Iron Vikings, a tale of two triathletes part 2

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Darrell Habisch
  • 934th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
Minneapolis-St. Paul --  Editor's note: This is part two of the Ironman series. Read the first part featuring Capt. Robbie Frantal also on this website. 

Ironman. This is a story not about the movie, not about a man, but about two women triathletes from the 934th Airlift Wing. One is a pilot, the other an aeromedical evacuation technician. Both were new to the Ironman endurance event and both discovered determination of iron. 

Known as one of the most grueling events in sports, The Ironman competition consists of a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike course and ending with a 26.2 mile marathon run. According to the World Triathlon Corporation, the Ironman endurance event was established in 1978 when a group of Navy SEALs started an argument about who was the fittest athlete. Navy Commander John Collins suggested that the best way to decide would be to combine the Waikiki Rough Water Swim, the Around Oahu Bike 

Race and the Honolulu Marathon ... whoever finished would be a real Ironman. It is doubtful those SEALs foresaw the ramifications of that argument and how it influenced average people worldwide, more than eighty thousand every year, to push themselves to their limit, including two Ironwomen from the 934th AW. 

The Great Illini Challenge was held in Mattoon, Illinois, Sept 6. This is where Staff Sgt. Mary Wetterstrand, an aeromedical evacuation technician with the 934th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, decided to test her limits. "I had never run anything like this before, never done any of these distances," she said. "I saw it on TV as a kid and put it on my checklist of things to do. It became a life goal. I had to see if I could do it."
She began training in January and within months realized "I didn't know what I was doing." She hired a coach in Chicago. Her six day per week training regimen consisted of two workouts per day, running five to seven hours per week and swimming two to three hours per week. "It became a little bit addictive," she explained. "I am convinced anyone can do this. Half of the battle is mental." 

She found the battle easier by training with others for the triathlon. "There was a group of us training for the Ironman. The group motivation was great, especially seeing what other people could do." She noted that "I got lucky with no injuries. Thankfully, my coach adjusted my training schedule. Without him, I probably would be dead."
But her training was not without interruptions. Finding time to train was always a challenge, and she had a deployment in the middle of it. "I just knew that once I really decide to do something, I can do it." 

The Great Illini Challenge is a little different from the Kentucky race. Instead of a river, Wetterstrand began by swimming a closed course in Lake Mattoon. This was done by swimming a 1.2 mile course twice, followed by cycling a fifty-six mile course twice. And, of course, the 26.2 mile marathon, completed by running four 6.55 mile loops on a closed course through the streets of Mattoon. 

Sergeant Wetterstrand conquered the Ironman Endurance event in thirteen hours and fifty-four minutes. "I was in the first third of the pack and finished fifth in my division." She continued, "Most of this race is mental. I like challenging myself; see if I can do it."
Wetterstrand plans to participate in another Ironman competition. "I'd love to qualify for the Kona, Hawaii Ironman. Do it just once in my life."
And the best part of her experience? "Eating any darn thing I wanted to. I needed 3,000-5,000 calories per day. It was so much fun."