The "The Ironman Of The Family" Story

Story in the Lancaster Newspaper

It was an ordinary day.  Opened the sports section of the morning paper and there was my nephew, Matt, staring at me from the bottom right corner.  "Cocalico coach set for second Ironman" claimed the headline.  It was about ten months ago that I wrote about Matt participating in a triathlon in Atlantic City last September.  That was after he participated in his first Ironman competition earlier in the summer.    I gave you a look at the bike he rides and the training needed to participate and finish a race of either magnitude.  Matt is soon going to participate in his second Ironman in Atlantic City, (2) a 112 mile bike ride on the nearby roads of Wharton State Forest , and (3) a 26.2 mile marathon on the  boardwalk in Atlantic City.  

Matt participating last year in competition.

This year Matt is obtaining sponsors for each mile in the race.  The money raised will be for Schreiber Pediatric Center in Lancaster, Pennsyl- 
vania where his wife Katie is a speech therapist.  So what needs to be done to compete at this level and be able to finish?  Matt is now riding his bike more than 100 miles a week along with swimming almost daily at the Ephrata, PA Recreation Center and running the hills and valleys around his home.  

Matt, about 10:00 in the photo, shows off the winning trophy
with his high school swim team.  Taken from his Facebook Page.

On some days he swims or runs for about four hours while other days he will bike 80-100 miles.  The strenuous routine began almost half a year ago while he was still in the midst of coaching the Cocalico High School boys and girls swimming teams to the Section II title in the Lancaster-Lebanon League.  After last year's Iron Man competition he now realizes the problems that occur during a race of that magnitude.  

Another story published in the Ephrata Review talks about
Matt and is accomplishments.  Also from Facebook.

Food is a big factor during the day and he will try to get as many calories during his bike ride.  So why does he put his body through all of this?  He grew up in a very competitive and athletic family and he excelled in both football and basketball in high school as well as being a top-notch swimmer at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, PA.  After graduating from college, one of his swimming buddies talked him into trying a sprint triathlon in nearby Harrisburg, PA and the rest is history.  There are still plenty of miles that can be sponsored and if you care to sponsor one of Matt's many miles in the Ironman competition, check out http://www.schreiberpediatric.org and call to sponsor a mile.  The children who benefit from the services of the center will thank you for your contribution.  It was another extraordinary in the life of an ordinary guy.