Sports

James Moran Going the Distance

Concordian in a unique class of triathlete.

Concordian James Moran is strong. He has to be, since his sport of choice for the last decade is competing in triathlons.

Moran has competed in dozens of triathlons since 2003, when he participated in his first three-event race, the Lavaman, a scaled down version of the world championship Ironman Triathlons, when he was in Hawaii heading up a new telescope project. Tomorrow, the Harvard astronomy professor is competing in the Amica 19.7 Newport Triathlon, and at 68, will be the oldest competitor in the race.

"I hope to keep doing this for as long as I can, maybe another five years,” Moran said. “To get your heart rate up is really kind of an exhilarating experience."

Of the four levels of triathlon — sprint, Olympic, half Ironman, and Ironman — Moran favors the sprint, which features a 1/2-mile swim, 12-mile cycle, and 3-mile run. Between races, Moran adheres to a disciplined, if not strict, training routine that includes 4-5 miles of running, and alternating days of swimming and cycling.

"I find that if you do about an hour-and-a-half a day, five times a week, that’s enough at this level of competition — about 10 hours s a week,” he said.

Here in Concord, Moran said some of his favorite workouts are bike rides to and White Pond, followed by a nice long swim. One maneuver Moran said is important to practice is the dismount from a bicycle and immediately breaking into a run. With different sets of muscles at work, the triathlete said it takes a lot of practice to find one’s legs right after a hard cycle.

"If you ride your bike, say 20 miles, and you jump off, put on your running shoes and try to run, your legs just don't move the way you expect them to," he said.

Of the three elements of the races, Moran said his favorite part is the swimming — the beginning.

"It's really kind of  a shocking experience to hear the whistle go off for your group and 50 people plunge into the pond at one time,” Moran said.

Since the categories of any triathlon are determined by age group, Moran said he doesn’t often compete against many of his peers — there is one other 68-year-old, Tom Boyd of Bristol, R.I., competing in Newport tomorrow — but said he has not lost his competitive edge.

“It’s experience and endurance that really matter,” he said, adding that as long as he keeps up his workout routine, his race times won’t go down. "I find that just by keeping myself relatively in shape and just being able to show up and not be injured is the key thing."

To anyone interested in participating in triathlons, Moran said not to be intimidated, and that with the right preparation, people of all ages can complete a three-discipline race.

"It's really amazing, people can do it just with a little practice," Moran said. "It really is a sport that virtually anybody can get into."

Check back with Patch next week for an update on how Moran fares in the Amica 19.7 Newport Triathlon tomorrow.
 


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