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Air Force dentist finishes first full Ironman

  • Published
  • By Larine Barr
  • Air Force Surgeon General Public Affairs
FALLS CHURCH, Va. --  Sixteen years ago, Col. Eric Cathey, director of dental programs and resources, Air Force Surgeon General, ran his first triathlon at Misawa AB, Japan, fell in love with the sport, and hasn't stopped running. The Air Force dentist finished his first full Ironman Triathlon Nov. 2 in Panama City Beach, Fla., with a finish time of 13 hours, 3 minutes and 45 seconds among a field of 2,891 participants.

One of more than 30 events in the global Ironman Series, the Ironman Florida race included swimming in the Gulf of Mexico for 2.4 miles, biking for 112 miles, and running 26.2 miles without stopping. Cathey placed 1,578 overall, and was 206 out of 352 competitors in the 45-49 age group.

Each part of the race had some difficult moments, recalls Cathey, who rose at 4 a.m. daily for running and biking "bricks" and logged 2800-meter swims three to four days a week to prepare for the event. "When I was 200 meters into the swim, the high waves and 2,800-plus people in the water made me panic for a moment, and mile 49 on the bike was tough because the pavement was bumpy for the next 10 miles and the effort to go fast mentally drained me. The first few miles of the run were tough because I knew I still had a long way to go to reach mile 26," he said.

Though he experienced a few challenging moments, Cathey never doubted that he'd finish. "I was more concerned with making the cut-off times, or having an unfixable, mechanical bike issue and being told that I would have to stop and not complete the race," said the colonel.

With one full Ironman title behind him, Cathey said he plans on competing in a few shorter events next season in preparation for another challenge: the full Ironman Louisville in August 2014. The Louisville, Kentucky race starts with a swim from the banks of the Ohio River on the first leg of the 140.6-mile race.

An accomplished athlete with almost 17 years of Air Force service, Cathey has finished four Ironman 70.3 events (Ironman Boise, Ironman Puerto Rico, Ironman Pocono Mountains, and Ironman Raleigh), completed several duathlon and sprint triathlons, and is an Olympic distance USA Triathlon National Championship qualifier. An Air Force colleague encouraged him to kick it up a notch and enter the full Ironman event, when the 70.3 races became "fairly routine".

Finishing the full Ironman Triathlon is a day Cathey says he'll never forget, characterizing it as a distinct highlight of his career. What made the experience even more meaningful was an unexpected gift he received before the race. "The Air Force sports director, Mr. Brown, provided me with an Air Force Triathlon Team uniform. I can't describe the honor I felt throughout the race and especially as I crossed the finish line representing the Air Force. The crowd was very energetic and chanted, go Air Force!"

Cathey said the triathlon is a great sport which teaches people to take one step at a time to build endurance and fitness-- but you have to take the first step. "Triathlon is a lot of fun and fosters a healthy, active lifestyle," he said. "We are fully capable of a lot more than we think, so push yourself to the limit."