Going the Distance by Savannah Fagan
It’s pretty easy to sign up for a race. You pay your fee, read the rules, and sign your name. Actually going to it? Well that takes a bit of discipline and dedication, especially if the race consists of running for 13.1 miles, biking for 56 miles, and swimming 1.2 miles for a total of 70.3 miles. That distance didn’t deter Jessica Guenther or Matthias Kemmeren from participating in and completing a Half Ironman in Muncie, IN this July. I had to ask them, “What made you want to participate in this event”? Jessica said that when she attended a swim camp at the age of 12, her coach shared stories and pictures of when he and his wife completed both a full Ironman and a Half Ironman. She thought that was amazing and made it one of her life goals, and 17 years later she was able to check it off her bucket list. This was a second Half Ironman for Matthias, who has also been competing in local short triathlons for a couple of years. Last year he completed his first Half Ironman in Madison, WI, and his overall goal is to complete a full Ironman (which is 140.6 miles!) in 2021. For something this physically enduring, I pictured months of grueling training and
Matthias Kemmeren & Jessica Guenther
eating right. For Jessica, that was not necessarily the case. She had a plan to start seriously training in January, but if anyone remembers the winter we had who can blame her for not wanting to go outdoors. January turned in to May before she started training one time per week. When race day rolled around, she did say while she wish she would have trained harder, she’d be happy if she finished in under 8:29:00. The bit of training Jessica did plus her determi- nation brought her in at 7:54:27. Matthias’s training schedule was more along the lines of what I pictured as he tries to maintain his base training the entire year, but he pushes himself and ramps it up in January. Both Jessica and Matthias were fans of the biking portion of the race. Matthias said it was his favorite portion of this particular race because the course was flat and fast which allowed him to average 21.5 mph for the full 56 miles. Despite being a naturally strong swimmer, Jessica said that she favored the run portion, which was Matthias’ least favorite as it was hot, humid, and sunny during the run. I asked them if they planned on doing another Half Ironman in the future. At this time, neither of them is sure whether or not they’ll do another. Matthias is training to get in to the Leadville 100TR, which is a 100-mile run across the Colorado Rockies terrain, and Jessica is hoping to compete in another body building show. Whatever they do decide, it’s clear that they will do it with pure determination! Crest Foods sponsored 4 out of the 16 foursome’s who participated in the 3rd Annual Hack, Whack, and Whiff Ashton Golf Outing this August. All proceeds benefit the Village of Ashton, and this year they were able to raise $1,800! Players voted on where to use the money, and it was decided that $1,000 of that money would be awarded to an AFC High School student for a scholarship and the remainder of the money will be used for a project in our community that is yet to be determined. Thanks to these 4 groups for representing Crest Foods! Crest employees were Keith Larson, Jim Lyles, Randy Reuter, Jon Harrison, Steve Zera, and Jamie Cooper. Hack, Whack, & Whiff Ashton Golf Outing
16 Crest Ink October, November & December 2019
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