'You are an Ironman'

Two lakes area men received medals and an Ironman's reception as the clock ticked closer to midnight Sunday.

"For both of us, it was a great day," Gary Walters said. "It was an absolute day."

Walters of Baxter and Josh Heldt of Brainerd began hatching their plan to tackle their second Ironman triathlon in the hours after they fell short of their goal in 2014. Heldt, an Iraq war veteran dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder since his service a decade ago, first broached the idea of the Ironman challenge to Walters.

Walters, whose eldest son served two tours in Iraq, said he couldn't say no to a veteran.

"You can't say no to some things," Walters said.

Both men failed to meet the cut-off times for the bicycle segment on their first Ironman, missing it by a matter of minutes. But that experience paid off Sunday as they both crossed the finish line before the midnight bell ended the 17-hour event. They swam 2.4 miles, finished the 112-mile bicycle course and then took on a full 26.2 mile marathon. Heldt made it with eight minutes to spare. Walters finished about 15 minutes ahead of him.

Instead of sunshine and desert day warmth, they were faced with rain and cool temperatures ranging from the mid-60s to upper 50s. The cold, wet weather affected numerous athletes. They were grabbing anything they could along the way to keep warm, including garbage bags. Jackson Walters, Gary's 21-year-old son, had the fastest time of the trio in the water, finishing in 1:42:23, but about halfway through the bike course cramps turned into shakes so severe they seemed like seizures. When he got to the medical tent, Jackson Walters' core temperature was 94 degrees. His Ironman was over.

His dad said this is the time when extra pounds come in handy. Both Walters and Heldt continued their journey, each pursuing something beyond personal bragging rights.

Walters' quest begins

Up hours before dawn, both men donned wetsuits and hit the water just after 7 a.m. It was a challenge for them in 2014. Both struggled. This time, it was calmer if colder. The water was estimated to be 63 degrees. By the time Walters got out - about an hour and 53 minutes later - his hands felt frozen.

But after a panicky start in 2014, Walters took part in a practice swim the day before this year's Ironman. It helped him prepare for the cold water. As he stepped off the stairs leading to the water Sunday, he was ready.

"I knew I had a shot when I got in the water," Walters said. "I got calm right away and I took a deep breath."

Walters treaded water briefly, took that breath and got into a groove. When he no longer wanted to count strokes, he thought about physics, the universe, faith and even string theory. When he got out of the water in less than two hours, Walters headed for the transition to the bicycle course and a change of clothes.

The bicycle course, with timed laps of about nine miles, flows through the Sonoran desert. Riders were faced with downpours on parts of the course. At some point on the bike course, Walters believed he could finish the Ironman.

He completed the bicycle course in just under seven hours. He knew that left him good time to complete the marathon, even if he walked every step. If he had to run, he thought he'd be in trouble.

"I don't think I would have made it," Walters said. "My run just wasn't there - wasn't enough speed in my legs. ... My legs are just shot. My knees are shot. ... I walked most of the run. I walked as fast as I could."

Walters said he walked as fast as he has in his life.

Heldt perseveres

Heldt wasn't nervous until his feet landed on the last step before the water's edge. The experience of knowing what to expect, what line to be in, where to go, all helped. He thought the swim was going better than last year. The rolling start helped ease congestion so swimmers weren't running into each other. Instead of swimming to a start line out in the distance, the timer clicked on the moment he struck the water.

"It took me a few minutes to get used to it," Heldt said of the cold water. "They said it looked like it was choppy so I don't know if I was dealing with that. I enjoyed it this time, you jumped in and you just started, you didn't have time to panic."

Heldt entered the water a little after 7 a.m. and said everything went better than last year. But this year's swim ate up more time on the clock. Heldt was one of the last swimmers in the water. He came in at 2:20:47. Swimmers are given two hours and 20 minutes to complete the swim. Organizers told him he could continue so he made a fast transition to the bike. He said his family had no idea he could move that fast. Little more than six minutes later he was on the bike course.

"After the first lap on the bike I wanted to be done," Heldt said. His body was sore from the end of the swim. He passed his brother-in-law on the course and said he couldn't do it. He thought it was pointless. He was convinced he'd miss the bike cut-off, which he thought was looming. A volunteer told him he had 30 more minutes and could do it if he pushed it.

"I said, 'Yeah, you know what, you are right,'' Heldt said. He kept going. After all his journey to the Ironman came with a goal to help him regain a sense of himself he felt he was missing since returning home from Iraq. His family struggled with his PTSD, rages and mood swings when even small sounds or noises could set him off. After numerous tries to get help, Heldt is now on medication that is making a positive difference. His wife Marcie and family members no longer feel they have to struggle with PTSD in silence or alone. Heldt is reaching out to other veterans who are also struggling and wants to do more. He said this year they've made a lot of friends. Community members helped Heldt reach his fundraising goal of about $5,000.

"I didn't want to let those people down, especially the hard work that Marcie has put in over the years, putting this stuff together for me."

He thought as much time as he could knock off before the marathon, the better he'd be and he kept going on the bike. He made another fast transition to the marathon, taking just more than five minutes.

"I can't explain how little I ran because I couldn't," Heldt said. "I was just trying to move as fast as I could to get there."

Never giving up

For Walters and Heldt, continuing became a numbers game with each coming to the conclusion they'd actually make the finish line at different points.

Heldt said in the dark spots on the course about 11:30 p.m. - 30 minutes before the Ironman would end - without volunteers or other Ironman competitors, he was alone. But he could hear the sounds from the finish line some two miles away.

"At mile 25 I knew I would make it," Heldt said. "Just with the time and my body, if I had to I'd run until I collapsed."

Making the final turn, Heldt could see the finish line with bright lights and cheering fans.

"It's just a blur," Heldt said. "I tried to find the family and couldn't. It's just a surreal experience. It gave me that same feeling when I came home from deployment. It's up there with that."

Heldt completed the Ironman with eight minutes to spare. The final steps came after years of planning and training.

"It takes a lot out of you," Heldt said. "Mentally, it's exhausting."

Heldt said he's glad he reached out to Walters for this challenge. There isn't anyone, he said, he'd like rather have tackled it with.

"I feel like I can accomplish more," Heldt said. "You just have to keep trying and do it. Me and Gary, you kind of put yourself out there and try again. It's tough failing.

"I really like to get into helping other veterans or spouses with PTSD and I think this is just going to give me the confidence to get out there and talk about it a little bit."

When he found Marcie, she told him good job. He did it. "I told her, 'We did it.'"

Throughout the day Marcie said they were on the edge of their seats. She was managing four kids and watching for her husband. Her worries didn't ease after watching Jackson Walters go by in a cart. She worried how her husband would take it if he wasn't able to finish.

"It was a long, long day," she said. "I'm glad we'll never be doing it again."

Marcie didn't watch him cross the finish line. She said she buried her face in her hands in tears. But she heard it. The emcee called Heldt back after he crossed the finish line and had the crowd join in as he was announced as an Ironman.

"It just felt amazing and such a relief," she said. "I didn't need to watch it. I just needed to hear it."

She was prepared to drag her husband across the finish line if she had to, she told him.

"He did it. He finished by midnight," she said. "That's what he needed to do and he did it."

Monday Marcie said while she has been looking forward to this day for years, she had an unexpected reaction.

"I've felt lost and empty," she said. "It's been the focus of our life for years. So we'll have to find something else to work toward now. It's good. I'm so proud of him. I hope he feels as proud of himself as he should."

And, she said she hopes the feeling lasts.

Heldt said the lesson was to "never give up, even when you want to, no matter how hard it gets, there is always a way to get through it."

He said he understands not everyone needs such a monumental challenge to find themselves again, but it worked for him.

"I feel more of a person now, ... for me that's what's going to help me."

Brutal day

Walters said he's willing to run marathons again, but the Ironman was just too brutal all in a single day. As he closed in on the last few miles, Walters was dry-heaving and then vomited on the side of the path after taking some salt. But with an empty stomach he felt better again and continued. Blisters and aching muscles aside, he continued.

"I'm just a guy that's too stupid to quit," he said. "I'm slow and steady."

There was a moment in the middle of the marathon when he had a sharp moment of panic, worried he wouldn't complete it in time. His stopwatch gave out, but his time laps remained pretty consistent in the 15-mile-an-hour pace to start. It was reasonable to think the pace per mile would start to slow as the cool night progressed. Walters said there was one thing keeping it from happening.

"Terror, absolute terror," he said. "There were times when I could feel I started to slow." He told himself he couldn't come back and do this a third time because the swim would kill him. "Fear is a great motivator."

Walters completed the marathon in seven hours, six minutes and 54 seconds.

His last miles were at a pace of 17 minutes, 18 minutes and 16 minutes. In the last legs, as the finish close at hand, people began to tell each other "you are an Ironman." For Walters it was a memorable moment.

Walters takes on these challenges as a way to draw attention, funds and mentors to Kinship Partners. The goal is to have mentors for young people who need an adult presence in their lives for just basic activities whether it is fishing or a movie or a trip to a park. Walters said if a man who is 5 foot 8 inches and 262 pounds can complete an Ironman, anybody could do it. And mentoring, he said, is much easier than completing an Ironman.

People need to get out and be active, he said.

"You can be amazed what you can actually do."

Walters saw Heldt on the course and again at the 22-mile mark on the marathon. After the finish, both men sat down and ate some french fries in a quiet moment at the athlete's area before they rejoined their families.

By the next morning they were both moving a bit slowly, but Heldt said it was the kind of pain that is temporary. Walters was craving a cream puff and feeling as though he could indulge himself. Heldt was planning a celebratory dinner with family.

As for future challenges. Walters said he'll never do another Ironman as he can't contemplate slipping into that black water again. "I will not do this again."

But he's willing to be a supportive spectator should his son Jackson want another crack at it. As for Heldt, before he tries something new, he said, "I think I need to let this sink in a little bit."

RENEE RICHARDSON, associate editor, may be reached at 218-855-5852 or renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com . Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Dispatchbizbuzz .