Two years ago, David Alvey of Calvert City, set a goal to complete an Ironman. He signed up for the 2020 Ironman Louisville – a full Ironman that consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 116 mile bike, 26.2 mile run. As 2020 would have it, that Ironman was canceled.
David said after the cancellation, ”That’s where things get interesting. I’m already training 15-16 hours a week, juggling work and family as well as dealing with back issues. I reduced my biking and swimming to just six hours per week this past winter and just continued to run. I think staying consistent with the running was my saving grace.”
“Mentally I didn’t want to train another year for one but friends Donna and Larry Hickey and training partner Michael Ross, nudged me into considering it”, David said.
With 10 weeks to go and the encouragement from his wife Savannah, David said it was game on and he kicked his training into full gear with his sights once again set on an Ironman – this time Ironman Chattanooga.
He started biking again in April and swimming in May, added to the running he had maintained. After 15-16 hour weeks with only a couple rest days, David was at the start at 7:30 a.m. for the first leg – the swim – on Sunday, Sept. 26.
For David, accomplishing his goal and finishing was a high priority but so was a goal of breaking the 12 hour mark…which he did. His finishing time of 11 hours 27 minutes over 144.6 miles was quite impressive, placing him 20th in his age group of 35-39 out of 156, 170th out of 1,276 in his gender and 214th overall in a field of 1,864.
An alumni of the Marshall County Marshals soccer team and soccer coach for many years, David said although he was quick on the soccer field, he had never been a runner and self-taught himself how to swim. Most of his time on the bike consisted of mountain biking before back issues forced him to switch to road cycling.
A glimpse into his training looks like this – in 2020 he ran 1,029 miles (146 hours), 3,660 miles (222 hours) on the bike and 73 miles (44 hours) of swimming. In 2021, after making the decision to go for it after the cancellation of Louisville’s Ironman, he logged 762 miles (108 hours) running, biking 2,894 miles (153 hours) and swimming 57 miles (35 hours).
Training for an Ironman takes dedication, hard work and mental toughness – training for three different disciplines through all types of weather while juggling family and work. David credits his wife, kids and his “tri family” for their support, guidance and wisdom.
His plan now is to turn those hours of training back into hours spent with family. He may not do another full Ironman any time soon but has plans to add some half Ironman’s to his future.
