After 7.2 miles of swimming, 336 miles of biking, and 78.6 miles of running, Triple IRON competitor Chris Bergland asked if it was normal to feel a little "lightheaded." While most people would agree that there is nothing "normal" about racing these distances, Bergland was assured by race organizers and medical staff that the dizziness in his head and the tingling in his toes were typical. Then, in a performance race director Don Mann called "the most amazing athletic accomplishment" he has ever seen, Bergland completed the remaining 8.6 miles of the run to crush the course record in an astonishing 38 hours 46 minutes; 10 hours less than it took last year's winner, "Chet the Jet" Blanton.

Remarkable also is the fact that while his fellow competitors have spent months, if not years, hitting the pavement, so to speak, Chris does 90% of his race training indoors using treadmills and wind trainers at his New York City gym.

Coming in 2nd plac was Frenchman Francois Le Sellier of Washington DC. Le Sellier, an experienced adventure racer, was competing in his second triathlon... ever. He said since he never "does this kind of stuff," he had no idea how long it would take him to complete the Triple. He also beat the course record with a time of 40:53. His race strategy consisted of trying to catch up to Bergland, who managed to keep the distance between them to one lap. Bergland and Le Sellier maintained a friendly competition, often joking and smiling as they crossed paths on the one-mile, out-and-back run course.

Third place finisher Ross Galitsky, at 42:34, kept the heat on Le Sellier, pushing him forward even when leg pains caused him to slow. There were seven international Triple IRON competitors, including first-time ultratriathlete Nick Crutch from the UK, whose ultra-supportive girlfriend, Helena, ran 47 of the 78.6 miles with him. Of the six TRIPLE competitors, six successfully completed this exponentially difficult race.

Running concurrently with Odyssey's Triple IRON competition was the also daunting Double IRON in which competitors from six different countries swam 4.8 miles, biked 224 miles and ran 52.4 miles. Double athletes who chose the non-traditional paddling option rather than the swim had to stop short on the 15-mile course due to high winds and large swells on the Potomac River.

A colorful sunrise and a spectacular orange harvest moon rose over the Potomac River as racers completed their run along the shore. Christoph Eggenberger from Switzerland stared at the moon and its twin reflection on the water, as he started the run and said in his sparse English, "I am happy." Within hours he would be elated, as he finished 2nd, after Double IRON winner Matthias Michl from Germany, with a time of 23:44 minutes.

Michl, the two-time Lithuanian Double IRON defending World Champion and world-class jokester finished in 23:40, breaking the Double course record by one-and-a-half hours. Third place overall finisher German Astrid Benohr never broke stride or expression as she methodically ticked off the miles to also become the only female finisher in this race. Benohr also holds the world record for the fastest female Double IRON time.

Eleven of the 18 Double competitors finished, including Steve Bozeman from Virginia who, with 12 races to his credit, continues to hold the world record for the most Double IRON finishes. Bozeman finished the race 8th overall in his traditional colorguard manner with several supporters waving American, Marine, POW, and Virginian flags as they ran the final lap.

Other colorful finishers were Aldorock Calandro from Italy who won the hearts of spectators as he ran shouting "peace and love" during the race. Calandro also shared philosophy and good humor as he ran beside other competitors like Steve Platt from Washington DC who was accompanied by a very enthusiastic support crew – "Team Splatt!" As Platt finished with a full entourage of champagne-spraying accomplices, he was asked what his favorite part of the race was. "Right here," he said honestly, pointing to the finish line.

The Double was literally a long stretch for sprint-distance runner Darrell Wargo, who successfully finished his first ultra-Tri in 35 hours. At the finish line, Wargo said, "I never thought I could swim that much, or ride that far, or run that that long. I did them all at one time!" Unfortunately, not without the personal expense of badly blistered and bleeding feet. Wargo, however, did take a novel approach to fueling up during the race. After passing by a local restaurant several times on the bike laps, Wargo stopped for a seafood dinner saying it "smelled so good I couldn't ride by one more time without eating."

In addition to the Double and Triple IRON races, Odyssey and the town of Colonial Beach hosted a Half IRON triathlon with 140 competitors who swam 1.2 miles (or paddled four miles), biked 56 miles and ran 13.1 miles. Allen Hurd finished 1st overall with a time of 4:04:16; followed by Mitchell Gold at 4:07:24; and coming in 3rd was Justin Neviackas at 4:07:44. Special honors went to Marge Stahl, age 70, who came in at 8:48. Stahl also competed in Nationals the week prior to the Half IRON and persevered with a possible broken shoulder during the 1.2-mile Potomac River swim.

While Half IRON swimmers and all kayakers raced in the Potomac, Double and Triple competitors swam laps in a 33.3-foot pool at nearby Dahlgren Navy Base – 190 laps for Triples and 126.5 for Doubles. The bike was an out-and-back course along mostly rural roads with "false flats," as termed by Double competitor Stephen Johnson from Canada. Johnson was referring to the unassuming difficulty of this "flat to gently rolling" course. The scenic and breezy run course paralleled the Potomac shoreline.

At the Double and Triple IRON awards dinner, racers shared camaraderie, reminisced about past competitions and looked forward to upcoming races. Talking about the organization that made the event possible, Ross Galitsky said: "Don Mann is not a race director. Race directors collect money and put on races. Don Mann really cares about us as racers and you can tell he feels emotional about what he is doing."

Galitsky added, "This is a very functional family after the race." (Referring to the group of ultraracers; many who have competed against each other for years, as well as the newcomers like first-timer Darrell Wargo.) Double competitor Matthias Michl said, "You are what this sport is all about," pointing to Wargo who had just left the course an hour before.

A question asked by many spectators over the weekend was, "Why do they do it?" Double finisher Iro Hermann from Germany replied, "The pain goes through, but the pride is forever." Italian Aldorock Calandro answered, "Because it is the sense of my life. It is about emotion. Without emotion in life, you have nothing." When Calandro was asked what it felt like to be out there for so many hours and so many miles, he smiled whimsically and said, "I looked good and I smiled, but inside it was crocodiles, piranhas and jellyfish." Odyssey is accepting entries into next year's races for those who want to experience the same.

For more information email race organizers at oarinfo@aol.com or in the US call (757) 425-2445.