Yeah, Joe Riggs has heard it before. 

Is completing a 2.4-mile swim and a 112-mile bike ride — followed by a full marathon — well, rather nuts?

“It’s only for crazy people, you nailed it!” Riggs told Kinute. 

He’s training for the 2021 Ironman World Championship, which will be held on May 7, 2022, in St. George, Utah. The race was originally going to be held in Hawaii last year but was rescheduled because of COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Joe Riggs rides his bike at Windy Saddle Park on Lookout Mountain Road, Golden, Colorado, on March 18. Courtesy of Rachel Riggs

The Ironman is a long-distance triathlon race organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC). Consisting of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, followed by a full marathon (26.22-mile) run, it is widely known as one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world.

Riggs said he hadn’t planned to compete in this prestigious and demanding event.

“Long story short, it’s a complete coincidence that I’m racing in the world championship,” he said. “Usually the championship race is held every October in Kona, Hawaii, but due to COVID, the 2021 world championship was postponed and relocated to the St. George race, which I had already registered for. It’s been held in Kona for 43 years, and this is the first world championship to take place anywhere else. It’s really exciting to compete in this race, but it’s now against the top age-group athletes in the world. So wish me luck!”

The last full Ironman race in St. George was held in 2012, and the competition has been redesigned. It won’t be easier, that’s for sure.

“The swim is 2.4 miles in Sand Hollow Reservoir, where it’s been hosted in previous years. The bike has increased the elevation gain from 5,478 feet to 7,374 feet, making it one of the most challenging bike courses on the Ironman circuit,” Riggs said. “The 26.2-mile marathon has 1,413 feet of elevation gain, which is also one of the most challenging marathons on the Ironman circuit.

“That said, I have an idea of how I can perform within each individual sport, but I’ve never strung all three together in a single day, so I’m not setting a goal time.”

The 2021 Half Ironman was held at St. George in September.

Ironman Chief Executive Andrew Messick told The New York Times that the pandemic forced the organization to adapt.

“It’s been a very challenging 18 months for us,” Messick said. “We’ve had to learn a whole bunch of things on the fly that we didn’t know we needed to know.”

In 2020, the majority of Ironman events were canceled. The extreme sport was able to rebound in 2021, but Kona was still dealing with numerous COVID-19 cases, so some events were relocated. The plan is to hold the 2022 world championship in Kona, its home site since 1982, in October.

It’s not just about the competition. Training for the Ironman is a lengthy, demanding process.

“I’ve committed six months to prepare with my coach, Danielle Mack,” Riggs said. “She herself was a professional Ironman athlete and has raced St. George twice. Each training month consists of a three-week build in volume/intensity followed by one week of recovery. I do two workouts per day, Monday through Thursday, and rest Friday in preparation for my biggest workouts on Saturday and Sunday.”

On March 12, he swam 4,000 yards prior to a really hard four-hour bike ride, followed by a 16-mile run on March 13. This was his workout for a week in mid-March: swimming for 3.5 hours, 14,000 yards; biking for eight hours, 145 miles; running for four and a quarter hours, 34 miles. He worked out at a fierce pace for 15.75 hours.

“It continues to increase until the final two-week taper period before the race,” Riggs said. “It’s an intense schedule for sure.”

Joe Riggs runs at Wheat Ridge High School in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, on March 18. Courtesy of Rachel Riggs

Mack has been working with Riggs since February 2020.

“Joe is an amazing athlete and an incredible person,” she told Kinute. “Rarely as a coach you get the privilege to coach someone who pours their heart and soul into their dreams and does it with a smile. I am so very proud of Joe and cannot wait to see what he can do on race day!"

Mack, who describes her work as being a “mindfulness and endurance athlete coach,” said Riggs has several attributes.

“Joe has many strengths as an athlete. He is an extremely hard worker and is not afraid to push his body to the limits,” she said. “He is focused, positive and persistent. He is always looking for ways to improve and is very consistent with his training. Joe loves to put the ‘pedal to the metal’ and is a perfectionist when it comes to his training. These traits are undoubtedly a huge reason why Joe is such a successful athlete. A growing edge for Joe -- which he has improved upon a lot over the years -- is to be okay with backing off at times during training. To find balance in training, it is equally as important to rest and recover as it is to work hard. Just like how the mighty oak tree grows in spurts and then rests.”

Mack, 34, lives in Boulder, Colorado. She has extensive experience in the sport.

Danielle Mack | Twitter

“I competed as a professional triathlete for seven years (2013-2019). I was a three-time Ironman champion (Boulder 2014, Canada 2015 and Taiwan 2016),” she said. “I started triathlons when I was 7 years old, and it has been a big part of my life ever since. I am now retired and loving being a mom and coach!”

Riggs loves to compete, but there are other rewards aside from preparing for such a rigorous event, he said.

“My honest opinion is that in the training portion, you become extremely aware of your body and your ability to grow physically,” Riggs said. “And then in the race portion, you reflect on all the struggle it took to get there, that it becomes about mental growth that you can take to any other challenge I face in life outside the sport.”

Riggs, 32, grew up in Battle Creek, Michigan, the middle son of three boys.

He was drawn to endurance sports when he was young, and the desire to test himself and compete with others never left.

“I grew up mountain biking with my family in Michigan,” Riggs said. “My first mountain bike race was when I was 16 years old; I had a sprint distance triathlon with the Boy Scouts at age 13, but mountain biking has always been my favorite.”

This will be his first complete Ironman race.

“I’ve done a sprint-, Olympic- and half-distance Ironman several years ago,” Riggs said. “I’ve never actually done a full distance, but I placed third in my age group at 5 hours and 17 minutes for the half. I decided I wanted to do the full Ironman now because I’ve enjoyed seeing what physical boundaries I can push.”

His competitive spirit was challenged but not extinguished when he was diagnosed with epilepsy. Riggs said he never feared he might be severely injured or even killed during an event, but he was not sure he could compete in one.

“After first being diagnosed, I was worried I would never be able to compete in this dream distance and physically challenge myself in that way,” he said. “I’ve never really feared for my life in the water or biking. For me, getting adequate rest and sticking to a regimented schedule and healthier diet have helped me better control my seizures, so it’s less of a hurdle. I’ve been seizure-free now for 15 months.”

Riggs, who studied chemical engineering at Michigan State University, works as a chemical engineer for Baker Hughes, an oil and gas service company. He and his “beautiful wife, Rachel” and their two dogs live in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, located between Denver and Golden.

Riggs spends as much time as possible outside.

“Colorado is such an awesome place for outdoor enthusiasts like myself,” he said. “I love hiking, skiing/snowboarding, camping, hanging out with our two dogs, and of course, mountain biking.”