Iron lady
Fort Dodge native competes in Ironman World ChampionshipBy LINDSEY MUTCHLER, Messenger staff writer
Article Photos
A month ago, Erin Kersten competed in one of the most authentically grueling competitions in the world: the Ironman World Championship.
There are two ways to qualify for the prestigious triathlon that only allows 1,800 competitors: selection by lottery or qualification at other competitions held throughout the year. Kersten, a 1999 graduate of St. Edmond High School, qualified by completing in the Ironman Competition in Petictin, British Columbia. The 28-year-old earned second place in her age division with a time of 10 hours and 46 minutes.
"It's certainly a life goal for any triathlete to qualify for the Ironman World Championship," Kersten said. "It's a dream to race in Kona with all the professionals."
In Kona, Hawaii, she swam 2.4 miles, biked 112 miles and ran 26.2 miles. The feat only took her 11 hours and 51 minutes to finish.
Kersten said it was harsh.
"It was such fast turnaround," she said of the six weeks she had between her qualifying race and competing in Kona. "I never really focused on the competition because it came so fast, but it met my expectations because it was brutal. It was so hot and humid and windy."
With black lava fields surrounding the course, temperatures reached 85 degrees with 70 percent humidity.
Kersten said she managed to stay focused as the events changed.
The triathlon began with a swim off the Hawaiian coast.
"Everyone took off at the single shot of the gun," she said. "That was more than 4,000 arms and legs creating a lot of rough contact at the beginning."
She was "beat up" a bit, she said, but just tried to protect her head and kept going.
"The water was beautiful. It was so clear and you could see the fish below you. They were beautiful tropical fish, so it wasn't scary."
However, the threat of losing nutrients throughout her 11-hour excursion did pose a problem. As an experienced triathlete, Kersten had a game plan.
"The fourth sport in a triathlon is nutrition," Kersten said. "I was taking in calories the whole day, about 300 to 400 an hour."
Gatorade, salt tablets, Fig Newtons and GU - an energy gel - kept Kersten's body moving.
"I took a lot of salt tablets because your body can't absorb nutrients without salt," Kersten said, "and since I was sweating all the salt out of my body, the salt tablets were important. If you're not eating calories, you're done."
Kersten kept the energy boosters in a pack on her bike, and eight stations were placed along the running course with pretzels, oranges and other food and drink.
"During the bike ride you saw amazing views of the Pacific," Kersten said. "Plus, I was racing with the best in the world, and this year was the first time a double amputee raced, which was absolutely amazing.
"I was inspired by everyone there, which was an important aspect of the day."
She finished third or fourth in her age division, she said.
"It was OK," Kersten said of her finish. "I'm happy with my time."
Kersten's competitive nature is nothing new. She qualified for the state tennis tournament in 1999 and continued to play the sport in college.
"My love of running began to evolve because it was a sport I could do by myself whenever I wanted, and it's cheap," Kersten said. "Then the running turned into triathlons."
Her first competitive triathlon was in 2004 in Chicago; she competed with her dad and brother.
"I just kept increasing my distance," Kersten said. "Then one day a friend challenged me to compete in the Ironman, so I got online and registered."
The world championship was the fourth Ironman competition in which Kersten has participated. While she says they're addictive, she's ready to take some time off to focus on her career as a marketer for Merchandise Mart in Chicago. She's taking evening classes to obtain her MBA.
"Since I'm in graduate school," Kersten said. "I'm going to hold off on the Ironman competitions for a while."
But that doesn't mean Kersten won't be working out. She loves riding her bike and running during the early morning.
"It seems like a lot of work," Kersten said, "but it's fun and a release for me."
Contact Lindsey Mutchler at (515) 573-2141 or lindsey@messengernews.net
