Jeff Starks was told he could start hearing Ironman Florida announcer Mike Riley about a mile from the finish line.
But the Quincy resident didn’t believe it.
In his two previous attempts at completing an Ironman, Starks didn’t make it to his run, his strongest area. It has been 18 years since Starks, now 45, first tried his luck at Ironman Canada in 1990.
On Saturday, after preparing himself better for the swim and bike than he had ever before, Starks ran through the 24-mile marker and started hearing Riley’s voice.
With 100 yards to go, Starks saw the lights and heard the music.
It only took 22 yeas since his first triathlon and Starks was an Ironman.
The last Ironman, actually.
He completed the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run in 16 hours, 58 minutes and 41 seconds, just 79 seconds before the 17-hour cut off
“I’m thrilled,” Starks said. “To me the time is meaningless. There’s a couple of people that came in after the cut off. Even so, the crowd was still screaming and cheering them on. The attempt to actually say I think I can is a heck of an achievement
“The brain was a little fuzzy (when he crossed the finish line) but the noise, the spectators and the volun-teers, and the police, I’ve never been in an event like it. After three tries I at least wanted to get to the fun this time.”
The physical education instructor at Stewart Street Elementary in Quincy is more of a runner than a tri-athlete. While he adequately trained for the swim and bike legs, the most he trained for the marathon was seven miles.
Saturday was do or die for Starks.
“I was pretty much at the limit of my physical capabilities,” he said. “I’m 45 years old. After 18 years I wanted to get this done. Why is harder to understand.”
What if he would have finished but over the 17-hour mark?
“Hugely disappointed,” he said. “It would have been crushing. But I realized some time ago it wasn’t eh distance for me.”
His motto in 1990 was “I’m here to complete, to compete.” While that didn’t happen then, it didn’t change his mindset this year.
His motto Saturday was “To finish is to win.”
