SACRAMENTO, Calif. - With his sparkling smile and understated nature, Peck Ha doesn't look like the red and gold robot man from the comic books - but he's a superhero, for sure. He earned the right to be called an Ironman June 27 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, after swimming 2.4 miles, bicycling 112 miles and then running 26.2 miles - all in 14 hours, 12 minutes and 39 seconds.
Peck, a regulatory project manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District, spent most of his free time in the past two years training to be ready for the grueling endurance event.
Peck competed at the Coeur d'Alene Ironman as part of Team Trevor - a group of athletes remembering 6-month old Trevor Kott of Cameron Park, who lost his life to leukemia. Team Trevor seeks to raise awareness of and participation in the National Marrow Donor Program registry.
The 7 a.m. mass start for the triathlon was daunting. When the gun fired, Peck and 2,999 other competitors rushed into the cold water of Lake Coeur d'Alene, beating the water into white foam. Before training for the Ironman, he didn't have much swimming background. "I could only get from one end of the pool to the other," he remembers.
One hour and 42 minutes later, Peck left the lake, changed into cycling clothes and jumped on his bike. There were no team cars rolling along the route to feed or offer mechanical support to the racers. Ironman is an individual effort.
The only help allowed during the competition is at the official aid stations -- located every ten miles on the bike course and every mile of the run. They include a buffet table of fuel for the body. Peck remembers two favorite foods during the event: a triple-deck sandwich of peanut butter, jelly and Shot Blocks (energy gummies); and the satisfying taste of clear, warm chicken broth. "After awhile, you just can't stand anything else sweet," says Peck.
Throughout the day, his moral support crew of six friends from Northern California watched for him along the course and shouted their encouragement. Some 12 hours into his race, his friends were sipping beers and leading the cheer on a patio bar as Peck passed by - running a marathon.
Only rarely did the competitors speak to one another, he said.
"Your name is on your race bib, so sometimes another racer would call me by name and give encouragement. Everyone was hurting. Everyone was trying to save energy - in order to finish."
Four miles from the end of his run, the sun was setting. "I felt a little disappointed, as I really hoped to finish in the daylight," Peck said. He saw his friends right before the finish line, ran to the side and hugged them, then crossed the line at 9:12 p.m. as the announcer said, "Peck Ha, you're an Ironman!"
"I remember the pain setting in as the adrenalin drained away. I ate three pizzas and a root beer right after the race," he remembers. "Then we went back to the hotel and watched (via the Internet) other competitors finish until the midnight cutoff. The next morning, I woke up and made breakfast for everyone."
For the day, he estimates burning 10,000 calories. He was only able to replace about 3,000 calories during the same time, which caused him to lose about 2 percent of his body weight.
Has he changed since getting into triathlons' "I lost some weight, gained some strength, improved my overall health and endurance and most of all - I'm mentally stronger," says Peck. "I've become very in-tune with my body - I can tell when I need to fuel up, when I need hydration and which foods I can tolerate the easiest during long events."
Peck thanks his friends for their support during the event. "If I were to ever do another Ironman - it would have to be a very special event," says Peck.
Social Sharing