The Collegian

Issue date: 9/11/08 Section: Sports

David Houghton doesn't need a metal suit, heat-seeking missiles or a jet pack to be an iron man. In fact, they would hold him back.

All he really needs is a fit body and an iron will. Couple that with ten weeks of intensive training and it produces a man ready to compete in an Iron Man competition.

This is all it took for Houghton to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run a marathon (26.2 mi.) in 13.02 hours. The competition took place in Penticton, British Columbia, August 24, 2008.

Houghton finished about an hour ahead of the average time, which he said was just under 14 hours. Being a first-time competitor, he did quite well for himself, only one year under the average age.

Houghton's training regimen was different from his other competitors'. Most begin training nine months before the race for 15 to 20 hours each week. Due to his responsibilities as assistant professor of biology, Houghton said he was unable to follow this training schedule.

"Iron Man levels of training were not possible during the academic year," he said.

During the summer months, Houghton's training increased: he ate, slept and trained. He said he would literally go for a bike ride, eat, take a nap and go for a run. He spent some time in Colorado training with his brother, who had been competing for years.

Houghton's dream of competing in an Iron Man competition began in 1992.

He was in his junior year of college at the time and saw the world championship on television.

Since then he's wanted to do participate in one, he said.

"The funny thing about the Iron Man is it's real easy to put off," Houghton said, stating that research for graduate school needed every summer kept him away.

Associate Professor of Biology Ranessa Cooper, who is a marathon runner, testified to Houghton's unwavering dedication, describing him as a "dedicated trainer" whose hard work "paid off."

Another marathon runner, Professor of Political Economy Gary Wolfram, remarked on Houghton's impressive accomplishment.

"I think it's exciting for a couple reasons," he said. "I think it connects him to the students, and it's good to be able to do something physically like that."

Houghton almost was unable to participate because of a brake problem on his bike.

Sixteen years of anticipation and excitement looked to be crushed by this development.

"My race was over before it started," he said. "I don't want to get melodramatic about it, but it sucked."

A local bicycle shop having the exact same bike stored away saved the day. Houghton was able to replace the broken part and get his bike functioning once again.

When the morning of the competition arrived, he said he was the least nervous he had ever been before a race. So many things had gone wrong, it didn't seem like he was really going to race.

But he did.

"I felt like I was in the Tour de France," said Houghton, still stoked about what he had accomplished. He explained the race shut down part of the road.

"I'm riding past a traffic jam that I helped create, and people were hanging out of their cars and cheering their heads off," he said.

From early on in the race, Houghton had to fight adversity. During the swim, he suffered severe hand pain.

"All of the sudden it felt like someone was stabbing it," he said.

His response to the pain: "Suck it up."
It didn't help that the swim was his least favorite event. For Houghton, swimming just isn't fun. Hours of swimming from one end of a pool to the other does not compare to being on a bicycle, the wind rushing through his hair and the miles stretching below his tires.

Once finished with the dreaded swim, he made up for lost time during the bike race. In his favorite of the events, he said he pedaled past about 600 people.

But his hand still hindered him, restricting his steering to just one hand. This made things intense on some of the hills, he said.

Though Houghton was in pain from his hand and general physical exertion, it didn't keep him from noticing his surroundings.

"[It was] an awesome bike course," he said. "It was the mountains. It's just gorgeous country."

Houghton said it was difficult not to pull over to the side to snap some photos, and he even took note of promising rock climbing spots, as he also likes to rock climb.

During the run adversity struck again.

He said his knee began to pain him about 10 minutes into the race.

Once again he persisted.

Finally, following continual exertion from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., the finish was in sight.

"At this point I know I'm gonna make it," he said.

This was the moment he had been waiting for, rounding the final corner - seeing the finish line lit up and "Paradise City" by Guns N' Roses calling to him over the speakers across the finish line.

He had met his two goals in making it to the start line healthy and making it to the finish line healthy."

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