Barnegat Athlete Takes on Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii

Most people who pack for two-week Hawaiian vacation aren’t thinking about much beyond bathing suits and flip-flops.

But when Barnegat resident Kate Bruck and her husband Rick headed to the airport a week ago to fly to Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii, they were lugging a lot more. That’s because Bruck, 36, was preparing to compete in one of the world’s most grueling competitions, the Ironman World Championship.

On Saturday, Bruck joins thousands of others in a swimming, biking and running endurance race that takes even the world’s most elite triathletes about 10 hours to complete.

“We packed lots of high-carb foods, nutrition drinks,” Bruck said, plus all her gear. “Everything but the kitchen sink came with us,” she laughed.

Bruck has been an athlete all her life. She started competing on the track when she was in third grade and was a competitive swimmer and runner throughout her high school years.

College offered a break from competitive sports – “it was just way too much fun, and I didn’t want to mess that up,” she joked. But after graduation, she got back into running. She ran her first marathon in 2002, the same year she moved to Barnegat, and immediately signed up for another.

When training buddies encouraged her to train for a triathlon, it seemed like a natural next step. She didn’t exactly ease into the challenge, choosing instead to compete in an Ironman race – among the longest and most difficult of all triathlons – as her introduction into the high-endurance sport.

Most triathlons consist of swimming, biking and foot races, but they vary in length. An Ironman triathlon is king in the category, with a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run – a marathon – back-to-back, with no breaks.

“I think knowing I was a strong swimmer, I knew I could do it,” she said. She did, and she was hooked.

Soon, she started thinking about taking on the Ironman World Championship. An open ocean swim, a desert bike ride, a rugged marathon run.

“For lots of people who do triathlons, it’s something you dream about,” she said. The event had called to her long before she ever signed up for her first endurance race. She’d been thinking about Kona since fourth grade, when she first saw the international competition broadcast on TV.

“I was mesmerized,” she said. “I was the classic little kid standing in front of the TV with my jaw hanging open.”

So Bruck threw herself into her passion. A few years ago, she quit her job as a risk management specialist and became a personal trainer, which allowed her to focus on what she really wanted to do.

Those closest to her completely understood her decision. “They live my dream for me just as much as I do,” she said. Others called her crazy. It doesn’t bother her.

“I always say, what’s crazy to me is sitting behind a desk all day, staring at my computer,” she said.

But the road to Kona wasn’t smooth. Last year, as she climbed from the water during a race, she tore open her foot on a bed of mussels.

“It ended my season last year, and it almost ended me,” she said. “I couldn’t run for months and months because of the fibroma that developed as a result of this awful, nasty cut.”

She even told a friend that she was quitting triathlons. But when she came out on the other side of her sport-altering injury, she had a new perspective – and a new motivation. Now, she runs – and swims, and bikes – for someone other than herself.

After qualifying for the Kona competition at an Ironman race in June, Bruck learned a friend in Kansas was struggling against an increasingly aggressive cancer. Megan Aldren, a wife and mother of two young girls, had learned in May that her ocular melanoma had spread to her liver and bones. Now, the family was juggling costly treatments with the task of maintaining normalcy for the kids.

Bruck said she felt a powerful desire to do something to help the Aldrens. When she discovered that the Ironman World Championships would take place a day before Megan’s birthday, her plan came together.

As she trained for the race of her life, she’d be aiming for two goals: the finish line in Kona, and a $4,000 fundraising mark to help Megan Aldren in her battle against cancer. She started a blog, Kate4Kona, to chronicle her training journey and enourage others to give.

Using her athletic talent to make a difference for others has changed the game for Bruck.

“I feel so incredibly grateful and blessed to have this ability,” she said. “I race because I love it, but also so I can help someone through the gift that God has given me. That’s what I want to do for Megan.”

This week, as she and her husband waited for race day in a condo in Kona, Bruck said she felt unusually calm.

Getting there had taken her years, and in the months before the race, she spent as much as 31 hours a week in intense training. But now, she said, as she thought about what lay ahead and the competition she’d be facing, she was ready. And she couldn’t be happier.

“I’m living out the life intended for me,” she said. “Not many people can say that they’re in love with their life. I honestly can say it. I wake up every day so grateful.”

Help Kate help Megan!

Visit Kate Bruck's blog and make a donation to support Megan Aldren's family as Megan fights an aggressive form of cancer. Details on how to give are under the "Megan" tab.