In summer, the beautiful mountain community of Whistler, British Columbia is a tourist destination for people wanting to relax and enjoy the stunning scenery. But Dr. Erica McKenzie, Associate Professor of Large Animal Internal Medicine, is not a typical tourist. She went to Whistler in August to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run 26.2 miles – all in one day. Dr. McKenzie was pursuing a decade-long goal of qualifying to participate in the big Kahuna: The Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.
Back in 2001, a friend encouraged McKenzie to try a short-distance, sprint triathlon. “I barely knew what triathlon consisted of but I enjoyed every minute of that first race and was immediately hooked,” she says. Over the years, McKenzie participated in numerous short-distance and long-distance triathlons and, in 2007, competed in her first Ironman race in Western Australia. She tackled seven more Ironman competitions, hoping to someday qualify for Ironman Hawaii by finishing in the top 2-5 % of her age bracket at a qualifying event.
“Over the years I’ve never been too far from the goal and in October 2012, I finally decided to focus on achieving the necessary speed and fitness to qualify,” she says. “I trained an average of 12 to 16 hours a week, which was performed almost entirely early in the morning before work and on the weekends.”
That kind of dedication paid off this year when McKenzie finished in fourth place in her age bracket at Ironman Canada with a time of 10 hours and 32 minutes, finishing as the 7th amateur female across the line of approximately 560 amateur women racing.
As a large animal veterinarian with an interest in veterinary sports medicine, McKenzie may have a small advantage over the average triathlon competitor. “My knowledge of exercise physiology and nutrition has been a huge part of my success,” she says. “I have been able to use both human and veterinary sports medicine literature to develop training and nutrition plans, and to apply new strategies or concepts as they arise.”
She also had the support and camaraderie of the OSU Triathlon Club where she is one of the coaches. “They are an active and welcoming club with members racing a variety of events, including long distance triathlon.” Several veterinary students are also members of the club.
McKenzie will be competing in the Ironman World Championship this weekend. She has been training hard for her race against the best long distance triathletes in the world, but she is keeping it in perspective. “My main goal will be to enjoy the scenery, the experience and the company of the people I have strived to race alongside since 2007,” she says.
You can view live race coverage of the Ironman World Championships on the Ironman website or NBC.com.
