Vin Miserandino gave himself a rather unusual 40th birthday present.
After training for nine months, he completed the Lake Placid Ironman along with his brother Marty, who is co-owner of the Fit Werx 2 bike shop in Peabody, a company specializing in road and triathlon cycling.
When his younger brother wanted to compete in an Ironman, Vince, a physical education teacher at St. John's Prep, decided to join him. The two registered for the event last July, giving them a whole year to mentally prepare, then began serious training last Nov. 1.
"The Ironman was one of the greatest challenges I've ever faced, definitely the greatest physical challenge. The day was unbelievable and the event is truly life changing," said the 37-year old Marty, who lives in Salem. "I now feel like I can accomplish anything I put my mind to."
He got addicted to the event after doing a half-Ironman a year ago. His older brother already had one Ironman, The Great Floridian, under his belt, but that was 12 years ago. Vince regularly competes in four or five "sprint" triathlons each year, but really had no desire to undergo the rigorous training required for the demands of an Ironman.
"Been there, done that, but when your little brother asks, you've got to support him," said Vince Miserandino. "He saw me do one 4-5 years ago and started getting into it. When Marty sets his mind to something, he's going to do it.
"Back in '98 when I did my first one there weren't many Ironman events in the United States; Lake Placid didn't start until the following year. My first time I was on a regular bike, but now being associated with Fit Werx I was so much more comfortable riding because of all the aerodynamic advantages. I felt great when I got off the bike and started running."
Coaching the key
Close to 3,000 athletes began the July 25 event in Lake Placid, N.Y., with a 2.4-mile swim, followed by a 112-mile bike race and a 26.2-mile marathon, which competitors had to finish with the maximum 17-hour time limit.
Old pro Vince crossed the finish line in 10 hours 56 minutes, a very fast time for him; Marty clocked 12:19.25.
"Just knowing Vince was on the course and having my whole family there kept me going," said Marty. "There were two big 50-mile loops on the bike course and two on the run, so when you were really suffering you were able to keep going knowing you were going to see your family soon.
"I saw my brother a number of times; I would be going in one direction and because he was in front of me he'd be going the other way. He'd yell "Keep going" or some other words of encouragement I really needed to hear. One time near the end of his run we passed, and he hollered he just hit the wall. I yelled right back 'No you didn't!!' and kept on running."
The hardest part for Marty was the swim, where all the athletes started at the same time. That made it tough to find any room without getting bumped.
"When that cannon went off it was like a steak in a piranha tank; you were getting kicked, elbowed in the head, and poked with nowhere to go. Everybody was trying to get away from the pack, and that was brutal," said Marty.
"I had never done a marathon so the running was hard, but I just kept going by putting one foot in front of the other."
The Miserandino brothers credit the training they received from Jeff Capobianco and Craig Lewin with making a huge difference. Capobianco runs Breakthrough Performance and is an Ironman athlete who knew the Lake Placid course inside and out from doing it himself many times previously.
"(Capobianco) helped us pace each other, and Vince trained as if he had never done one before. I think that's why he did so well," said Marty.
Those early morning swims in the Salem State College pool with Lewin, who grew up in Swampscott, also paid off. Every Tuesday and Thursday morning the brothers met Lewin at 5:15 a.m. to work on their swimming techniques.
"That required real discipline," Vin Miserandino said. "Craig is with Endurance Swimming and he did a great job preparing us.
"I also did the POSE running technique, which concentrates on being on the balls of your feet so you don't put pressure on your knees and hips. The idea is to run like children which is very natural."
More in their future?
Vince Miserandino said people have a hard time grasping just how long and difficult an Ironman is. He tells them to go to their local YMCA and swim back and forth 72 times, then bike up to Conway, N.H. — and after that run a marathon.
"In 2005 I ran the Boston Marathon in 3 hours and 42 minutes," he said. "I did this run in almost the same time — after the swim and bike ride, so I'm very happy with that.
"My first Ironman time was 12 hours 38 minutes, and I bettered that by one hour and 39 minutes; I guess you get better with experience."
At the moment Vince has no plans to do another Ironman in the near future, but he isn't ruling it out entirely.
"I'll always do triathlons, and my goal — maybe for my 50th birthday — is to go to the Worlds in Hawaii for the Ironman," he said.
His brother, meanwhile, admits he could be convinced to do another one.
"Some people say it's like childbirth; when you're going through it you say 'never again!' But later, you think differently," said Marty. "When I walked downstairs the first few days afterward I felt like I was 150 years old. Everything hurt, but now I'm over that.
"This was definitely the greatest athletic achievement for me, and it gave me so much confidence. Without Vince, our family, and friends I never could have done it. Right now I'm just happy with what we accomplished. Ask me later, and I might be ready to do it all over again."
