Local Ironman Pushes Self to Top Finishes

A 2.4-mile swim. A 112-mile bike. Top it all off with a marathon. For most, an insurmountable challenge. But for one Shoreline man, the Ironman has become a passion.

John Bergen, who took third place overall in the Victoria Half Ironman in June, has been taking part in the events since 2003.

"I've always had a passion to test my limits and push my body to perform at new levels," said Bergen, who's competing in the Ultraman Canada in Penticton, B.C. this weekend. "I'm continually amazed with the human spirit and what we can accomplish with preparation and desire. Ironman marathons and other endurance events have been an amazing platform."

It all began for Bergen in the late 90's, after seeing his younger sister compete in the Seattle Marathon.

"It motivated me to do a marathon and while preparing, I ran a 10K in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco and overheard a couple of guys talking about the "Escape from Alcatraz," and after researching it, I learned it's a very unique triathlon, and signed up on the spot. I was hooked, and the rest is history," said Bergen.

Since then, Bergen has competed in 16 ironmans across the globe, along with several other half ironman competitions. One of his best performances came in the Ironman Louisville in 2008, where he finished 13th overall (second in the amateur field), defeating several professionals in the process. But, beating the pros doesn't factor into Bergen's efforts.

"Ironman is very humbling and you never know what the day has in store for you. So just finishing is an accomplishment for anyone that takes one on," said Bergen. "My goal is usually to race with a target result that I think will qualify me for the world championships in Kona. In any race if I'm able to finish ahead of a pro it's certainly gratifying, but it's not an objective going into the race."

When not competing, Bergen spends time with his wife and nine month old daughter, and works as president of Pentad Solution, a technical consulting company in Seattle. He's also created a Top 10 of endurance challenges which he hopes to conquer in the next five to ten years. One of those challenges is this weekend's Ultraman in British Columbia.

After Day 1 in Penticton, Bergen was sitting in first place, completing the 10 kilometer swim and 144.8 kilometer bike in 7 hours and 36 minutes, nearly a half hour ahead of the nearest competitor. A 273.5 kilometer bike, and an 84.4 kilometer run await Bergen over the next two days.