Ironman athlete and island resident Sandy Meneley, who has graced these pages more than a few times, has some company on the island and he lives in the same condominium complex. He is Doug Herr and, not only is he an ironman athlete, he participates in ultra running events.
Ultra running events are longer than a traditional marathon, which is 26.2 miles in distance. There are timed ultra running events where runners cover as many miles as possible in predetermined times. Timed events in the Jackpot Ultras are six, 12, 24 and 48 hours. They also have distance events, which are 50- and 100-mile races with time limits.
Herr participated in the Jackpot Ultras 100-mile race in Las Vegas Feb. 15-17.
A 100-mile ultra race course has a time limit of 30 hours and Herr completed the 100 miles in 26:52 hours, which gave him his “buckle.”
Herr mentioned that most participants in the 100-mile ultra will state, “I just want to get my buckle.”
His most recent ironman triathlon — 2.4 miles swim, 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile run — was in October 2023, when he traveled to Cascais, Portugal, and completed the triathlon in 15:03 hours. That was good enough for a seventh-place finish in his 65-69 age group.
When asked what got him into ironman triathlons and ultra running events, Herr said he enjoyed the challenge of pushing forward when your body is telling you this would be a good time to rest.
He entered his first triathlon in 1982. He entered and finished his first ironman triathlon in 1984 in Kona, Hawaii.
He read about ultra-running in the 1990s. Then in 2020, he completed a 62-mile trail race in Pennsylvania and was amazed to see the 100-mile racers heading out for their last 38-mile loop as he was finishing up his race at nearly 9 p.m.
Though he still thought it was kind of crazy, he became more curious to see if he could finish one and, in June 2023, he did.
When asked about his training regimen, he said training for ironman and ultras is completely different.
For the 100-mile races, he tries to do longer and longer runs on back-to-back days. He starts with 16-mile runs and increases that to 20, then 25 and finishing with 30-mile runs on consecutive days.
Training for an ironman involves base-level fitness for strength in the three disciplines, while also including speed and endurance training.
Herr and his wife, Jane Maliszewski, live in Dublin, Ohio, but after visiting Anna Maria Island in March 2022, they decided to buy in Holmes Beach. With a place to stay whenever they want, they visited for several times over five months in 2022-23. This season, they came down in Dececmber 2023 for a five-month stay. When asked if he was considering a move to become a full-time islander, Herr was noncommittal.
Herr is a retired major from the U.S. Army and his wife is a retired colonel from the Army.
Congratulations to Herr for his accomplishments from The Islander.
Horseshoe news
Three teams advanced to the playoffs after forging 3-0 pool-play records during March 27 horseshoe action at the Anna Maria City Hall pits. The father-and-son team of Dom and Dom Livedoti drew the bye and watched as Bob Lee and Tom Skoloda defeated Rod Bussey and Steve Kriebel 22-12. Lee and Skoloda cruised into the winner’s circle with a 21-2 victory over the Livedotis.
Three teams also advanced from pool play during the March 30 games, with the bye going to Herb Schutt and Tom Farrington. Rod Bussey and Gary Howcroft advanced to the finals with a 23-8 victory over Bob Lee and Bob Baker. Schutt and Farrington earned the day’s bragging rights with a 21-3 victory over Bussey and Howcroft.
Play gets underway at 9 a.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays at the Anna Maria pits. Warmups begin at 8:45 a.m., followed by random team selection.
There is no charge to play and everyone is welcome.
Key Royale news
Golf action at the Key Royale Club in Holmes Beach got started March 25 with the men’s modified-Stableford system match. Bill Sweeney was on fire, carding a plus-7 — a score seven points above his average. Two points back in second place were Herb Clauhs and Jim Hitchen at plus-5.
The women switched things up for their Tuesday morning game, playing a handicap scramble March 26, that saw the team of Peggy Cummings, Janet Razze and Jana Samuels combine on an 8-under-par 24 for the win. The team of Leigh Brattain, Debbie DuVernay, Nina McSparren and Jan Turner finished in second with a 7-under-par 25.
The women hosted their fourth annual member-member tournament March 27 in three flights, where, challenged by gusty winds, the women shot long and carded some terrific scores.
Debi Wohlers and Lori Waggoner won the blue flight with a score of 27.1, just ahead of second-place finishers Jenny Huibers and Ann Hackinson, who shot 27.6. Barb Rinckey and Pam Lowry won the orange flight with a net score of 24, just edging Cate Foy and Debbie DuVernay at 24.1. Billie Jean Pinson and Annette Hall won the green flight in a playoff over Judy Menchek and Jane Perkins with a net score of 24.
Laura Purcell won the closest-to-the-line contest on No. five and Cate Foy won closest-to-the-pin on No. 8. Meredith Slavin won the longest-putt contest on the third hole.
Cocktails, including a wine tasting, followed the tournament action.