BY SAPNA PATHAK
Rob Ricard was 8 years old when he made the decision.
Twenty-two years later, Ricard made good on it.
On July 22, the Bow native completed his first full Ironman triathlon, earning himself a chance to travel to Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, to compete in the Ironman World Triathlon championship.
“If anyone knows anything about the Ironman triathlons, it’s some memory of seeing the competitors in Hawaii,”
said Ricard with a laugh. “I was 8, and I remember seeing the triathlon on TV and thinking, ‘OK, I’m going to be in Hawaii someday, doing that.’ It’s funny because folks, including me, tend to identify Ironman with those images of Hawaii.”
Traveling to Lake Placid for the triathlon, Ricard placed 38th overall among approximately 2,200 participants, finishing the event in 10 hours, 9 minutes and 54 seconds; Ricard finished the 2.4-mile swim in 1:05.39, the 112-mile bike ride in 5:33.06 and the 26.2-mile run in 3:23.18.
After competing on the track team at Concord High, Ricard ran for the University of New Hampshire. In 2002, he completed his first Boston Marathon, an endurance test that challenged the mid-distance runner who specialized in the 400-meter dash and 800-meter run in high school and college.
Admittedly “burned out on running,” after his second Boston Marathon in 2003, Ricard took up swimming. He then added biking as part of his training after signing up for his first triathlon, a shorter triathlon in Branbury, Vt., three years ago.
Gearing up for his first Ironman appearance in 2006, an injury sidelined Ricard from running in the triathlon, forcing him to compete in the aqua-bike division that year.
“It was tough because running was my strength all those years,” said Ricard. “Training for a triathlon was so different. I wasn’t used to it. It’s a lot slower, and the hard part is doing it for so long. The swimming and biking were great because it was two new sports I hadn’t been doing for 20 years.
“I had no concept of distance, training or what it would take to qualify for something like that,” he continued. “I was 8 and just thought it looked cool to be in Hawaii. I knew that day in Lake Placid, if the day went just right, it would be possible to get there. Not only did the day go great, the way it all worked out … I just hope Hawaii is that way.”