Storming the sands of Prairie Creek Reservoir, athletes from all across the world prepared to begin the first leg of a notoriously grueling competition. Clad in brightly colored swim caps and plastic goggles, they stood poised at the starting line, mind and body preparing for the long miles ahead.
Despite the high temperatures and a heat index of 115 degrees, nearly 1,600 athletes and their supporters poured into Muncie's Prairie Creek Reservoir early Saturday morning for the Ironman 70.3 Muncie competition.
Starting with a bang at 6:30 a.m., the first wave of athletes began the shorter, yet still intense, trek through the 750 acres of land and 1,250 acres of water at the reservoir.
Known as the Muncie Endurathon prior to 2011, the local race is one of the longest running triathlons in the United States, and drew in competitors from many different states and several different countries including Canada, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand.
Instead of running a traditional half Ironman that includes a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike course and 13.1-mile run across the reservoir, event organizers decided to have an earlier start time and a shorter race to try to keep athletes and spectators safe during the sweltering heat.
Dwayne Adrian, Ironman's medical director, has been involved in the race for the last 25 years and said due to the intense heat and high levels of humidity, the medical staff on scene was larger than it had ever been.
"Even with the shorter race, we're still going to have a number of people who need assistance," Adrian said before the race. "With the heat index being 115, it's just crazy hot."
The biggest mistake athletes make in competitions that take place in extreme conditions is over hydration, Adrian said.
"Believe it or not, over-hydrating with too much water and no electrolytes is the biggest problem," Adrian said.
Ironman organizers also had misting stations and covered areas available for both athletes and spectators to keep cool.
Baskin Robbins and Compulsion Coffee of Muncie were just some of the vendors who helped keep the crowd cool by offering ice cream, smoothies, bottled water and sports drinks.
The event's official medical tent was situated to the left of the finish line and Delaware Emergency medical services were on scene to help.
Athlete Gordon Croucher, 34, of England has competed in more than a dozen triathlons and two Ironman competitions. He said prior to the beginning of the race, the intense heat would be the hardest obstacle to overcome.
"We never get this sort of temperature back home, so I just plan on giving it a go and seeing how things go," Croucher said.
Having never been to Muncie before, Croucher said he and his family were in the state visiting his wife's family in the Indianapolis area and decided to add the competition onto their vacation.
Croucher trains year round for competitions and said his overall expectation for Saturday's race was to compete well and stay hydrated and healthy.
"I'd just like to get round and finish with a smile," Croucher said.
Croucher finished with a time of 2:29:56, placing 104 overall and 6 in his age division.
Winning the men's crown in just more than 2 hours, Greg Bennett of Australia took home first place and the $50,000 prize that went along with it.
Bennett, whose wife Laura Bennett is also an accomplished triathlete, competed in the Ironman 70.3 Hawaii competition in June.
He placed second, right behind 7-time Tour de France winner, Lance Armstrong.
Armstrong is currently under investigation and is being accused of using performance-enhancing drugs.
According to CNN, Armstrong has been banned from competing by the World Triathlon Corporation during the trial.
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