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Crossing
the finish line at
Rummerfield
with his childhood hero Bob Bondurant and wife Charlotte at the Bondurant
School of High Performance Driving |
An invitation-only race for elite athletes managed by RacingThePlanet®.
The Ironman Triathlon Held yearly in Kailua - Kona, Hawaii, the world - class Ironman Triathlon race of champions is a torturous 2.4-mile ocean swim, 112-mile bike and a 26.2-mile foot marathon-all to be completed within 17 hours. Rummerfield was thrilled with the opportunity to take part in this prestigious competition, finishing 1,292 out of 1,433 entrants. His 16 hour plus race was grueling, but his will power and never-give-up attitude carried the day. Rummerfield holds the distinct honor of being the only quadriplegic to complete the Ironman Triathlon. The Last Marathon in Antarctica The Last Marathon in Antarctica was successfully completed by Rummerfield despite injuries sustained during the race. The race was a fundraiser for spinal cord research at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri. 82 runners raced 40 mile winds blowing snow horizontally across frozen glaciers, compounded with single digit temperatures and muddy terrain. What a challenge! Rummerfield completed the 26.2 mile Last Marathon, the only race held in Antarctica, despite a fractured tibia suffered on a glacier near the start of the race. "When I got home, my let was so swollen, I couldn't take off my jeans!" Bondurant
School of "Bob Bondurant. Where do I start? This man has been one of my heroes since I was ten years old." Bondurant is a racing legend and a Ford Motor Company test car driver. "I still remember the article about Ford's Cobra driver Bondurant beating Ferrari at the 24-Hours of Le Mans race. I have followed his career through Formula One, Can Am and his accident. The one quality I admire most about Bob is he never gave up on what he truly enjoys doing-driving cars!" Perfecting his skills behind the wheels of both Mustangs and Formula cars at the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving proved challenging, including phycological. "Here's a question. Is having one of the most famous race car drivers in history sitting next to you stressful? Heck yes! It took a couple of laps around the track just to get comfortable." "Because I had my right ankle rebuilt, I had some problems with heel-toe shifting. Bob came up with a solution in short order and my lap times got quicker and quicker. "How incredibly rare that an average guy like me has an opportunity to meet and be trained by your childhood hero." |
© 2004-2007 Patrick Rummerfield All rights reserved