Richard Benson, with longtime roots in Salmon Arm, recently completed one of his long time goals: a triathlon.
But not just any triathlon – the Ironman, known as one of the most challenging endurance races in the world.
Benson, who recently moved to Whistler to work as a physician, has crossed the goal off his list of things to do, as he managed to finish the notoriously difficult race on July 27.
Benson said he grew up watching the Salmon Arm Triathlon, and had always thought of it as something he wanted to try, so when the Ironman came to Whistler, he decided to give it a go.
“I kind of jumped in the deep end so to speak,” said Benson, who finished the race in 801st place out of 1,909 athletes. “I always wanted to do it but never thought I would. I just decided, why not do it now?”
Benson, who had never swum competitively before, and didn’t even own a road bike, began his training in April. He trained for four months, mostly on the bike, in order to prepare. The race consisted of a 3.8-kilometre swim, a 108-km bike ride, and a 42-km run. He finished the swim in an hour and 20 minutes, the bike ride in just over six hours and clocked in the run at five hours and 28 minutes.
“For myself, I couldn’t have expected any better,” said Benson in regards to the swim and bike. He said that going into the third round he was hoping to rely on his mental stamina. However, during the final run, his physical stamina slipped and he didn’t perform as well as he wished. But Benson is still happy to have finished at all.
“It’s rewarding, for sure,” he said. “It’s good to know if I set my mind to something I can accomplish it.”
Salmon Arm resident Michael Ogloff also participated in the race, finishing in 195th place. He completed the swim in an hour and 15 minutes, the bike in five- and-a-half hours and the run in just over four hours.
