Published: September 05, 2008 01:51 am      

CITY OF LOCKPORT: 7 local athletes to compete in memory of teammate

The Lock City will have a healthy representation at this Sunday’s Ford Ironman Triathlon in Madison, Wis.

Seven local athletes — calling themselves the Lock City Ironworks — will be swimming, biking and running, in honor and memory of a teammate who passed away this year.

In the Ironman Triathlon, competitors swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and then run a full 26.2-mile marathon. There is a 17-hour time limit to complete all three events.

The races are capped at 2,000 competitors. Even with so many slots, the races fill up so fast that athletes have to sign up a year in advance, said Lock City Ironworks member Jeff Tracy.

“You gotta sign up the day after the previous year’s race,” he said.

Originally, eight people signed up to go from Lockport, including Tracy, Lockport City Clerk Dick Mullaney, his daughter Erin Mullaney, Kevin Mietlicki, Sam Pasceri, all of Lockport, along with Tony Garrow of North Tonawanda and Bill Seyler of Sanborn.

Local businessman and Buffalo Triathlon Club member Tim Chesko was signed up to go, as well, but he passed away unexpectedly in February.

Sunday’s race would have been Chesko’s second Ironman, and would have made him a “50 Stater” — someone who has completed a marathon in all 50 states.

“This would have been his Wisconsin,” Erin Mullaney said.

Thanks to sponsorship from the Riverside Credit Union, Niagara County Produce, Score This Inc, Tom’s Pro Bike, Pasceri’s Barber Shop, and the Buffalo Triathlon Club, the group will be making a donation to the Lockport YMCA in Chesko’s memory.

The custom uniforms worn by the Lock City Ironworks feature a tribute: “In Memory of Our Friend, Ironman Tim Chesko.”

“We wanted to remember him, to honor him,” Tracy said. “We really want to remember Tim and his commitment to the community and family. We all get kind of choked up talking about it.”

With seven participants, the group is the largest from any city in the state, after New York City, Tracy said.

The training has been rigorous. For several months, the group has been training individually and together — swimming at community pools and in Lake Ontario, biking and running together.

The runs are anywhere from a half-hour to three hours, and bike rides can last up to six hours, Tracy said.

Some team members will pair off and work out together when their schedules allow.

Erin said her longest bike ride so far was 100 miles, and her longest run has been 23 miles, so if she completes the Ironman, it’ll be the first time she’s run a marathon. She completed her first half-iron distance race this summer in Geneva, N.Y.

“This is by far the craziest thing I’ve chosen to do,” Erin said. “I definitely think it’s going to be mentally very challenging, as well as emotionally. There are highs and there are lows and in-betweens all throughout the day.”

She said the team has provided great support and preparation during training.

“There’s always someone to do something with,” she said. “It helps with motivation. You get to the point in training where you’re just tired, and you’d much rather just not go out there.”

She said she’s excited to be racing alongside her father, Dick Mullaney. She remembers watching him complete a marathon in 2005 in Lake Placid, which was “awesome to watch,” she said.

“The people that finished, it was old people, young people. People with artificial limbs. It makes you want to sign up the next day,” she said. “He’s the one that got me into this stuff. I hope I actually get to see him on the course, whether he’s passing me or I’m passing him. I want to be able to cheer.”

The actual race promises to be chaotic. It starts in the water, with a cannon blast signaling the beginning of the event for all 2,000 competitors.

“Everybody’s starting to swim at the same time,” Tracy said. “You’re gonna get punched. You’re gonna get kicked. You’re gonna get swum over, and you’re gonna swim over people. You’re gonna get your goggles knocked off.”

Even though it’ll be a long, grueling day, the Lock City Ironworks are honored to be competing alongside champion triathletes.

“I’ll be on the course at the same time as some of the best professionals in the world,” Tracy said. “I always tell people, ‘I can’t play basketball with Michael Jordan, but here are the best triathletes in the world.’ ”

Contact reporter April Amadon at 439-9222, ext. 6251.