Hilton has an Ironwoman who, as far as her family is concerned, is made of gold. Patricia Pirnie is a wife, mother of four, preschool teacher, president of the parents association and soon headed to the Super Bowl of Ironman competitions. Patricia, married to Alex Pirnie of Clarkson Parma Town Line Road in Hilton, starts each day off with a quick swim. That means at 5 a.m. she is swimming a mile or two in Lake Ontario as fast as she can to get back home in time to make lunches for her family and get her children on the school bus. "She's a modern day June Cleaver," said Alex, her husband of 15 years. Patricia believes strongly in home cooked meals, is devoted to her children, their schools and their activities and even bakes goodies for Alex to share with his co-workers. Patricia is a lot like June, if June was also a world class athlete. Once the children are off, Pirnie gets ready for work at Noah's Preschool in the village of Hilton. Work is from 9 a.m. until noon, which gives her another three hours for a bike ride or run before the children return from school. After her second workout, she makes dinner and helps Alex get the children to their respective soccer and football practices. Every night ends with yoga to stretch out and stay limber. Some nights will also include a final swim at the YMCA from 9 p.m. until 10 p.m. Once a weekend she bikes about 80 miles. This is the regimen that prepared the 42-year-old for her amazing 11 hour, 24 minute and one second time at her first-ever Ironman competition in Lake Placid July 23. That time placed her 30th overall for women and seventh in her age group. "It was perfect. I just wanted to do what my body told me to," Patricia said. Her performance had her in disbelief and it was good enough to qualify her for the Ford Ironman World Championship to be held at Konona, Hawaii on October 21. Equally as exhilarating, Patricia beat her brother, John Donaldson, who had competed in two previous Ironmen. Family bragging rights are a big deal when you grow up the only sister in five siblings, and she credits her brothers for developing her competitive nature. Pirnie, who has been running since the age of 18 and swam in high school, said participating in a triathlon seemed to be a logical next step. "It was just a natural progression for me," Patricia said. It has been an endeavor that her husband, Alex (also a triathlete and avid soccer player) and her children: Andrew (13), Ross (11), Sarah (9), and Evan (6) have eagerly supported. "I'm her biggest fan," said Alex. "What impresses me most is her discipline and tenacity." Pirnie's workouts are local legend. Alex recalls the many rainy and snowy days when Patricia jumped out of bed to start her workouts, the hours pedaling in the living room on a bike trainer and the road race she did when she was ill, but still managed to sprint across the finish line. "After watching her for a year, I realized I couldn't do it," Alex said. Patricia said she is indebted to her husband who sacrifices to allow her the training time she needs. The Pirnie's four children have also embraced their parents' love of running. They all play soccer (Alex coaches three of the teams) and one also plays football. All of them enjoy running and two of the boys have run road races. "I think the first number of years they thought everyone's mother does that," said Alex. "Now they get it and take some pride in it." And mom is proud of them. "They hold mini triathlons in our driveway," Patricia said. Keeping up with mom means the family eats healthy, gets lots of exercise; their vacations revolve around races and the television is rarely on. "It (training for an Ironman) really is all encompassing, definitely a part of their lives," Patricia said. "Don't ask me what's on TV." The competition The Ford Ironman World Championship is held in Kona, Hawaii, which is the birthplace of the Ironman competition. The championship will include 1,700 of the world's greatest athletes in a race through rough ocean water and across lava-covered terrain. The swim is 2.4 miles. The bicycle portion is 112 miles and it ends with a 26.2 mile run. It will be held October 21. The Ironman began in the late 1970s as a competition created by Navy Commander John Collins. September 3, 2006 |
