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 ...

BY SAPNA PATHAK Flying down the side of a mountain, reaching speeds of 50 mph, Erik Gosselin welcomes a bad fall every now and then. Indeed, the Bedford High sophomore looks at each fall off his mountain bike as a learning experience, rather than a reason to give up the sport. “I’ve had some pretty bad spills,” said Gosselin ...

BY SAPNA PATHAK Mike Lavery remembers the moment well – wading in Mirror Lake, surrounded by thousands of swimmers, the Bedford native faced his toughest mental challenge to date. One year later, he did it all again. After a taxing introduction in 2006, Lavery signed up for his second Ford Ironman USA triathlon, once again heading to ...