Supermom conquers IronMan

It’s just 6:30 in the morning, well before the sun rises, and most of Ruth Hey’s household is still in bed. She has already had her morning workout — but as a mother of four children ages 4 to 13 and a part-time nursing supervisor with Orlando Health, her entire day is really a workout and life is as challenging as a triathlon.

The Windermere resident’s early mornings are devoted to training; the lifelong runner has become passionate about IronMan challenges, both full and half. Her last competition, held in November in Panama City Beach, garnered her another finisher’s medal and a time of 12:32:31.

Her family accompanies her at various points along the competition route, shaking their cowbells and holding up handmade signs that read “My mom is an IronMan,” “Way to go, Mom,” “Keep running.”

This is what keeps her motivated on the long courses, she said. A full IronMan consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run.

Her first IronMan was in Louisville, Kentucky, in August 2014.

In addition to the two full events, she has completed three half triathlons, which each total 70.3 miles in length.

Family affair

While Hey is swimming, biking and running, her children are taking part in the IronKids race, running one mile and earning an IronMan tattoo.

“Our 4-year-old still has his (tattoo) on his arm,” she said. “It really is a very inspiring event. You see people doing it of all sizes and ages. It really is a family event. That’s why they have the IronMan Support Crew T-shirts; it really is a group effort.”

Hey’s husband, Paul, sports one of those shirts.

“The only way I could do it was because I had an awesome support crew, my family,” she said.

“They say about the IronMan that if you can do an IronMan, you race for a day, but you can celebrate for a lifetime,” she said. “Just the fact that you completed it. One of my main goals was just to get to the start line with my body intact and my family intact. It’s hard on the family when you have a mom who is training that hard.”

On the weekends, Hey spends up to six hours swimming at L.A. Fitness. She said she owes her husband about 12 Saturdays since he always stays home with the kids while she trains.

She also participates in a triathlon group in Orlando called Find the Edge with coaches Jamie Lynch and Cherie Shook — Tuesdays are speed days, and Thursdays are tempo days — and does strength training weekly at iFit, owned by Andy Roper, in Ocoee.

“I think I handle the challenges of life better, and it makes me stronger.”

— Ruth Hey on training for triathlons

Does she have a favorite among the swimming, biking and running?

“Of the three disciplines, it’s a tossup between the swim and run, but I’d have to say the run,” she said.

Hey has always been a runner. She was a track-and-field champion in school and earned a scholarship to run at Louisiana State University, but she deferred it. She kept running, however, even after she had children.

Now 43, she became interested in triathlons because she enjoys the diversity of the three-sport event. Her first was in August 2014 in Louisville, Kentucky. Her time was 12:56:53.

“I like the challenge, and it makes me stronger,” Hey said. “I think I handle the challenges of life better, and it makes me stronger.”

After months of training, she tries to stay off her feet as much as she can the day before the big race. It’s also a day of loading up on carbohydrates and fluids.

Having the race day gear packed and organized is essential to having a good race.

“You have a transition area, and you put your stuff in a swim-to-bike transition bag; transition two is bike-to-run,” she said. “You go into a tent and change from a wet suit to bike gear. And then after the bike, you take off your cycling shoes and put on your running shoes.”

While this is taking place, Paul and the children are mapping the route and keeping up with her through the IronMan tracker. They know when she will pass by, so Paul can take a few photos, and then they are off to the next location to see her go by again. At the finish line, it’s a family celebration.

What’s next

Hey coaches the Girls on the Run program at Windermere Elementary School and will continue to take part in it. She said it’s wonderful to see the roughly 30 girls want to participate in this program that bolsters self-image and fosters teamwork.

The triathlete’s next big adventure is a half IronMan in New Orleans in the spring. She’s excited to return to her childhood state to participate. She also hopes to run a race that will enable her to qualify for every serious runner’s holy grail, the Boston Marathon.

“I’m really close to getting All World Athlete status,” she said. “It means you’re in the top 5% probably in your age group. You get to wear a special swim cap, and you get to rack your bike in an advantageous place.”

She’s looking for a full IronMan to train for next fall, too.

“You have to be fit, or you’re not going to make it through the race,” Hey said. “Once you’re there, it’s half mental. It’s a mental game because you’re out there for 12-and-a-half hours. The decisions you make on race day — Am I going to stop at this water stop? Am I going to push it on the bike? Am I going to stay in the middle of this fray or go to the periphery where I’m going to get beat up less? — it will affect your race immensely.

“You have to stay tough all day long. You have to dig deep.”

Contact Amy Quesinberry Rhode at [email protected].