Swimming, running and biking in the Big Apple triathlon

By  Amber Kuehn

While many local runners are busy training for the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, several from Hampton Roads are taking their skills some 350 miles away. Here is a look at four from Virginia Beach who will compete Sunday in their first New York City Triathlon.

Gene Bachman, age 55

Background Bachman, who said he didn’t know what a triathlon was in 1999, has been doing them for eight years. He has completed two other Olympic-distance triathlons this year, in addition to competing in duathlons. Bachman owns a contracting business in Virginia Beach, which allows him schedule flexibility for training.

“My job is a lot more physical than most people’s work, so doing triathlons allows me to do my business a little better by staying shape,” said Bachman, who trains year-round. “It’s almost a full-time job.”

Bachman trains 2-3 hours a day, five days a week. He has done nine triathlons this year and has finished first in his age group in all but two races.

Bachman, an avid traveler, said after competing in all of the Hampton Roads area races five or six times he needed a change. So to his schedule, he has added a triathlon Aug. 6 in Belgium, and the World Triathlon Championships on Aug. 30 in Vancouver, B.C.

Kimberly McCarty, age 55

Background McCarty is a busy woman with a demanding job. A joint terrorism task force supervisor who began her career as a military intelligence officer, McCarty has found respite in the social networking and time away that triathlons allow.

“I went crazy on races this year; this will be my fifth,” she said. “I just thought how nice it would be to ride a bike through downtown Manhattan and run through Central Park.”

McCarty gets up to train from 4:30 to 5 a.m., and she often squeezes a second workout in at lunch.

“It does take up a large portion of your life, so cleaning house kind of falls by the wayside,” she said.

McCarty said she used to run often, but a broken foot and ailing parent caused her to take time off. She began running when she joined the Army at age 22. Before that, she did ballet and cheerleading.

She was an interrogator during Desert Storm who liked to run half marathons every month. That stopped Sept. 11, 2001, when the federal government relied on her assistance as a Arabic translator.

McCarty plans to run her first full marathon in November in Richmond and wants to compete in a full Iron Man next year.

Judy England, age 43

Background England, a navy pilot, started doing triathlons somewhat by accident. Last year as she was training for her first marathon, she suffered a hip injury two weeks before the race. After her orthopedic surgeon advised her to stop long-distance running, she decided to try short-distance triathlons to stay fit.

“I just dusted my bike off one day and gave it a go,” she said.

England has done three triathlons this year, improving her place each time. Most recently she finished third, high enough to win her first trophy. She said she never has been to New York City, one of the reasons she signed up for the race.

With plans to retire next year, England said she is not on much of a flight schedule anymore so she finds time to train. But as a single mom, she makes sure her children come before her workout.

“Everything I do to train has to be done before 5 so I can get the kids,” she said. “So whereas a lot of other people can do their training after work, I can’t do that.”

Geoffrey Hodges, age 21

Background Hodges is a rising junior at Old Dominion who said his mom, Nancy, encouraged him to enter the race. He has finished two Half-Iron Man races, his first in April 2007 on his 20th birthday. The rigorous races usually take from 4 to 7 hours to complete.

“I’ve had emotions that range anywhere from pure bliss and enjoyment to absolute pain and aggravation,” he said of competing.

In June’s Half-Iron Man in Maryland, temperatures soared to 99 degrees, a factor Hodges said made the run portion a “death march.”

Hodges said biking is his favorite part of triathlons.

“Nothing beats screaming down the road under your own power,” he said.

He also likened triathlons to drug addictions: “many hours of suffering instantly justified by the euphoric sensation of finishing the race and ending the pain ... or being first to break the finish line victory tape.”