Archives > News Update
Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
RSS
Share
Councilman repeats Ironman with rare injury
Submitted Photo:
Frisco council member Scott Johnson with his wife, Julia, and three children prepares to compete in the 2010 Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii.
By Jessica Rush, jrush@acnpapers.com
It starts with 2.4-mile swim, followed by a 112-mile bike ride, and if that’s not enough, a 26.2-mile marathon run stands in the way of athletes racing to be declared an Ironman in Kona, Hawaii.
Frisco council member Scott Johnson has these distances burned into his memory after completing his fourth Ironman triathlon and his second World Championship Oct. 9.
“Being in Kona on a Saturday in October, coming across the finish line after 17 grueling hours in front of 7,000 people cheering with Mike Reilly screaming ‘Scott Johnson you are an Ironman,’ is one of, if not the greatest moments that you could ever have,” Johnson said. “It is almost hard to put into words how incredible it is.”
“I’ve been told I’m the first person to finish the Iron Man Hawaii with an artificial lumbar disk,” he said.
Only 1,600 race contestants a year can qualify to compete for that specific race, and Johnson’s training began after he was one of only 200 people selected out of a lottery to fill the remaining slots.
“You get an e-mail that says, ‘congratulations you’ve been picked,’ and your life changes,” Johnson said, chuckling as he remembered the day back in May. “I think I went home that evening and got on my bike immediately knowing that the clock was ticking.”
The pressure is intensified as triathletes that qualify are some of the finest in the world, and they need that extra edge to compete on the exceedingly difficult terrain.
The heat down the Queen K bike course, which runs through lava fields, was measured at 120 degrees this year. Winds in the competitors’ faces and crosswinds are stronger than winds typically felt in Texas, and the hills are tremendous. Despite the elements, Johnson said the biggest challenge is the struggle in the mind to constantly push past one’s personal discomfort level.
“So much of my day is consumed with thinking about the future and the past, business deals, what’s the next thing for the city, and so much mental confusion,” he said. “When you’re in the Ironman, you’re really focused on that moment – how you feel at that second – what you can be doing at that minute to keep going ahead.
"It’s in those moments and times of struggle that I get the most clarity.”
At a prominent 6’3 and 204 pounds, Johnson is taller than the average triathlete and must move his slender frame that much farther along the course. Throughout the day, his wife, Julia, 4-year-old daughter Finley, 2-year-old daughter Palmer and 10-month-old son, Creed, were cheering him on at various points along the more than 140-mile path.
“It was a really special treat having my kids there to watch me come across the finish line,” he said. “Someday I think they’ll appreciate it, watching the videos and seeing the accounts of it.”
Training for the race and trekking across the county has helped improve other areas of Johnson’s life.
“I’ve been able to see some of the challenges that certain parts of our city have in developments, where we need to improve on roads,” he said. “It’s just helped me get a better scope exactly of where our city’s at in its progress in all four corners.”
Although his family gets dibs, Johnson divides the rest of his time working for two private equity firms, coaching the Sugar Bees soccer team and traveling across the country at the request of the Texas governor. He serves Gov. Rick Perry as his appointee to the Texas Economic Development Corp. board of directors by traveling around recruiting business to the state.
“I get to be Texas’ salesman and try to bring Fortune 500 companies, not only to our state, but to our region here in Collin County, and I love it,” he said.
Even with ties to state politics, he remains discreet about where his political career may take him.
“My hope is that I do my job in Frisco so well that the citizens here want me to continue to represent them in some form or fashion,” Scott said. “I’m here to serve, and wherever I can best serve, that’s where I’ll try to be.”
He said he couldn’t imagine having less responsibility. He promised Frisco residents when he ran that he would give them his best.
“And I’m no different from anyone else on council or anyone else in this city,” Johnson said. “Everyone’s got a family, everybody’s working hard to provide, everybody’s being pulled in 10 different directions, and I’m just doing my best as well.”
Look for Johnson in the two-hour NBC special on the Iron Man, which airs at 3 p.m. Dec. 18.
Johnson’s Splits
1 Swim 2.4 miles 1:52:54
2 Bike 112 miles 8:06:19
3 Run 26.2 miles 6:36:02
Transitions were 9:09, and 13:00.
Total time – 16:57:22
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
You must register with a valid email to post comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Registered users sign in here:
Become a Registered User
- Return to: News Update «
- Home «
- Top of Page ^
