Irwin man prepares for Ironman

By Karen Price
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, August 24, 2007

Think of the weather earlier this month -- temperatures in the 90s, oppressive humidity, heat index hovering around 100 degrees -- and imagine running 10 miles in it.
Now imagine running a full marathon, 26.2 miles, in it.
But not before you've biked 112 miles and started the whole thing off with a 2.4-mile swim in the Pacific Ocean.
That's what Irwin's Chad Holderbaum will be up against Oct. 13 at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.
"(People have said) just prepare for the heat," Holderbaum said. "It could possibly be well over 100 degrees with 90 percent humidity, and Hawaii is also known for having 60-mph winds on the bike portion some years as well. So I guess it's good it's been hot. Good for me."
Holderbaum, 27, joined elite company when he finished 58th out of 2,200 competitors overall -- and, more importantly, sixth in the male 25-29 age group -- at the Lake Placid Ironman at the end of July. That sixth-place finish earned him the final World Championship qualifying spot in his age group and his first trip to Hawaii.
Bloomfield's Brian Horvath, who's currently living in China working as an international school principal, received a lottery selection and also will be making his first trip to Hawaii.
Horvath has been doing triathlons for more than 20 years and said via e-mail that competing in the Ironman in Hawaii has always been a goal.
Holderbaum's road was a bit different.
Six years ago he wasn't even running.
The former Penn-Trafford cross-country runner, track athlete and hockey player quit athletics completely after he graduated in 1998 and went to college. Within three years he'd gained 55 pounds.
"I said to myself I'm not really enjoying going to reunions or family functions and the first comments I hear from people I haven't seen in a while is, 'Man you're really packing on the pounds,'" he said. "So probably around 2001 I decided to start running again and I started doing 5Ks, then 10Ks, and then I sort of got talked into running my first marathon in 2003. It was a progression."
Holderbaum's first triathlon was the Pittsburgh Triathlon in 2003. His first Ironman was in October 2004.
Not everyone has the physical capability to complete an Ironman triathlon, let alone finish in one of the top spots, said Ron DeAngelo, director of sports performance training at UPMC Sports Medicine Center.
"I don't think just anybody can do it," DeAngelo said. "You have to hope your body can hold up, and it's kind of a crapshoot because you're really training your body to the max for everything -- running, biking and swimming. ... Basically (Ironman triathletes) have to be insane, I think."
Holderbaum said he typically swims 2-3 days per week for an hour, and bikes and runs three times during the week for 2-6 hours with longer runs and rides on the weekends.
He finished the Lake Placid Ironman in just more than 10 hours, 17 minutes. By the time he started the marathon, he'd already been racing for more than 6 1/2 hours.
"I liked being challenged and I like the type of people that you meet (at Ironman triathlons)," Holderbaum said. "Whether you're an eight-time champion or an amateur like me, everyone supports each other. There's camaraderie and everyone there is pulling for you even though they're competing against you. And I enjoy setting goals and working on getting there, pushing myself to the limit."

posted by Chad Holderbaum @ 8:56 PM Comments: 0