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CNN Live At Daybreak
Lake Placid Ironman Requires Conditioning, Determination
Aired August 05, 2002 - 05:26 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Most of us could probably drive 140 miles, but swimming, biking and running it? No way.
But CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta had the heart to cover what you might call a triple threat in the Lake Placid Ironman Triathlon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The challenge -- a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride, topped off by running a full marathon, 26.2 miles.
JORDAN METZL, IRONMAN COMPETITOR: It's just the hardest endurance event you can do. It really tests your entire mind, your body, every faculty you have.
GUPTA: The challengers? The Metzl brothers -- Jordan, Jamie and Josh.
KURT METZL, FATHER: Jordan is a sports medicine doctor in New York. Jamie is in Washington, D.C. He works for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Josh is getting ready to start medical school.
JORDAN METZL: We definitely grew up in a Type A Kansas City family, so, on the more aggressive side of things. But we were always encouraged to do, you know, everything we wanted to do. There was never a goal that was too high or too crazy.
GUPTA: Crazy, a word many use to describe the Ironman.
KURT METZL: Well, I think the Ironman everybody thinks is kind of crazy. Why would anybody do that to themselves for 12, 13 hours straight?
JOSH METZL, IRONMAN COMPETITOR: 140.6 miles is a really long way, even when you drive it, even when you fly it.
GUPTA: A successful family by any standard. Experts say the Metzls are just the type to seek this challenge. And now, they are challenging each other.
JAMIE METZL, IRONMAN COMPETITOR: We have a friendly sibling rivalry, which I think inspires us and pushes us. But at the end of the day, we're all really rooting for each other.
GUPTA: For the Metzls, the Lake Placid Ironman is just another goal.
MARILYN METZL, MOTHER: I knew it wouldn't be long before they took another challenge for themselves.
GUPTA: Living in three different cities, they've each developed their own training regimen.
JAMIE METZL: I swam a lot, I biked a lot and I ran a lot.
GUPTA: Jordan takes a less stringent approach, workouts and classes at a Manhattan gym. He says he's doing the best he can. Josh, a more competitive approach, participating in smaller triathlons. His brothers say he has the upper hand, with no job and fewer responsibilities. They say this is something they are doing together.
JAMIE METZL: It's a group effort. We're competing alongside each other. But if, as we compete alongside each other, somebody does better than the other body -- than the other, then we'll be able to tease the other guys for at least a year.
GUPTA: And who will get the bragging rights?
JAMIE METZL: Josh is, in many ways, meant to beat this year. I hope that I'm first, Josh is second and Jordan, Jordan is third.
JOSH METZL: Jordan will come in last. Hopefully I'll win.
JORDAN METZL: My money is on Josh. But we'll see. I hope he beats Jamie. If I can't beat him, I want Josh to beat him.
GUPTA: But for this family, it's really about the camaraderie and the challenge.
JORDAN METZL: The biggest worry about this whole thing is getting to a point and not being able to finish. You put in a lot of effort and it just takes so much time and mental preparation.
GUPTA: And finishing is what the Metzls thought about as they started the course that they had 17 hours to complete. They predicted they would conquer it in just 12 or 13. Over an hour after the start, it's out of the water and onto their bikes. Jamie is in the lead. He finishes the biking in just over six hours. Josh brings up the Metzl rear about 40 minutes later. It's now over seven hours since they began their grueling journey and the marathon still lies ahead. It's the last leg, with the end finally in sight.
The final times -- Jamie in first with a total time of 12 hours, 13 minutes and 53 seconds. Jordan is next with a time of 12 hours, 40 minutes and 48 seconds. And little brother Josh was welcomed to the finish line by his brothers at 12 hours, 58 minutes and 29 seconds.
JOSH METZL: I mean you can train all you want, but the race isn't about your body.
JAMIE METZL: I feel great. It's the hardest day. It's 12 and a half hours in pain.
GUPTA: And quite an inspiration for us all. Maybe I'll try it next year. And then again, maybe not.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Lake Placid, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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