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Published Saturday, November 22, 2008 in Sports

Ironman Championship proves to be ultimate endurance race for Hynson

By Chris Goltermann

The Times-Herald

Clifford Darrell Hynson stood in his bicycle pedals after climbing one of Kona's giant Hawaiian hills. With his arm stinging and swollen and his body starving for electrolytes, Hynson cranked his pedals with all his might on the downhill in an attempt to pick up speed.

He quickly looked up to find his surroundings not unlike the cars in school zones during peak hours slowing to a crawl.

He was going a mere 18 miles-an-hour. And through a 24 mile-per-hour headwind, Mother Nature was mocking yet another challenger at the Ironman World Championships.

They call the biggest triathlon in the world, "Ironman" for a reason. For Hynson, a Newnan resident, special education teacher and East Coweta High's varsity swim coach, his first trip to the Ironman World Championships this past October could have been re-named "Survivor", "The Amazing Race," or just "Surviving the Amazing Race."

Not many athletes can say they've been involved in 11 hours of intense competition. At least not in the same day. Or in a row.

That's how long Hynson pushed his body to the absolute limit during this year's Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. He was one of 1,736 competitors to qualify for the event, held on Oct. 11, which consisted of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike race and 26.2 mile marathon run.

"It was exciting, exhilarating, painful ...," said Hynson. "I'm glad I did it. But as soon as I finished, I took a look at my wife and I told her, I think I'm done with this experience."

Hynson navigated a one-of-a-kind course that began with a swim through the island's ocean waves and concluded with a run over a challenging lava-covered terrain in 11 hours, 17 minutes and 8 seconds, putting him just over the midway point of the pack in 888th overall position.

"That's about where I had hoped to be," said Hynson, who has competed in three Ironman events in the past year in its 40-44 year-old age group. "I just didn't expect some of the other things to happen."

Those "other things" were more than intangibles. The headwind aside, Hynson's adversities began while setting up for the race. While getting his equipment ready in one of the changeover stations, Hynson was stung by a hornet just 10 minutes prior to the start. After hustling to the first-aid station, attendants took the stinger out, but couldn't do much else but choose whether to race or not.

Hynson chose to race.

"I got through the swim and my arm had swole up pretty bad," said Hynson.

Trying to forget his pain while peddling away from the changeover, Hynson soon realized the sting of another hiccup. His bag, which included his electrolyte tablets, used to keep his body from dehydrating wasn't with him. Hynson was 10 miles into his 112-mile journey.

He chose to keep going.

"I was cramping up really bad," said Hynson. "I was never so happy to get off a bicycle in my life."

The marathon run, however, still stood in front of him. Hynson did the only thing he could. He managed to run most of the way, walking at time as he neared first-aid tents to suck up as much fluids as he could, before taking off again in stride.

In all the experience didn't compare to Hynson's qualifying run this past summer in Lake Placid, N.Y., where he endured monsoon-like conditions.

"I thought after that, this'd be easy. No problem." he said. "At first, I was like, that's it, I'm done. The competition is tough, but the training is the worst part of it, the mileage."

Not unlike a former Green Bay Packers quarterback, though, it didn't take too long for the 'retirement' to wear off a bit.

"I'm thinking about it," said Hynson.

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