she was intrigued, Cully had never biked or swam competitively - let alone put the two together with running.

"But (the hygienist) said, 'I'll do it if you do it,'" said Cully, of Wexford. "She never did do it, and I've been doing it ever since."

Cully, now 55, will travel to Hawaii to compete in her 11th Ironman triathlon - a 2.4 mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run - and her sixth Ironman World Championship on Oct. 11.

She'll be joined by two other area women - Baden's Kim Schwabenbauer, 29, and Allison Park's Lauren Henzler, 35.

Navy SEALs started it

According to the official Ironman Web site, the race started in 1978 to settle an argument amongst a group of Navy SEALs as to which athlete was the most fit - a runner, a cyclist or a swimmer. Commander John Collins' solution was to combine the Waikiki Rough Water Swim, the Around Oahu Bike Race and the Honolulu Marathon to determine the answer.

Fifteen competitors entered and 12 finished.

In 2007, more than 1,780 racers ranging in ages from 18 to 78 crossed the finish line in Hawaii, and more than 80,000 worldwide entered Ironman-qualifying events.

To call the Ironman grueling barely grazes the surface.

Swimming 2.4 miles in the ocean is difficult enough, but in Hawaii, racers also have to contend with being surrounded by other swimmers. The sea becomes a mass of kicking legs and churning arms. Heads are kicked. Goggles are knocked off. Strokes and breaths are interrupted.

Following the swim is a 112-mile bike ride through barren lava fields where the wind can whip, and the hills are gradual but long.

Finally, there is the marathon.

Most racers will start in mid- to late afternoon under the beating sun and high humidity and could finish under the moonlight.

The cutoff for finishing the entire race is 17 hours.

Last year's winner, Chris McCormack of Australia, finished in 8:15:34, with a marathon time of 2:42:02. That's roughly 33 minutes slower than the winning time at last year's New York City Marathon and 36 minutes slower than the winning time at the Olympic Marathon last month.

Tough place to start

Most competitors earn their spots by winning their age group at an Ironman qualifier. A very limited number get in by winning a lottery spot.

Schwabenbauer earned her trip by winning a half-Ironman race in St. Croix in May. The dietician was a walk-on at Penn State for the cross-country team and did her first triathlon three years ago at the Butler YMCA.

"I didn't know how to swim, so I did the breaststroke the whole time, for 800 meters," Schwabenbauer said. "But I won the race, and I guess as they say, the rest is history."

She has never competed in a full-distance Ironman race.

"(People do look at me funny) if they're into triathlons, and they know that Hawaii is pretty much the hardest of all the Ironmen," she said. "I get a lot of, 'Really• ... OK. You don't know what you're in for.' I can understand. It is biting off a lot, but we'll see."

Training for an Ironman triathlon is at least a part-time job, with all three women averaging 20-25 hours per week.

For Henzler, training and taking care of her 5-year old daughter wouldn't be possible without the help of her husband, family and friends.

"It is hard to balance, but I'm very lucky," said Henzler, who competed in her first World Championship in 2002 and again in 2005. "The first time I went, I was working full time, and I didn't have kids.

"I still had to balance it around a full-time job, but my free time to go train was my time. Now, I'm a stay-at-home mom, and I have that luxury to be with her, but my free time isn't my free time. Between my husband, my parents, (my husband's) parents and some long-time friends, I've been able to have extra help. Otherwise, I couldn't do it. I'd be training in the middle of the night or something."

Her best time was in 2005, when she finished in 10 hours, 22 minutes.

"It really is another world (in Hawaii)," Henzler said. "It's a different lifestyle, different culture. Just to be in this tropical paradise is a surreal experience. I feel very lucky to be going back for my third time."

No end in sight

Cully, a surgical technician at Western Pa. Surgery Center in Wexford, isn't sure how many more times she'll be going back to Hawaii.

She also doesn't sound eager to make this her last trip.

"Every year, I say I don't know if I want to do this anymore, but for some reason, I don't quit," said Cully, whose best finish was 11:16. "I love the people. But I do get tired."

Cully said that while most athletes have groups of family and friends traveling with them for support, the Pittsburgh-area competitors have always managed to spend some time together at the race.

"The one time we had a big pasta party - there were probably seven of us there at that time from here," Cully said. "It's nice to see them on the course, too. When you're feeling down, someone will go by and say, 'Go Steelers!' and you know what they're talking about."

JUGGLING ACT

Training for a race in just one sport can be challenging when factors such as work, family and weather come into play. For Kim Schwabenbauer, Lauren Henzler and Debra Cully, training for the Ironman World Championship requires a balancing act of massive proportions. All three say they could never do it without a tremendous amount of support from their husbands and families. Here's a look at a typical weekly workout for the three women in the weeks leading up to a race:

KIM SCHWABENBAUER

MONDAY -- Swim 4,000-6,000 yards (6:00-7:30 a.m.), weights (7:30-8:30am), easy bike 15 miles/1 hour (6:00-7:00 p.m.)

TUESDAY -- Hard speed bike ride 20-25 miles (6:00-7:15am), moderate run 10-14 miles (7:20-8:30 a.m.)

WEDNESDAY - Swim 3,000-4,000 yards (6:00-7:30am), weights (7:30-8:30 a.m.) easy run 3-4 miles (5:30-6:00 p.m.)

THURSDAY -- Track workout of 7-8 miles with warm up and cool down (5:30-6:45 a.m.), moderate swim 3,500 yards (7:30-8:30 a.m.), moderate bike 50-60 miles (5:00-8:45 p.m.)

FRIDAY - Off

SATURDAY -- Long bike 80 miles - 125 miles (7 a.m. - 2 p.m.), moderate swim 2,500-4,000 yards (3:00-4:15 p.m.)

SUNDAY -- Long run 18-22 miles (7:30-10:30 a.m.)

Average weekly totals:

Swim: 8.5 miles

Bike: 195 miles

Run: 44 miles

LAUREN HENZLER

MONDAY - Swim 3,000 yards (6-7 a.m.)

TUESDAY - Swim 3,500-4,000 yards (5:45-7 a.m.); bike three-hour hilly course (4:30-7:30 p.m.)

WEDNESDAY - Run 5-7 miles on the track (6-7:15 a.m.)

THURSDAY - Swim 2,500-3,000 yards (6 a.m.-7 a.m.); bike 1:30 intervals/run one hour (5:30-7:30 p.m.)

FRIDAY - Swim 3,000 yards (6-7 a.m.); bike 90 minutes (8-9:30 a.m.)

SATURDAY - Bike 4-6:30 hours, run 30 minutes to one hour (7 a.m.-3 p,m,)

SUNDAY - Run 2-2:30 hours (6-8:30 a.m.); run 30 minutes (4-4:30 p.m.)

Average weekly totals:

Swim: 3-4 miles

Bike: 150-200 miles

Run: 40-45 miles

DEBRA CULLY

MONDAY - Run 5-7 miles (4 p.m.); Bowflex machine daily before work

TUESDAY - Bike 30 miles on hills (4 p.m.), swim 2,000 yards (6 p.m.)

WEDNESDAY - Bike easy ride (4 p.m.), run 6 miles (6 p.m.)

THURSDAY - Run trails (3 p.m.), bike intervals

FRIDAY - Try to rest

SATURDAY - Bike 50-100 miles (7 a.m.), run 5-7 miles (1:30 p.m.), swim 1/2hr (5 p.m.)

SUNDAY - Run 15-20 miles (7:30 a.m.), swim 3,000 yards (noon)

Average weekly totals:

Swim: 4 miles

Bike: 100-160 miles

Run: 40-45 miles