In our last issue, Jonathan Kaplan '94 had left his job as a staffer for Tipper Gore and was bound for the Ironman Triathlon at Kona Coast, Hawaii. We can report that while the Ironman was no day at the office, Kaplan finished the race in a respectable 12 hours, 36 minutes–ahead of some 600 of the 1,600 competitors.

A swimmer at Colby, Kaplan emerged from the 2.4-mile swimming leg of the race only 14 minutes behind the leaders, all of whom were seasoned triathlon professionals. The 112-mile bike race took its toll, Kaplan reported: "On one side you have the ocean and on the other side you have the lava fields. This wind that came from the side was almost pushing people off their bikes."

While Kaplan didn't keep up with the pros, he was one of the fastest of the 745 first-time Ironman triathlon competitors in the race. It was enough to whet Kaplan's Ironman appetite. "I thought it was hype," he said of raves about the rewards of extreme competition. "It really is something special."