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Jonathan Fecik, 20, of Lancaster, recently placed first in his age group and in the top 50 overall in the Coeur d'Alene Triathlon in Idaho, a finish that qualified him for the famous Ironman Triathlon world championship on the big island of Hawaii in October.
Fecik, who graduated from Manheim Township High School in 2007, has been competing in triathlons since eighth grade but became serious in the sport three years ago when he became eligible for the Ironman competitions.
He has improved in the grueling event every year and will now be one of the United States' representatives in the men's 18-24 age group at the amateur level in Hawaii.
The Ironman Triathlon, which consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run, is actually a series of events held across the world every year. The Hawaii event is the season's culminating event. There are also half triathlons, which are exactly half the distance for each of the three disciplines.
Fecik's time of nine hours, 47 minutes in Idaho was not only a winning time but a personal best. He did not know immediately after the race that he had qualified for the event in Hawaii.
"My goals for that race were to win my age group and finish the marathon running, which I had not done previously. I figured if I could do that, I would finish no worse than third," said Fecik, who is double majoring in English and Biology at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.
"I actually finished five minutes ahead of the previous Half Ironman age group champion, who I did not even know was in the race with me."
He said words can not express the feeling he had on qualifying for Hawaii.
"I am happy and feel so good about it. It has been my goal since I first heard about it in fourth grade. I know it will be very hot there with a tremendous glare from the volcanoes, but I look forward to it," said Fecik.
Fecik's fourth grade teacher was the motivating factor he needed to start in the sport. She brought in information to tell the class about her experience in the Lake Placid Triathlon.
"I was mesmerized by the stuff she brought to school. I bought a bike and thought about doing road races," said Fecik.
The idea of cycling fell through, though, when he did poorly in his first race in eighth grade. He decided to focus on triathlon after someone suggested it to him.
He did his first "Got the Nerve" race later that year, faring well in his age group in the 200-meter swim, 16-mile bike and 3.1-mile run.
"I did not participate in high school, though, focusing on marching band for four years and wrestling for two," said Fecik, who purchased aerobars on his bike in 2006, a tool needed to prepare in advance for his first Ironman race in 2007.
It was at the store in Philadelphia where he bought the handlebars that Fecik met Holden Comeau, his coach.
"He told me I needed to get a coach since I was young and naïve to the sport. I started training with him and completed in my first triathlon a year later," Fecik said.
The first race was the Lake Placid Triathlon on July 22, 2007. Fecik had no expectations going into the race, but still finished in a decent 12 hours and 20 minutes. He was welcomed to the world of the sport before the race, being pulled on stage and introduced as the youngest competitor.
"The other triathletes were very friendly and cheered me on. People were ecstatic wherever I went for competing in this sport at such a young age," he said.
Fecik has continued to lower his times as he trains and competes in more events. He currently practices between 15 and 18 hours per week.
He bikes and runs on the streets of Lancaster, and does his swimming in the pool at L.A. Fitness. He said the swim is the hardest to prepare for during training.
"In the race, you have thousands of swimmers all trying to site the buoys and swim to them. People crawl all over each other. It is a survival of the fittest for the first 500 meters."
Lake Placid was also the site for Fecik's second triathlon, in 2008. He improved on his previous time by two hours. During the year, he competed in the Philly Triathlon, finishing first in his age group. He also was in two half races in Jim Thorpe and Connecticut.
He finished first overall in Connecticut. He continues to be coached by Holden, and has competed in two this year, a half race in California and the Idaho race June 21.
The rest of this summer will be spent training for Hawaii. Fecik has added in a few 24 hour training weeks and has implemented a new peaking system of high intensity with low volume. He will participate in the Timber Man Half Ironman in New Hampshire Aug. 23 as preparation for the big race.
While he does not earn money at this level, Fecik hopes to keep qualifying for Hawaii, and earn enough strong finishes in the big races to join the professional ranks, where competitors participate in their own race for significant prize money.
"This is a fun sport and I enjoy it."
The Hawaii race will be run Oct. 10 in Kona. Participants can either make the 1,800-person field by a lottery or through regional qualifying events.
