Local duo successfully completes Ironman competition

In late October, after four months of training each and every weekend, Mark Waldron and his daughter Paige departed for Austin, Texas and the Longhorn 70.3 Ironman competition.

To complete the grueling task, the duo was faced with a 1.2-mile swim and a 56-mile bike ride, before ending the day with a 13.1-mile run to the finish line.

Crossing the finish line holding hands was an end to a long and exhausting day for the duo, but the memory made was one neither will ever forget.

"It was simply overwhelming, a very special moment," said Mark Waldron. "To do this with my daughter was an awesome experience and one I'll never forget."

The younger Waldron, a 17-year-old junior and avid runner on the cross-country team at Dyersburg High School, has competed in Triathlon competitions since she was 12 years old, but the Longhorn competition was her first in the Ironman category.

"Paige was the youngest participant out of 2,200 people there and people looked at her like 'what are you doing here?' said Mark. "She has paid her dues over the years and I knew she was ready."

The training consisted of long bike rides on a regular basis, something that brought the duo even closer than they already were according to Mark. "We got to spend a lot of quality time together. Three- or four-hour bike rides gave us time to talk about a lot of things. We've always bonded pretty well, but training for this was a different animal for sure."

Once the duo got to Texas to start the competition, the first phase was the 1.2--mile swim. Though the elder Waldron started five minutes before his daughter, ironically enough the two exited the water at near the same time, with Paige needing 45 minutes and Mark 48 minutes to complete the first phase.

"The interesting thing about it was that I started ahead of her in the old group," said Mark with a laugh. "But, our bib numbers were just two or three numbers apart so our bikes were right there beside each other. I got finished a little before she did, but I waited on her so we could ride together."

The decision to wait proved to be beneficial after seeing the conditions of the blacktop roads for the bike ride.

"There were big holes and cracks in the road, but still I tried to encourage her to come on at first. Finally, I just dropped back behind her and let her do her thing. With the conditions the way they were, I just wasn't going to ride off and leave her," said Mark.

After completing the 56-mile ride on the bikes, the stage was set for the duo to complete the final stage, a 13.1-mile run, something Paige was ready to accomplish to end the race.

"I just wanted to get it over with," she said. "Our goal was not to walk any and we did that. We passed a lot of people along the way because they tired out on the swim and the bike."

The duo crossed the finish line unified, holding hands to end the competition. Upon making the final stride, the emotions flowed from the younger Waldron.

"I cried because I was so excited to have done it," said Paige. "I knew I had all of it finished and I wasn't going to have to do it again for a while."

Her father, who has completed full Ironman competitions prior to the one in Texas, said the experience was something he will treasure for a long time to come and reaffirmed something he already knew about his 17-year-old daughter.

"It was a special experience for the both us, that's for sure," added Mark. "She's a tough little bird and I'm glad we had the opportunity to do this together."