Will Morris is a respected member of our Choate faculty, a teacher in our science department, the Varsity Boys Squash coach, JV Girls Soccer Coach, and an Ironman? For those who don’t know what an Ironman is: an Ironman is an athlete who competes in the iron distance triathlon. The iron distance triathlon is no simple feat; it consists of three parts, a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile biking trip and a 26.2 mile run, all events starting as soon as the athlete finishes the previous event. To put this in realistic terms, 2.4 miles is about equivalent to 156 lengths of the 25 meters Choate pool. 112 miles on a bike includes both uphill and downhill terrain, and is about the distance to Northfield Mount Herman. 26.2 miles is the marathon length.
Why choose these random lengths instead of other numbers? This competition was initiated in 1978 by competitors arguing about who was a better athlete-- the swimmer, the runner or the biker. After some planning they put together a combination of the three events from local events already held on Oahu, the Waikiki Roughwater Swim (2.4 miles), the Around-Oahi Bike Race (112 miles) and the Honolulu Marathon (26.2 miles). The winner was to be declared the Ironman. Now in 2008, Morris will be competing for his sixth time in the iron distance race, the fifth time at Lake Placid, New York.
Morris first participated in the Ironman race as a spectator, an experience that drove him to compete in the event. “My family and I were up in Lake Placid at our house during the (2002) summer and we decided to see the Ironman Race. It was when I saw those runners closing in on the finish line that I knew I wanted to do that,” Morris remarks. After a year’s worth of training, Morris set out to compete in his first iron distance Triathlon in 2003. With little to no experience Morris finished the race in a very distinguished position. This position with regards to his age group was enough to let him qualify for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii during October of that year. Though the race landed in Choate’s Parent’s Weekend, Morris was given permission to miss the Choate event in order to fly out to Hawaii and participate. Since then, Morris has trained efficiently and thoroughly throughout the years to compete in the Iron Distance Race every year except one since 2003. When asked about his training, he described it as a process of “building up your body slowly and efficiently, so that you can reach peak performance at the right time.”
When queried about how this has impacted his career at Choate, he said that he has brought many of he training principles he applies to triathlon to his sports teams, making sure that they benefit most from their workouts.
William Morris charges through the iron distance triathlon. Contributed Photo
