Greater Sudbury Police Sgt. Leslie McClosky finished the entire course at the recent Canadian Iron Man Triathlon Championship in Penticton, BC and did it in a time of 15 hours and 26 minutes.
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Female entrants didnÂ?t get special treatment and had to tackle the same gruelling route as the men Â? a two-and-a-half mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride and a 26-mile run.
McClosky is a fitness buff and had run shorter triathlons in the past.
Last summer at an event in Muskoka, a fellow athlete suggested she enter the big race out west.
Intensive training followed at the Cambrian Fitness Centre and friends in her running group offered a lot of support joining McClosky for regular 6 am bike rides.
After months of preparation she drove out to BC in late August with family members and her fan club in tow.
When race day arrived, McClosky found the hardest part of the course was the cycling section.
Â?In particular when I got into the mountains,Â? said the sergeant.
Â?There was a thunder storm and it was raining. You can give me any hill to go up but descending on the one mountain, Yellow Lake Mountain, was really pretty tricky that day. I was driving in a stream of waterÂ?I knew that if I crashed there that would be my day.Â?
She had one mishap that set her back about half an hour.
McCloskyÂ?s bike wound up with a flat tire and if that wasnÂ?t enough the chain came off.
Â?So I had some equipment issues going,Â? said the sergeant.
However, McClosky never entertained any thoughts of quitting. She was well prepared physically, made sure she had power bars and water on the course and was psyched.
Â?You have to do a lot of mental preparation,Â? said McClosky.
Â?If youÂ?ve got negative thoughts coming in you have to right away switch to something positive, youÂ?ve got to have prearranged sayingsÂ?just to get out of that rut.Â?
The end of the course could be described as a cruel and final test.
Athletes can see the brightly lit finish line as they run into Penticton but then the course takes a 180 degree turn and participants are heading back out into the darkness for the final mile.
Â?So you go out and you canÂ?t even see into the dark and youÂ?re thinking Â?how much farther do I have to go?Â?Â? said McClosky.
Then thereÂ?s a turnaround, and the runners head back to the finish area and loud cheers from the waiting crowd.
Â?I was tired and I think I was in shock a little bit, you know, that it was over,Â? said McClosky.
Â?I ran my whole marathon. It was slow at the end, but I didnÂ?t want to walk. That was one of my goals, I was going to run the whole thing. Lots of people were walking but they were still upright, so that was great.Â?
It was about 10:30 pm when McClosky finished. She walked around to try to shake off her physical ordeal and like many athletes hung around to see the last runners come in at the midnight deadline.
McClosky got back to her hotel room and just wanted to lie down. She had a restless sleep but the next day felt normal.
Â?I was really surprised,Â? said the sergeant. Â?It was just like it had been a training day the day previous and I was walking around fine. I thought IÂ?d be hobbling.Â?
McClosky plans to tackle some smaller events next summer like the Muskoka Triathlon or the half Iron Man in Peterborough or Collingwood.
A return trip to BC might just be in the cards for the summer of 2004.
McClosky is head of the Greater Sudbury Police domestic violence unit. SheÂ?s been with the local service since the 1980s. Her police career started with the RCMP about 20 years ago.
