Brian Conrey…
An Ironman at 60
Swimming
Written By Robin Sheperd
L
ast summer, Brian Conrey marked
his 60th birthday by competing in
the IRONMAN Vineman Triathlon
in Sonoma County. As a triathlon
contestant, he had to swim 2.4 miles, bike
112 miles, and run a 26.2-mile marathon.
Brian lives in Morgan Hill and works at the
American Institute for Math where he is
Executive Director.
It was a grueling test of endurance and
there were moments when Brian thought
he might not be able to complete the race,
but he crossed the finish line after 16.5
hours of dogged effort.
“I had never done a triathlon before so
I had no idea what to expect,” Brian said.
“I trained for months before the event and
I have a real sense of satisfaction at having
done it. I’m thankful that my family was
there, cheering me on at different points
during the day.”
Taking the Plunge (6:39 am)
Brian donned his wetsuit and dove into the
chilly 74-degree waters of the Russian River
at Johnson’s Beach in Guerneville. Despite
leaky swim goggles and self-confessed
difficulty swimming in a straight line,
Brian emerged from the river an hour and
44 minutes later, feeling good about his
progress thus far.
Clipping In (8:33 am)
Brian took off on his bike with bottles of
Gatorade and protein bars stashed in his
bike jersey pocket. He pedaled past acres
of vineyards along a hilly course with a
385-foot incline at mile 44 followed by a
similar climb at mile 100. The 85-degree
heat was bearable but an afternoon head-
wind slowed him down. Stopping at an
aid station to grab half a banana and more
Gatorade, Brian narrowly escaped a fall
that could have put him out of the race.
His family was there, cheering and waving
hand-made signs that said, “Go Dad Go!”
and “Motivational Sign.” He finished the
112-mile ride in less than 8 hours.
The End Run (4:30 pm)
The 26.2-mile marathon began at Windsor
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
MAY/JUNE 2016
High School. It took a while for Brian to
find his running gear because he’d forgotten
what color his bag was. While changing
his clothes Brian heard that the triathlon’s
fastest female competitor had just crossed
the finish line, setting a new race record in
under ten hours!
Cutoff time for the triathlon was 11:15
pm, giving him nearly seven hours to finish.
More Conreys appeared with signs that
read, “Good Job Grandpa” and “Swim,
Bike, Run” with the words Swim and Bike
crossed out. Their encouragement buoyed
his spirits.
Brian wanted to finish the run in less
than six hours. The course seemed endless.
At one point he tripped and nearly fell,
which could have been disastrous. While
speed-walking he ate from a baggie full of
pasta and drank Gatorade, figuring that
by mile-ten, his food would be digested
and he’d be ready to resume running. He
stopped at aid stations along the course,
grabbing banana-halves as he went. Brian
figures he probably ate 10 bananas before
the race’s end.
The Finish (11:00 pm)
He spent the last leg of the race on pitch-
dark country roads. Race volunteers handed
out glow-in-the-dark rings for the remaining
runners to wear. When his stomach started
to rebel, Brian had to slow to a walk, but
he crossed the finish line with a big grin
and 15 minutes to spare! Hats off to Brian,
conqueror of the Vineman.
When asked if he’d consider doing
another triathlon, Brian laughed and said,
“There are four different categories based
on overall distance: Sprint, Olympic, Half-
Ironman, and Full-Ironman. I could see
doing an Olympic distance triathlon, per-
haps even a Half-Ironman, but I’m pretty
sure I won’t ever do another Full-Ironman!”
Brian’s Vineman Stats
• 16 hours 18 minutes and 10 seconds
• Seventh out of eight finishers among
male contenders aged 60-64
• 284th out of 302 finishers overall
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