Hurst participated in the Wisconsin Ironman in October. This was his second Ironman attempt and his chance for redemption. Photo credit: https://uwpd.wisc.edu/2019-ironman-impacting-campus-roads-plan-ahead/

Spanish teacher Jason Hurst competed in an Ironman competition in Madison, Wisconsin on September 10, 2023.

An Ironman is a triathlon where athletes swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run 26.2 miles to the finish line.  Competitors have a 17-hour time limit. 

After competing at a 2018 Iron Man in Texas, Hust was unhappy with his results and wanted to compete again.  Hurst decided to do the Ironman last year.  “They have reduced prices a year in advance.  I got a notification that the Wisconsin Ironman was cheaper to sign up for, so I went out on a limb and signed up,” said Hurst.

Before the Wisconsin Ironman, Hurst competed in a spartan race.  A spartan is a 5k (3.1 miles) with challenges that are along the way. Challenges such as a barbed wire crawl, monkey bars, and a spear throw are all part of a spartan.

When Hurst trained for his Ironman he did a lot of grueling tasks to stay conditioned. Hurst said, “I was training for spartans beforehand. I did my spartan in June. After I got done with my spartan, I immediately started training for my Ironman, so I did a lot of swimming and biking.”  Hurst trained for the swimming portion of his Iron Man at Lake Windermere in Tremont. He would go once a week to the lake and practice with a group, or he would just swim in the pool in his backyard. He trained for biking on hills in Norwood.

According to Hurst, his favorite part of the triathlon was running.  “Running, the course was really fun.  They had great spectators cheering you on, ” he said. 

Hurst set a goal for himself before this Ironman. After walking in his last Ironman, Hurst was determined to not walk this Ironman. Hurst fulfilled his goal by not walking, making him proud of himself.  His finish time in Madison was 14:53:24. 

When training for an Iron Man, Hurst advises,  “Overprepare and overtrain because you are never prepared enough. If you think you are prepared you are not.”

Freshman Marta Hurst said when she saw her dad competing,  “He looked crazy and like a zombie.”  His daughter also said she would never do an Ironman like her dad.