Even the Ironman, the ultimate test of athleticism and willpower, couldn’t withstand the force of the recent Hurricane Helene.
So when Levittown native Matt Krince and about 2,000 of his fellow competitors arrived in Chattanooga, Tennessee a couple weeks ago, they were expecting the worst.
And sure enough, because of safety hazards presented by the storm, the 2.4-mile swimming segment of the Sept. 29 Ironman event had to be cancelled for obvious reasons.
In this case, just too much darn water.
However, in the famous words of circus impresario P.T. Barnum, the “show must go on.”
So it did. The 112-mile bicycle trek and the marathon running (26.2-mile) competitions of Chattanooga Ironman were kept intact – albeit slightly shortened — and, because of that, the whole situation made for a memorable day.
“They cancelled the swim about three days before,” Krince said in a telephone conversation. “They hadn’t seen the damage yet but they had so many damage reports coming in about the (excess) water pouring in from North Carolina into the Tennessee River, it was just going to get worse.”
What race officials didn’t want was for competition to be compromised. Fortunately it wasn’t.
“It got so bad they had to detour the run course,” said Krince, 42, who had spent the better part of two years preparing for his first Ironman. “The run was actually short by about a half a mile because of it.”
On top of all that, part of the bike course was scheduled to go across the state line into Georgia, which apparently wanted some form of compensation to fund necessary police, emergency vehicles, etc.
So the Ironman organizers reconfigured the course and made it into three loops along the river, which ended up being slightly shorter as well.
The final version was about 108 miles but after a hundred, who’s counting?
“It’s one of the best bike courses on the whole circuit,” Krince said. “The marathon was short and the swim leg was cancelled, so the whole thing was pretty heartbreaking.”
The good news was this was still a very legitimate challenge and one which should set up the Neshaminy High School alum for his next stab at this sort of racing.
As long as it doesn’t rain.
This particular Ironman meant something special to Krince. His father, Joseph, had passed away the year before, almost to the day (Sept. 27), and Matt wanted to dedicate this effort to him.
“I said I’m going to memorialize him by doing this event,” Krince said. “I had been training for about two years and when I got there and found out the swim had been cancelled, I felt cheated, frustrated and disappointed.
“People talked about abandoning the race, not doing it, ‘you’re not going to be an Ironman.’ And then some of the top contributors on the Facebook page said it’s more about the journey which got you here and doing whatever event you have to do for that day.”
That’s a healthy and practical way of looking at it. After all, how many people can bike 108 miles and run 25-plus the same day?
“Whether it’s shorter courses or detours, whatever is in front of you that day,” said Krince, a senior audit advisor for IC360 (online gaming casinos). “And that’s what Ironman is about. I felt peace in that, however, there was a feeling I didn’t do the full 140.2 miles.
“So I have to do a full one now. I’m trying to find one with nice weather. Maybe Lake Placid next year or Ottawa in 2026.”
When he’s not training crazy distances, Krince enjoys spending time with his wife, Christine, and their three children: Kaylee (12), Isabella (7) and Joe (6).
“Joe did his first triathlon last year at the YMCA,” Matt said with pride in his voice. “He did it with his buddies. It was half the length of the pool, a 400-meter bike and 200-meter run. You just want to get them pointed in a direction that’s positive.”
No doubt Joe can listen to his dad for inspiration. The memory of that Chattanooga experience can last a lifetime.
“I’m still over the moon about it,” Matt said. “It’s not letting go because of the experience and the support I had from my family.”
>Race calendar
Saturday
Dow Bristol-Croydon Operations 5K for United Way, 9 a.m., Bristol. Contact www.runsignup.com
Sunday
Any Way & Color Fun Run, 8 a.m., Yardley. Contact www.raceentry.com