King of the Tri

With bridge, mall-walking and Lawrence Welk a sizeable portion of a typical 80-year old's hobby list, one northwest Iowa man is adding one unlikely pastime to the list: sprint triathlons.

Wayne Marty, a six-time Le Mars sprint triathlon participant, was crowned as the event's "king" before the Sept. 8 race, which featured a 300 meter swim, 15 mile bike ride and 3.1 mile run.

During a pre-race meeting, Marty humbly accepted a yellow foam crown from Le Mars YMCA aquatic director Angela Loutsch and smiled as the 160 participants, myself included, raised their waterbottles in a toast to him.

"We decided that this is a huge milestone and is worth recognizing and celebrating," Loutsch told the Daily Sentinel. "There are a ton of people at 30 or 40 who can't do what he can do at 80."

Family members are so inspired that they have begun competing, too, coming from as close as central Iowa and as far as California.

The race is not about winning, but about enjoying the training and race itself, Marty says, even though he nabbed a first-place finish in the men's 60 and over age division, completing the race in 2:27:43.

"I feel good, and I'm amazed at that," he said. "I'm thankful."

Due to the number of participants and limited space in the pool, event organizers started the triathlon in waves, letting five or six participants begin snaking up and down the lanes.

I did not start at the same time as Marty, but caught up to him on the run.

Slowly but surely, he was steadily walking his way up a hill in one of Le Mars' residential districts. Applause broke out as Marty passed a nearby home---one couple was out on their porch, cheering on every participant that passed by.

As a young woman in front of me sprinted around him, he gave her a high-five, wishing her good luck.

I received a nod and a smile as I passed the event's oldest participant.

While walking during the running leg of a triathlon typically signals inadequate training or injury (and typically is a source of embarrassment for younger athletes) , Marty was proudly sending a message.

No matter how slow you go during a race, you are still lapping everyone on the couch.