Hawaii may be paradise, but it can certainly be purgatory.
Jeremiah Mushen knows as much.
The Valley Regional Fire Authority firefighter recently survived the thrill – and the agony – of his first Ironman World Championship experience on the Big Island in Kailua-Kona.
Mushen overcame dehydration and fatigue in the October tropical heat to complete the grueling endurance test – the Super Bowl of triathlons.
“You put in hundreds of hours of training. You go into it prepared … but come away surprised,” said the 35-year-old Mushen, who has competed professionally in triathlons and marathons, here and abroad, for more than 10 years. “There were thoughts of not finishing, points in the race where I didn’t think I would finish. … But I did not want to disappoint my family, friends and coworkers who were there to support me.
“It was a little bit of pride and ego.”
And perseverance.
In his most difficult race as an athlete, Mushen finished the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike race and 26.2-mile run in 9 hours, 53 minutes, 16 seconds. Mushen finished 97th in his age group (35-39) and 381st overall in an international field of 1,900 competitors.
“I can now say this race is the monster it is claimed to be,” Mushen said.
The bike segment, played out along the long windswept stretches of the Kuakini and Queen Ka’ahumanu highways, was especially tough, with road-surface temperatures reaching well above 100 degrees. Mushen rode a conservative race while battling the conditions.
“While getting passed on the bike, I neglected to notice how overheated I was becoming,” Mushen recalled. “I was drinking at least 30 ounces of sports drink an hour, but the wind and heat was so intense that any sweat I produced was evaporating instantly.
“On the second half of the bike ride, I began pouring bottles of water over me,” he added. “I would stay wet and comfortably cool for about a minute, before drying out completely.”
Mushen pedaled ahead, finished, then completed the daunting third leg, a full marathon, in 3:18:13.
“Even though it wasn’t my best race, it was well worth the work it took to get there,” he said. “I was challenged in ways I didn’t expect, and was able to work through it, for an experience I will never forget.”
The Ironman was something Mushen had always wanted to do, ever since he was a kid captivated by watching the unique race on television.
It became reality when he qualified for Hawaii behind a 9:29:51 effort – 18th overall out a field of 2,500 triathletes – at the late-June Ironman Coeur d’Alene (Idaho).
It was a challenging day in Hawaii.
“As an athlete, you go there with the illusion that the race course has got to be easier, flatter and faster than the course you qualified on,” Mushen said. “You suffer all day in paradise, where all you want to do is lay on the beach and drink Mai Tais.
“It also becomes clear: This is the most elite group of professional and age group triathletes in one race on the planet.”
Mushen began to compete in triathlons about 10 years ago, fitting them into his customary schedule of frequent distance races. The training and races have long been a part of his active lifestyle as a husband, father and firefighter who specializes in technical rescues for the VRFA.
Competition and work go hand in hand. Firefighters are some of the fittest professionals around. Mushen embraces and personifies it.
Rescue and dive training with his fellow firefighters, for instance, has boosted Mushen’s confidence and performance while competing in swift waters.
The VRFA and Local 1352 have strongly supported Mushen’s efforts.
“It’s more about challenging myself,” he said. “Where I place (in a particular race) has much less significance than the personal challenge.”
Man of many miles, steps
Mushen enjoys the experience, not to mention the travel. He has competed in eight different countries, including Japan, Hungary and Guatemala. He has done the Paris Marathon. He might test the Scotland Marathon next year.
He was Washington’s top finisher in the prestigious Boston Marathon two years ago, finishing with a personal-best 2:32:52, good enough for 99th overall.
He also has completed the fabled New York Marathon, posting a 2:40 finish. He plans to return next year to the Seattle Rock & Roll Marathon, where in 2010 he led all Washington runners with a sixth-place overall time of 2:34:16.
Representing the VRFA, Mushen is a consistent top-10 finisher in the Scott Firefighter Stairclimb at the Seattle Columbia Center Tower. Mushen, carrying about 52 pounds of gear, climbed 69 floors of the tower in a personal-best 13 minutes, 4 seconds, sixth best overall, in 2007. He has posted 13-plus-minute, top-10 finishes in 2008 and 2009. He plans to go back in March and do it again.
Mushen is no extremist, but someone who is passionate about good health and exercise. He looks forward to competing well while enjoying the journey and the company of family and friends.
“I’m persistent,” he said. “I look for motivation everywhere.
“For me, it’s not about the race but the process. It’s all about the preparation. The race is what motivates me.”
Pushed to possibly do Kona again?
“Well,” he said, “I’m wise enough to never say no.”
