Ohio Ironman competitor keeps streak going

SANDUSKY — Melissa Christensen used to come to the Lake Erie shores to visit her grandparents and enjoy the lake. "I was going to Port Clinton and Sandusky to go to Cedar Point," said Christensen, who's originally from Ohio but now lives in Michigan. "It was like a vacation spot." But now Christensen comes to Sandusky for another reason. Since 2011, Christensen has participated in more than 20 Ironman 70.3 triathlons. The triathlon consists of a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride and 13.1-mile run. Ironman's official Ohio race takes place on Sunday in Sandusky. Ironman began hosting an Ohio race in 2016, and Christensen has participated in every one. Christensen has been a runner for most of her life. She began running regularly in college and has since run both the Columbus and Boston marathons. She ran her first triathlon in 2009 with her friend Cristina Noble, who will also participate in the race this year. "I like seeing what I can do," Christensen said. "I like being able to set a goal and look toward it." She said that, after running 20 Ironman races, it still isn't easy. "Lake Erie is a challenging body of water to swim in," she said. "Last year, the bike ride was really windy, and I feel like I let that mentally defeat me, so I'd like to be able to push through any environmental challenges that we have better than I did last year." She said the feeling of finishing each race is different. "Sometimes you finish one and you feel really good, and, other times you finish, and there's disappointment," she said. "If you do poorly on one discipline, you can sometimes make up that time on another discipline. I've never had a race where I've had my fastest swim, fastest run and fastest bike all in one." Christensen's racing habits require a substantial amount of work. She works out one to two hours a day and takes bike rides up to four hours long on the weekend. "I feel like over the years it becomes cumulative, that consistency of always doing something always adds up over a long amount of time," she said. "A workout is better than no workout, a lot of it just trying to build consistency." Her effort has paid off. In 2021, Christensen's time in the Ironman Ohio qualified her for the world championships in St. George, Utah. In addition to running Ironman events, Christensen has participated in two other triathlons in Sandusky. She's competed in both the Challenge Cedar Point and the Rev3 Cedar Point. "In the beginning. It was just trying to see how much faster I could get and now it's become a part of my lifestyle," Christensen said. "I see it as an opportunity to have a fun weekend where I also get to push myself and accomplish something big."