Stories behind the athletes of Ironman 70.3 Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Just like any competition, the more than 2,000 athletes who competed in IRONMAN 70.3 came from all over the world and from all walks of life. Some raced for themselves, while others raced with a mission in mind.

Jacob Capin, a professor of physical therapy at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was the first to cross the finish line, becoming the winner of Louisville’s inaugural IRONMAN 70.3. While he has been competing in triathlons around the world for more than a decade, getting the first medal on Fourth Street in Downtown Louisville carried a special meaning.

“I didn’t have a great spring,” explained Capin. “And to be able to come back and win this one here on the inaugural race means a whole lot. So, I’m just incredibly grateful.”

Then there is Todd Crandell, who completed his 120th IRONMAN competition. In general, that many triathlons is incredible, but for nearly 25 years, Crandell participates for a cause much bigger than himself.

As a former addict, Crandell founded Racing for Recovery in Toledo, Ohio. It is an organization that uses health and fitness to help others struggling with addiction and trauma of their own.

“With respect to doing an IRONMAN and sustaining sobriety, it’s 99% mental. Yes, it’s a physical movement, but you can be in the best shape of your life physically and if you don’t have it mentally, you’re not going to move forward,” said Crandell. “That’s a lot of what we work with with our clients at Racing for Recovery, is working on that mental wellness, get them enthusiastic about remaining sober and pursuing anything they thought they couldn’t do in addiction.”

Crandell’s organization offers in-person and online counseling to those that need it.

While both Capin and Crandell are professional tri-athletes, IRONMAN competitions are open to anyone prepared to challenge their grit and determination.

Wilson Barron, 25, of Atlanta, put that to the test on Sunday, as he walked across the finish line to the applause of a crowd of strangers and family, medaling in his first ever IRONMAN competition.

“We just had a great day,” said Kendall Messer, one member of Barron’s team. “We came in on our target time that we wanted to finish. It’s all about Wilson. I mean he just done a great job.”

Barron has cerebral palsy, but that has never kept him from racing.

The Kyle Pease Foundation has made Barron’s journey possible, giving him a team that is with him every step of the way, a true testament to what the Atlanta-based non-profit is all about.

“It just brings together athletes with disabilities and lets them feel like everybody else in the world and experience the same thing that everybody else gets to experience. And that just brings a whole new level of excitement for the day,” said Brandon Gray, a representative of the foundation and one of Barron’s teammates. “It’s not about you. It’s about the athlete and the organization and you can’t ask for anything better.”

“When you have somebody in your community come alongside you and say, ‘No, I’m gonna make this happen for your kid, I mean you really have to pinch yourself,’” said Rachal Barron, Wilson’s mom. “Because you’ve worked so hard to make things happen, and you’ve got somebody in your community giving you the lift. It’s hard to explain.”

Finishing the race was an emotional experience Barron and his team, who have become like family to him.

Then there were those families who felt every bit as emotional competing alongside one another. The Frantz family of Louisville was just one of many groups like that, but with a unique twist.

Carter Frantz crossed the finish line at just under seven hours as the youngest competitor in the race at 18-years-old.

“I didn’t know that. I actually knew I was going to be the youngest age group, but I didn’t know I was going to be the youngest out of the entire thing, so that was really cool to find out.”

It was a detail to end his first-ever IRONMAN and first triathlon that was made even more special running beside his uncle and his dad.

“I told him when we did our first one, I wish I did it when I was 18 because it opens up your mind that you’re capable of anything you want to put your mind to,” said Kory Frantz, Carter’s uncle. “You can do anything that you try, if you work hard. And that’s something that a lot of people don’t have, and now he has it. And I’m proud of him.”

“It’s pretty awesome. When we did the full here in 2015, we got to run most of the marathon together. [It was] probably a top five day,” said Kelly Frantz, fighting back tears. “This is not much different,”

Pre-sale for the 2025 Ironman 70.3 Louisville is live now for one week only.

Visit the IRONMAN website to secure an early spot in its return to Derby City.

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