Ironman with a Plan Mike Bucher could name plenty of excuses to stray from a rigid Ironman training program— 14 of them, to be exact. That’s how many children the pastor of Calvary Chapel Cleveland and his wife have, and their ages range from 3 to 24. But Bucher pressed on with training for the Revolution3 Triathlon at Cedar Point—a race that includes a 2.4-mile swim and 112-mile bike topped off by a marathon, 26.2-mile run. With the help of a COSE Wellness Mini-Grant, he secured the funding to enter and complete the rugged race. “When my youngest is as old as my oldest, I’ll be 70,” Bucher relates, sharing how he started with a goal to finish a marathon when he was 45—that was four years ago. But a running injury interrupted his training, and Bucher turned to swimming and biking to maintain his fitness. “I had always been into weight training, but I realized that a strong heart is even more important than strong biceps when you are over 40,” he says. So Bucher set a fresh goal: to train for triathlons and eventually complete the ultimate swim-bike-run event, the Ironman. He created a four-year plan and stuck to it, participating in races along the way. “I would not have been disciplined to train if I didn’t have a goal,” he says, crediting the dedication to his stringent workout plan and completion of his first Ironman to the Lord, a praying church family at Calvary Chapel, his wife, children and the Cleveland Triathlon Club. And over time, sticking to the plan resulted in Bucher completing the Revolution3 Ironman. Ten of his children joined him at the end to run through the finish line, and now he’s ready to do another and beat his time. ●
Mike Bucher set a big goal
four years ago to complete the
ultimate triathlon.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY TOBY SHINGLETON
