IRONMAN: Margaretta grad Collins finishes 4th

SANDUSKY — Brett Collins felt comfortable competing in the Ironman 70.3 Ohio. The 2003 Margaretta graduate got off to a fast start in the water and used strong bike and running legs to finish in fourth place in the men's division Sunday. His time of 4 hours, 5 minutes, 51 seconds was nearly identical to his time from last year (.29 seconds slower) when he finished 10th. "It's better than I was expecting," Collins said. "I strained my calf about a month ago so it was really touch and go this week on how it would go. I was really pleased when I started the run. It didn't hurt and I just went with it." Collins, who still holds swimming records at Margaretta, had the second-best time (26:55) in the 1.2-mile swim in Sandusky Bay. "A little choppy. I kind of enjoyed the non-wetsuit swim; it plays to my advantage," he said. "I enjoy being here; it brings back good memories." Collins, who lives in LaGrange, Illinois, and works as a data scientist for International Motors, had the eighth-fastest time on the 56-mile bike (2:11.38) and the 13.1-mile run (1:23.06). "I'm an engineer as well, so the biking is a blend of engineering and data science and analytics," he said. "As I get older (he's 40) I still try to get faster. I may not be as strong as I was, but a little more aerodynamic, a little bit smarter. It's a good balance." Collins had a fast pace going in the run and looked like he might jump up a place or two and match or exceed his best Ironman finish (third at Muncie, Indiana, in 2023). "I felt like that until about Mile 11 and then the third place started pulling away from me," he said. "Then it was just finish strong. I just didn't want to blow up." Collins, who has multiple triathlon wins in his career, was cheered on by his family, including his wife, Eileen, and three children. He was impressed with the race setup and the city's spirit. "Downtown's a lot different. I'm really pleased with what the town is and what they've done to this venue," he said. "I enjoy bringing my family back and taking them places where I grew up. It's an experience we don't get in Chicago. "Very appreciative of the community. People really show up. Sandusky's still home to me." The bike course brought back plenty of good memories for Collins. "I think the course goes to within a couple miles of where my mother grew up, a couple miles from where my Godfather lives," he said. "Very familiar roads for me. Kudos to the county. The roads are fantastic around here." In November, Collins will participate in the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Marbella, Spain. "My mom doesn't travel much so the deal we made is if I keep on qualifying we'll take her on international travel," he said. "She go with us to Spain this year and Nice (France) next year, assuming we qualify." Wikel wins her age group Kim Wikel made up some time after a rough swim to win the women's 45-49 age group with a time of 4:58.15. "Lake Erie's a little rough and tried to eat me today," Wikel said. "Once I got out of the water I was a little angry about the water so I just hammered that bike to do what I could to make up for a pretty poor swim." Wikel, who lives in Milan, was in 91st place after her swim (40:32). She was 10th on the bike (2:23.02) among all women and sixth in the run (1:39.45) to place eighth overall. "I go for place or effort. But a sub-5 is still great," she said. "That's what the day had and I'll take it." Wikel competed in her third 70.3-mile Ironman in two months. She finished fourth in the women's race in Chattanooga and was second in Des Moines. In November, she plans to compete in the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. The distances in that race will be double what they were Sunday. "This was training for that. Now we're full steam ahead training for that race." Wikel echoed the sentiments of many runners when she was asked about the race atmosphere. "Every year the community comes out more and more," she said. "On the run there are no dead spots. Kids with squirt guns, stereos. Even the bike, there are people out there in the driveways cheering people on. The more we have it, the more the community shows up and I'm really grateful for that." Familiar faces There were plenty of familiar faces on and off the course. St. Mary Central Catholic teacher Steve Kohler, of course, got the day started with the singing of the national anthem before the 6:30 a.m. race. Many of the relays included athletic members of the community. Firelands Health CEO Jeremy Normington-Slay led off his relay with a 1.2-mile swim through Sandusky Bay. His relay also included Shores & Islands Ohio president Larry Fletcher. The Shore Men finished 29th out of 56 relays. Team Icehouse — which finished 34th — included Billy Criscione (director of operations at Ghostly Manor), TJ Blanton (Perkins baseball coach) and Jared Opfer (SMCC wrestling legend). "I've been doing 10-15 miles a day since the state tournament," Blanton said. "Never done 56. I think adrenaline will kick in." The volunteer ranks also included some familiar faces, including Sandusky football coach Jamaris Brown, who was a captain of a volunteer crew.