Former NFL star Hines Ward completes Ironman triathlon
In this image provided by GoPro Ironman, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, left, and former NFL football player Hines Ward, second from right, ready their bike before the start of the Ironman World Championship Triathlon Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013, in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. (AP Photo/GoPro Ironman, Marco Garcia)
KAILUA-KONA » Former Pittsburgh Steelers star Hines Ward added a new title to his resume over the weekend. Not content with the titles of football and dancing star, Ward now is an Ironman.
The two-time Super Bowl winner finished one of the world’s most challenging triathlon courses in 13 hours, 8 minutes and 15 seconds.
Ward was the 1,680th athlete to cross the finish line on Saturday after a 2.4-mile ocean swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a full 26.2-mile marathon. He swam a 1:20:01, biked a 06:21:12 and finished off with a 5:12:56 run.
The former NFL star and "Dancing With the Stars" winner trained for nearly a year with triathlon legend Paula Newby-Fraser.
"When I first started it was raining one day and I even asked Paula if I should be running in the rain. I never thought I could run further than a mile," Ward said. "This has been a life-changing experience for me."
