WARREN, NJ — After long days balancing the demands of medical school, Warren native Tyler Horvath turns to another demanding challenge: training to swim, bike and run an Ironman 70.3.
Horvath, a third-year medical student at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, is preparing to compete in the Ironman 70.3 New York on Saturday, Sept. 26, at Jones Beach.
According to information provided by the Zucker School of Medicine and Horvath's interview with Patch, his training has included workouts after 12-hour days at the hospital, hours-long runs in the dark and 4 a.m. swims at Jones Beach.
The Ironman 70.3 New York consists of a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride and 13.1-mile run.
"When I heard about this competition I thought, 'this is insane,'" Horvath said in information provided by the Zucker School of Medicine. "But I've been enjoying the challenge, and its level of pushing myself is a nice distraction from medical school."
For Horvath, the road to the starting line stretches back to a childhood spent in Warren.
Horvath told Patch he moved to Warren when he was about 7 or 8 years old. His family lived on a cul-de-sac near the high school, and Woodland School was his elementary school.
"I really liked Warren growing up. I've had a lot of good memories there," Horvath said.
Some of his favorite memories involved the community and the local library. Horvath said he was an avid reader as a child and visited the library frequently, including for an expo held there. He later volunteered as a counselor at a summer camp the library put on.
"I feel like they do a good job of making the kids feel like there's something to do in summer," Horvath said.
Years later, the idea of completing an Ironman 70.3 came from one of Horvath's medical school friends, who had completed one before entering medical school.
After hearing his friend talk about the experience, Horvath became interested. He looked for a race that would give the group a reasonable amount of time to prepare, and four friends ultimately decided to take on the challenge together.
Horvath said the group chose the 70.3, or half Ironman, rather than the full-distance race because it was more attainable with the amount of training time they had available. He said completing a full Ironman could potentially be something to consider years down the road.
Finding enough time for even the 70.3 requires Horvath to build training around medical school.
"Honestly, I have to find time whenever I can, basically, because once you commit to something like this, it's not really something you can back out of super easily," Horvath said.
Training has become a priority, he said. If he comes home late and still has an opportunity to squeeze in even a short run, he tries to take it.
On an ideal training day, Horvath said he would have nothing else scheduled and could start in the morning. Rather than completing the entire race distance, he might swim, bike and run shorter portions of each discipline or complete the full distance of one.
Of the three, swimming is his favorite. Horvath said he has been swimming recreationally for years and was already comfortable in the water, making the transition into that part of his training easier.
Cycling has been the toughest. "I think cycling is the hardest for me just because I had less experience biking and it's the longest portion of the race," Horvath said.
Horvath said the bike portion could take him roughly three to four hours, making it the part where he feels much of his energy is drained. Getting through those workouts is easier because he isn't doing it alone.
Horvath said training with friends has been an important source of motivation, particularly on long runs and bike rides.
"We're all medical students. We're all going through the same thing," Horvath said. "Everybody knows what the other person is doing and the distances they have to go and all that stuff."
The group also provides accountability, he said, while making the process more enjoyable.
Horvath already knows what completing a 70.3 feels like because he has finished one before. That experience, he said, has given him a better idea of what the race requires and helped with his preparation this time around.
His support system extends beyond his training partners. Horvath said his girlfriend attended his previous race, an undertaking of its own considering how long spectators can spend waiting for competitors to return from different portions of the course.
His parents have also been "very, very supportive," he said, and plan to attend his upcoming race. Horvath thanked both his parents and his girlfriend for supporting him through the process.
"I've had a great team behind me, and that's really what you need to do this," Horvath said.
After the early mornings, late runs, long rides and months of preparation, Horvath said he is especially looking forward to one moment on race day.
"The most exciting thing is crossing the finish line at the end," Horvath said. "That's obviously fantastic."
Having already experienced it once, Horvath said the entire event is unlike anything else he has done.
"The whole thing is a very nice event, and then you get to the end and it's very rewarding," Horvath said.
This time, reaching that finish line will also represent the months he has spent training while continuing medical school.
"You really are competing with yourself doing Ironman," Horvath said.
For Horvath, crossing the finish line will cap months of balancing medical school with Ironman training — a challenge made possible, he said, by the friends and family who have supported him along the way.
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