Armed with knobby tires and aero bars, Dr. Kevin Emge put his own spin on the bike portion of the North American championship race—and didn't even finish the ride last
Rev. Dr. Kevin Emge tackled the swim portion of theIronman Texas North American Championship on April 22just like everyone else. But when he transitioned onto his bike for the next stretch of the race, something was… different. Sure, the 58-year-old Iowan usedaero bars,a Bento box for snacks, and a sleeveless triathlon suit, but riding a fat bike instead of a tri bike took the grueling endurance challenge to a whole 'nother level of tough.
For seven hours and 12 minutes, Emge battled fellow racers and his own wide tires to finish the 112-mile bike portion of the triathlon. He clocked an average speed of 15.49mph, putting him at 1,854th of 2,671 total athletes for that segment (as well as 78th of 160 athletes in the 55-59 division)—an especially impressive finish considering his choice of gear.