At Ultraman World Championship, ‘Persistence is key’

POULSBO — Few would argue that swimming miles in ocean currents, climbing 7,600 vertical feet, and running a double marathon is an incredible accomplishment to complete in three days.

But for two Kitsap County residents, the 320-mile Ultraman World Championship — Nov. 27-29 in Hawaii — was a journey to overcome fear, harsh and hazardous conditions, and to redefine their personal best.

“My legs are just tired,” Beth Brewster told the Herald in a phone interview from Hawaii on Dec. 4. “And my feet are incredibly blistered. But persistence is key. You have to have that goal, then it becomes mind over matter, and you just accept the fact that you’re in pain.”

Brewster, 45, finished 26th in the overall event and came in third for women. Navy retiree Greg Pelton, 54, of Silverdale, placed 24th. Both have competed in previous Ultraman events in Canada, however for both, this was the first world championship.

“Racers who have finished other Ultramans are top priority,” said Brewster, one of five female competitors in the race. More than 95 percent of the global participants have raced in at least one previous Ultraman.

“If you’re new to Ultraman, you have to submit your race packet and show that you can complete something as difficult,” Brewster said.

According to the official race website www.ultramanlive.com, “The pursuit of human excellence is the fundamental rule of the road.” The race, founded in 1983, takes place Thanksgiving weekend, and includes three stages coinciding with each day of the race. Contenders compete in more than six miles of ocean swimming, more than 16,000 vertical feet of cycling, and top it off with a double marathon -— each of the latter within a 12-hour time frame to be qualified.

Like her fellow athletes, Brewster has been training all year.

“You need to start training six to seven months before you even know if you’ve made it in,” she said, “I’ve been competing seriously for 25-30 years. The Ultraman is something you absolutely need to work for.”

And work hard they did. Stage 1 of the race commenced at 6:30 a.m. Nov. 27. Athletes swam 6.2 miles (10 km) from Kailua Bay to Keauhou Bay.

“Six miles in the ocean is pretty tough,” Brewster said. “You swim out about a half-mile offshore then after five or six miles you cut back in. After being in the ocean for so long, your lips get salted over and you start to get nauseous. A couple of times I was flipped like a fish because the current was so strong. At about mile four, I got sick …”

Beth’s husband, Robert, team captain and kayak escort, accompanied her through every mile of her journey.

“We’re out in the deep blue. We had the surf to deal with,” she said. “He had to watch out for the jellyfish and the rollers. Because Rob is retired Coast Guard, I trusted that he was going to get me from point A to point B in the most direct line … He was constantly finding that line whilst keeping track of my nutrition and safety.”

Although she admits the swim was challenging, she said the hardest part wasn’t the physical demands, but rather the mental.

“I have a really big shark phobia,” she said, “It’s taken me a lot of work to do this race because of it. I just forced myself to put it outside of my head for a couple of minutes at a time.”

Brewster’s swim time was 3:30:44. Other than being stung on the face by a jellyfish, she completed the swim unscathed.

Pelton reacted differently to his 3:58:56 swim.

“And we’re off,” he said, “I started swimming super easy, so I went for the Dori mantra … just keep swimming, just keep swimming … At mile five, the waves were reflecting off the shore and causing a washing machine effect … just keep swimming, just keep swimming. I got stung on the right side of my face, mouth, and nose …

“I saw small sharks swimming along the coral down below. New theme song: stroke man, stroke man. Truthfully, I figured I wasn’t of interest to them and didn’t lose too much thought. I was just praying Beth hadn’t seen them. That could be a game changer for her.

“I went from barely being able to swim 50 yards in the pool to training to swim the Ultraman,” he said, “In fact, I had a really enjoyable swim. It was a washboard out there, but I had a personal best of four hours.”

Directly following the swim was a 90-mile (144.8 km) cross-country bike ride from Keauhou Bay around the southern tip of the island to Maunale’o Place in the Volcanoes National Park.

“I peeled off my wetsuit, rinsed off the saltwater, and hit the road,” Brewster said. She biked a total of 7,600 feet of vertical climb that day.

“I had to take in 300 calories per hour,” Brewster said. “Fluid, sandwiches, gel … We did that bunny hop all the way to the top of the volcano.”

The next morning, Stage 2 began at 6:30 a.m. with a 171.4-mile (275.8 km) bike ride. Athletes cycled from Volcanoes National Park to Keaau, then east in a counter-clockwise loop through Kalapana, Kapoho and Pahoa, and on to the city of Hilo.

Although Brewster said her 25-mile ride down the volcano was a “fast descend”, she described the 55 mile-per-hour wind gusts as “intense” for her and her crew.

“That was extremely terrifying. I was scared for 25 miles and that takes a lot out of you,” she said. “I’ve been participating in triathlons for over 30 years and this is the first time ever the wind ripped my Aero bottle off my bike … I saw a guy ahead of me get off his bike and walk. I knew then I was about to go into something that could throw me on the ground. We were on a drop. It’s the most scared my husband and crew have ever been.”

From Hilo, the route continued and climbed north along the Hamakua Coast to Waimea, and over the Kohala Mountains to finish at Kamehameha Park in Kapa’au, just north of Hawi town. Another 8,600 feet in vertical climbs were added.

“I felt a little fuzzy,” said Pelton, “but I was moving, climbing steadily … the screaming downhill had me frazzled. The crosswinds were catching my aero wheels and I was having to slow and hang on for my life. It was horrendous. I actually skipped across the lane a couple of times. My brain was a little fried, but I went through the motions [even if I] had far from the drive of a young gazelle…”

Brewster added, “I biked over 7,000 feet of climbing that day … sidewinds, rain, heat, you name it — we had it all.”

Pelton had to change a flat tire four times. I got lectured by a policeman that immediately stopped behind us.

“Sir, bikes shouldn’t be riding up here,” he said to me… “This is really bad wind, in fact it is the worst I have seen it in a long time.”

Stage 3 set in on Nov. 29 as the participants embarked on the 52.4-mile (84.3 km) double-marathon run from Hawi to Kawaihae, then on to Kailua-Kona and finishing on the beach at the Old Airport State Park.

“I ran 52 miles on blacktop highway,” said Brewster. “It was the hottest run I’ve ever ran. Between miles 15-35 it was blazing hot, I had cold towels draped over me and ice packs down my bra to try to keep my body temperature down … that was my first time racing where I struggled with heat,” she said.

“Twenty years ago, I wasn’t even exercising,” Pelton said. “I was in the Navy, just surviving. But then my wife encouraged us to do a 5K, so we trained and did a little more then a run/walk … but we survived it and kept going.”

Pelton has completed nine Ironmans and two Ultramans since then. “The Ultraman is quite an evolved process but it’s a great experience,” he said. “I actually did a half marathon last weekend if you can believe that, but my legs are still sore.” (Pelton and his wife, Robin competed in the Xterra trail run World Championship half-marathon in Kaneohe, Hawaii on Dec. 6)

Pelton urges anyone who has a serious desire to train for a run to get involved in a community group. “Once you get invited and you meet someone to run, bike or swim, you’ve made a commitment to that other person. It’s easier to train if you’re working with someone else.”

He encouraged people to check out RIOT (Running Is Our Therapy) and West Sound Triathlon groups on Facebook. “There’s lots,” he said, “If you get involved with people with the same interests, they’ll help get your adrenaline flowing.”

“In Kitsap County, we actually have a pretty strong triathlon community,” said Pelton. “We’re a lot more about helping other people. There’s a real strong presence in this community.”

Pelton offers this advice: “Set personal goals. After a race I always ask myself what am I going to do next year? But remember, there is a difference between training and exercising. Just going out and moving around is exercising, but if you’re going to train for something then you have got to set some goals.”

Brewster agreed.

“I do these things to prove to women that they can do it too. I think anyone who wants to do this seriously has got to find someone to train them. The rest of it, is all mental. When it comes down to a race, you have to lean into it with every inch of your body. To get through it emotionally and physically, you have to give it 100 percent.”

She added, “For me, it takes a race of this magnitude for me to say, I really gave it my all. It’s fulfilling.”

Brewster, who is not only a competitive athlete but an outdoor enthusiast, told the Herald she wants to motivationally speak for local schools and Girl Scouts.

“Any opportunity I have to help kids in athletic endeavors, I want to say to young people that you can do it too. Do it for the right reason, do it for something you want wholly — and get coached.”

“There is nothing like the family of Ultraman,” said Robin Pelton. “There are no support vehicles, there are no aid stations, no chip timing. You rely on yourselves and the other crews. If you mess up, your athlete pays the price …

“They cheer for your athlete and you cheer for theirs. You hang out with the other crews while waiting for your athlete. We have been blessed to meet people from all over the world at Ultraman. We will always be ohana.”

Ohana is Hawaiian for “family.”