In June of this year, Mechatronic Systems Engineering faculty member Kevin Oldknow successfully completed the Ironman Triathlon in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho. Athletes began the race with a two-loop swim (3.9 km) in Lake Coeur d’Alene, followed by a two-loop bike course (180 km) and, finally, a two-loop run (42 km) along the shores of the lake. While competitors had 17 hours to complete the course, Oldknow finished with a time of 11:32:29.

Having participated in the BC Ride to Conquer Cancer, Oldknow already had a passion for cycling and road biking, which quickly transitioned to an interest in triathlons. He completed the UBC Triathlon in March 2012, followed by two sprint distance events – the Delta Triathlon and North Shore Triathlon – and finished the season with the Subaru Sooke Triathlon in August 2012. He participated in these competitions again this year, wrapping up the 2013 summer season with Ironman Coeur D’Alene on June 23.

To prepare for the challenge, Oldknow followed a 30-week program involving training sessions of up to 20 hours per week leading up to the event. Several of these were “brick” sessions, in which one discipline is followed immediately by another. On the day of the race he stayed motivated with the support of fellow athletes, volunteers, and his family.

“If there was a single thought that kept me going through the day, it was visualizing a high-five with my two sons as I approached the finish line … seeing [it] in the distance and the massive crowd lining both sides of the street, I would say that finishing the race lived up to every possible expectation.”

Oldknow has recently registered for Ironman Canada in Whistler, BC, on July 27, 2014.