News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Scott Buckles is shooting for the Ironman.
Invitations to compete in elite triathlons have become scarce and coveted as more and more elite competitors focus on the sport.
Sisters racer Scott Buckles has landed one of those hard-to-acquire invitations - to the Half Ironman World Championship in Clearwater, Florida, on November 11. To do it, Buckles earned one of the three qualifying slots in his 50-54 age group at a Seattle race this summer. There were about 50 racers in that category in the race.
"My goal is to get into the Ironman - the one you see on TV," Buckles said.
It's a lofty goal. The event, held at Kona, Hawaii, is the Superbowl, World Series and Olympic Games of triathlon competition all rolled into one grueling event. Buckles estimates that there are some 50,000 triathletes in the world shooting for 1,200 slots in the race. To qualify, Buckles must win his age group at one of the big qualifying races - like the Half Ironman in Florida.
"It's going to be a long haul, but I'm going to get there," Buckles said. "I just want to do it once."
The arcane selection process, using a limited number of age group slots, makes sense in the context of triathlons. Big marathons like the Boston Marathon use time to qualify - you make a set time in a qualifying race, you're in.
But triathlons are held under such varied conditions of terrain and weather that time isn't a good gauge. The only fair way to qualify is to show you can win.
Buckles, a real estate appraiser in Sisters, has been on a crash course toward Ironman since going to Hawaii to see the event live last year.
"The minute I saw it, I said, 'I've gotta do this,'" he said.
He's been training and racing since October, traveling in races from St. Croix to Seattle.
"You have to go where the races are, and they're all over the world," he said.
Buckles isn't exactly starting from scratch. He's been an elite runner for much of his life - a 2:20 marathoner with lots of competition under his belt.
But triathlon is a different kind of beast. The Half Ironman consists of a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride and a 13.5-mile run - each event covering half the distance of the brutal Hawaii Ironman race events. For an athlete like Buckles, that means up to five hours straight of maximum effort.
Not only is that taxing on the body, it is incredibly demanding on the mind and spirit.
And each event plays to different strengths and exposes different weaknesses.
"I come from a running background, which is good. Running is my strength," Buckles said. "I'm actually pretty good on the bike now, too. I hold my own on the bike."
Like many triathletes, Buckles' nemesis is the water. It's not that he isn't a good swimmer. It's just that "I hate swimming with a passion."
Buckles notes that training at Sisters Athletic Club he gets to take advantage of some informal training from members who are experts in individual legs of the triathlon. Trainer Rich Hummell has competed as an elite bicycle racer, and Tom Landis is a world record holder in masters swimming.
"Tom Landis and (Landis' training partner) Kris Calvin give me pointers about swimming and Rich helps me with my bike," Buckles said. "You get a lot of help from people who are really good at what they do."
Buckles is looking forward to gaining some valuable race experience at the Florida Half Ironman. He hopes to finish under five hours.
"The chances of me winning my age group are slim," he said. "I'm a realist. But it'll be really good experience."
The Sisters racer said he needed something like the Ironman to motivate him. Most folks would have considered Buckles to be in great shape before he caught the Ironman bug. He has worked out regularly at Sisters Athletic Club for years and looks a decade younger than he is. But for an elite athlete there's a difference between being fit and being in shape, a difference between being able to run 13.5 miles and being able to win an elite race.
Buckles figures it will take another year of training and learning the best techniques for racing for him to win an age group category and qualify for Ironman.
In the meantime, he's enjoying getting back into competitive shape and feeling the fire of a top athlete chasing a lofty goal.
"This has been fun," he said. "It got me going again."
For more information visit http://www.ironman.com.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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