CHS graduate competes in World Championship Ironman competition
The Ironman consists of three parts. The first is a 2.4 mile swim, followed by 112 miles on a bike and finally, finishing with a 26.2 mile marathon. Contributed | Beacon
COSHOCTON – As a child, he watched the Ironman competition and thought it looked like fun, but not something that would ever be possible. As an adult, Jason Jones, a 1997 graduate of Coshocton High School, not only competes in Ironman competitions, but qualified to compete in the World Championship in Hawaii earlier this month.
A grueling competition, the Ironman consists of three parts. The first is a 2.4 mile swim, followed by 112 miles on a bike and finally, finishing with a 26.2 mile marathon. The entire race must be completed in less than 17 hours. Jones’ championship qualifying time in Boulder, Colo., was just under 10 hours. Because of the tough conditions in Hawaii, his race there took a little longer as he finished in just under 11 hours.
For him, the most difficult part of the triathlon is the marathon. The running isn’t hard, but because it is at the end of the competition, when he is already tired, it is the most trying part of his race. During a competition, he may burn about 6,000 calories and laughs as he admits he “looks forward to a big cheeseburger” when the competition is finished. On a competition day, he consumes a normal breakfast, but during the race, liquid calories, such as sports drinks, are all he usually has.
When asked why he began competing, Jones laughed and said he isn’t sure why. He was never a swimmer and bike riding was just a way around his neighborhood. He played football in high school and running was what happened when you did something wrong. After college, he was talked into running a 5K and became hooked on running.
As he ran more, he began to see local sprint triathlons advertised and decided to try one. He enjoyed the competitions and began to think about serious training for the Ironman competition. It wasn’t until he moved to Florida five years ago that he became more motivated to train. With the Gulf of Mexico so accessible, he often trains there. He rides his bike from a few miles a week to over 300 and he runs nearly every day.
When Jones is in training for a competition, he practices two events each day for a week or so before the competition. He might swim in the morning and ride his bike in the evening. It does take a lot of time out of his already busy schedule, but he enjoys it so much that he makes it work.
Because he travels a lot for his job, he usually packs a pair of running shoes and sees the places he goes by running. He has been training for so long and travels to many of the same places that he has learned where it is safe to run and what areas of cities he needs to avoid.
Jones has competed in several amazing destinations, including Puerto Rico and Australia, and all over the United States. He said that Hawaii has been his favorite, so far, simply because it has been a dream of his to get to compete there for several years. He is also excited to see the Ironman competition growing in popularity.
He believes that as more people have started running 5K’s and striving to run farther, they began looking for ways to push themselves even more. Adding the swimming and bike riding to an already difficult marathon was a way to find the strongest, toughest people and this is appealing to many.
Anyone who is interested in more information about the Ironman competition can visit the official webpage at www.ironman.com which offers results and highlights from the World Championship held earlier in this month. When NBS rebroadcasts the competition, the show will include inspirational stories from current and past competitors.
Category: People & Places
