Becoming an Ironman for Her Birthday

Most people celebrate a 50th birthday with a fancy party, special vacation or gift of gold. Suzanne Sanger wanted iron.  

Wearing Number 649, the athletic mother of two joined nearly 3,000 other participants in the grueling Ironman triathlon last July in Lake Placid, N.Y. She finished with a time of 14 hours and 42 minutes.

“It was an awesome life experience,” said Sanger, who turned 50 on July 20 and raced four days later. Her sister Denise Thompson added, “This is a grand accomplishment. There aren't many people who can say they are an Ironman.”

The Ironman originated in the 1970s, when a group of athletes debated whether runners, cyclists or swimmers were the fittest. Ironman must be completed within 17 hours and consists of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run in that order, without a break.

Enrollment includes professionals and general participants who range from 18 to over 80 years old and race in age groups. Upon completion, an athlete earns the title “Ironman.” Lake Placid is host to one of several regional qualifying events leading up to the main annual Ironman in Hawaii for the highest finishers.

Sanger, who has participated in 23 marathons, got the idea to enter Ironman at a local book signing where champion cyclist Lance Armstrong expressed a desire to do the triathlon someday.

“I thought this would be a great turning 50 goal,” Sanger said.

A part-time teacher’s aide at Wyckoff Christian Preschool and Kindergarten and a Paramus resident, Sanger is a graduate of Westwood High School and Berkeley College. She previously worked in New York for fashion designers Donna Karan and Harve Bernard, but left to be a full-time mom to adopted sons Matthew and Jonathan, now 16 and 11.  

It was Sandy, Sanger’s husband of 27 years and also a marathoner, who influenced her love for running. In fact, her whole family, including siblings and other relatives, have done the together, so it was not surprising that the Ironman hopeful had plenty of support for her goal.

Sanger began intense preparation 17 months prior to the event, training for 10 and sometimes up to 20 hours a week. She also attended workshops, studied nutrition and was coached by her friend Kevin Baltzer and by champion triathlete Mike Llerandi.

A woman of deep faith, Sanger describes her triathlon in almost spiritual terms.

“The day started with such peace, a peace that only comes from God and prayers,” she recalled. “I was not nervous at all.”  

She wore a shirt imprinted with the Bible verse “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Her friends and family were in Lake Placid to cheer her on.

The day was hot and humid and Sanger’s personal diary account of the race is vivid.

“The swim went well, faster than I expected," she wrote. "1:31. Water was warm, 77 degrees.”  

During the hilly, challenging bike ride, she had to fix a dropped chain and later spotted a downed man who was “squirming in pain.” Noticing he had help nearby, Sanger continued biking, but alerted an ambulance at the bottom of a hill.

“I kept praying for him,” she wrote.

After seven hours and 50 minutes cycling, she made the cutoffs.

“I finished the bike so happy," she wrote.

It was while running that Sanger “lost the stomach” at one point, dehydrating and unable to keep any snacks or chicken soup down. Like some of the other racers, she had to walk part of the time. Then the end was in sight.

“Finished running into the oval feeling great. Wow, what a feeling,” Sanger recalled. “I heard them announce my name. Saw my family right there at the finish. It was an awesome feeling.”

Gearing up for the ING New York City Marathon this fall, Sanger said that despite the costly entry fee of more than $600, she may consider doing Ironman again in 2013, buoyed by her achievement and positive feedback from others.

“I did this for my own goals,” Sanger said. “But … it is amazing to hear how it has inspired others … to do what they have always aspired to do.”