‘Iron Man’ Caledon resident reflects on his years of running

Written By CONSTANCE SCRAFIELD

If the shut down to control COVID – 19 is making a couch potato of you, how about this for an ambition: swim 1,500 metres in 38 minutes; ride your bike 40 kilometres in one hour, seven minutes, and then run 10 kilometres in “just over 40 minutes” a work out of about two-and-a-half hours, all told. Eat and drink to sustain yourself, along the way.

Reaching for another bag of chips?

World Champion Iron Man for his age category in 2018, Bob Knuckey, reckons he is on his way to achieve those milestones that are much less of a challenge than Iron Man was, saying, “My next goal is the Triathlon World Championships in Edmonton in August [17 to 23].”

The 2018 Iron Man Championship in Hawaii, was a four kilometre swim; 180 kilometre bike ride and a 40 kilometre run. At the very end of that race, Mr. Knuckey was some 15 minutes in the lead, having left on the bicycle portion some four minutes ahead. About 100 metres short of the 40 km run, just coming to the finishing line, he fell and cut his head but he got up and, so he told us, thinking, “I was in the lead and I didn't want to come in second..” he ran, albeit unsteady, but on his own entirely, as the rules dictated, to cross the line, with uproarious applause from the crowd at the finish. He did the race in a record breaking 11 hours, 59 minutes and 45 seconds. 

He is a Caledon resident, “living in the village of Cataract,” Bob Knuckey told the Citizen, over the telephone, “I've lived here for 41 years. Most of my training is done right here in Caledon. I run the Forks of the Credit Road.

“I only had to get off the road once when a dump truck was coming and he had a chain on the truck that was sticking out ...

“I like Caledon,” he said. “It has lots of hills; not that I like running up hills but it's part of the deal.”

He has no further plans to return to the Iron Man in Hawaii, commenting, “I have reached my goals with the Hawaii marathon – I've done it three times.”

It is an interesting take on “retirement.”

“I was an elementary school teacher, teaching grades two and three, little guys, seven and eight years old. I taught the same grades at different schools, over my 31- year career. I taught Phys. Ed. as well. The last school I was in, in Alton, didn't have phys. ed. But I taught there for 10 years.”

He told us a story, “The first year I taught there. I took my bike to school every day. One day, there was a snow storm. The drifts were huge. When I got to the school, the [custodian] said, ‘You didn't drive here.'_ I told him, ‘Don't be silly, I wouldn't drive in this – I ran here.' but the school was closed, so, I ran home again.”

It seems, when you run for miles in the winter, “You put a neck thing on that you wear and can pull up over your mouth.” 

The heart of his passion is “the liking to compete with people in my age group,” as he told us. “I enjoy trying to be my best. I'm lucky to have the gift that I can do all this training. I run every second day.

“It's less than it was,” he acknowledged. “I started when I was 15. I did a race in public school and I did fairly well. That's pretty well what got me started. I suffered from low self -esteem and I got really good at it.

“I ran competitively in high school and university.” he continued. “Then, in different track clubs that I joined and, eventually, I met Barrie Shepley.”

Barrie Shepley became Mr. Knuckey's trainer and brought him bit by bit in to triathlon competing.

“I met him about 1998,” Mr. Knuckey recalled. “I was running in a track club and after the work out, I ran over to where he was doing a bike training. That was interesting, so, I did some duathlons; there was no swimming and I did very well, until Barry convinced me to do the swimming, which got me in triathlons. That was a good thing. Because of the cross training, a lot of people I used to run with have worn themselves out, but the cross training gives a balance and keeps me fit.

“My wife reads books and goes out with her friends. She's walking a lot. She was a teacher – that's how we met, in Bramalea. She was an exchange teacher from England. 

We have four kids: two of our own and -” 

There begins a tragic tale: “My sister passed away and we took on her two kids and they were three and 12 years old. Four kids in this little house – we made bedrooms where there were none. The boy now lives in B.C. He has a child, who is 13, here in Orangeville. So, we have a grandson who lives with his mother.”

Deeply involved in his training as he is, Mr. Knuckey has a hobby or two as well: “I have two antique cars and I also build model cars – small ones. I have 450 of them. We have a barn with shelves where I keep some of them.

“The lawyer traded the history of it back. When it was originally changed hands, it was traded for a pig. I've been doing the roof myself. 

“I tell people that anybody can do this. I try to inspire young people, all high performance kids. If somebody even at my age can do what they can do, they can go far. Also, older people should keep moving, even if it's just walking. It keeps you young.”

For the most part, “The weather doesn't affect me; I train all year, as long as it's 5 degrees and up, I'm good to go.” 

His recent trip to “Arizona was a training camp. Every spring for the last 12 years, that's really great training. I swim for one-and-a-half hours a day, bike ftom 40 to 200 km in the [Iron Man] race it was 180 k. We took five hours [at the camp] to do the 100 km, it takes 5 hours ‘cause we stop. The oldest person was 49 at the camp; most of the kids were 16 to19 – they're much faster.”

He considered a moment, “I think the young kids look up to me and the fact I've been a three times world champion. When they do competitions, they haven't reached my goal.” 

He commented thoughtfully, “We have a neighbour who's 104.

“I don't win money at the competitions [being an amateur athlete] but I won in Hawaii a salad bowl – a Umeke. If you finish 3, 4 or 5, you can win a small one but my goal was to get the big one.”

The Citizen met Mr. Knuckey at a Classic Cafe lunch, as the guest speaker. He does not do many talks but he did say, “I did a talk for a men's group – I knew quite a few of them.” 

He explained the caveat for himself, “If I didn't do what I do, I would seize up: today, I did some stretching and a walk; I did a run on hills yesterday at the Caledon ski club.”

He thought about it for a second and said, “I'll probably go for a bike ride too.”