Chatham Native Travels To Hawaii With
Family To Compete In Ironman Kona

by Jennifer Sexton 

            CHATHAM--- “It was such an up and down year. So much happened,” says 29-year-old Chatham native Emily Johnson. It’s quite an understatement.

            On Easter Sunday, April 12, Johnson, a recent bride, was surrounded by family for a holiday meal. An avid marathoner and endurance event competitor, Johnson eagerly watched the Ironman World Championship lottery results on television, hoping to see her own name among the lucky athletes chosen to compete.

Emily Johnson glows during the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii.

       The Ironman World Championship triathlon has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978. It is famous for its grueling length and challenging race conditions, consisting of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bicylce race and a marathon of 26 miles, 385 yards, raced in that order and without a break over hilly Hawaiian terrain in often windy conditions.           

            Only 1,800 athletes may compete out of some 60,000 who vie for a space in the event each year. Participants gain entry one of three ways: by qualifying for a slot at one of more than 20 events held worldwide, by winning a slot through Ironman’s charitable eBay Auction or by being selected in the Ironman Lottery. Only 150 lottery slots were available to the U.S. applicants.

            When Johnson’s name was among those selected by the lottery, she was thrilled.

            “We were all excited that I was going,” Johnson says. “There’s less than a 1 percent chance of winning the lottery. I’ve run 15 marathons and this was my 4^th Ironman race, but this would be my first time in Hawaii. We were all going to go. It was going to be a big family trip.”

            The joy was short-lived, however. Four weeks later, on Mother’s Day, Johnson called her 27-year-old brother, Will Archibald, on his cell phone. The family was about to gather for another holiday meal. Instead, everything changed for the family as a police officer answered the phone and explained that Archibald was being airlifted to Boston Medical Center after a catastrophic motorcycle accident on Queen Anne Road in Harwich. Archibald suffered a brain and spinal cord injury which left him paralyzed from the chest down.   

            “Everything was suddenly up in the air,” says Johnson. “What was going to happen to him? The Ironman mantra is ‘anything is possible.’ I have it tattooed on my leg, and that’s kind of how I live life and see things happening. So I thought that even though Will had this horribly catastrophic injury, once we knew that he was going to be OK but having to live a different lifestyle, we just said well, we are still going to Hawaii. We’re all going together. Life goes on.”

            At the time of her brother’s accident, Johnson had just started a new job as a lung transplant coordinator at Duke University. An understanding boss gave the OK to put her medical expertise to good use, and her Ironman training had to wait as she stayed by her brother’s side at Boston Medical Center for several weeks. After he moved to Shepherd Center in Atlanta in May, Johnson was able to go back to her job and throw herself into her athletic training.

             “My training was very cathartic,” she says. “I really believe that my training helped me cope. Initially, when he first got injured and for the first two weeks, we were in shock. I was unable to really do much. Then training became a definite coping mechanism, an outlet and time for myself.”

            Johnson and her husband sold their home and bought a new one that would be suitable to share with her brother as he continues to recover and adjust to his new life. Soon the entire family began making plans for their journey to Hawaii.

            “We had to do some extra planning for Will to go,” Johnson explains. “It takes extra time when you’re at the airport to travel as a paraplegic. But we went, and we did it, and it was awesome. It was definitely an eye opening experience for everybody involved.”

            With her brother safely on the Big Island, surrounded by family, able to swim and explore the volcano trails despite his new physical reality and even chatting with inspiring paraplegic Ironman competitor David Bailey, Johnson was able to fully focus on her own Ironman experience.

            “I love running,” she says. “That’s how I got into triathlons — I ran a lot of marathons. The swim I am not a big fan of, and I am learning to love the bike a bit more. One hundred and twelve miles on a bike is a long way. It normally takes me about six and a half hours. This time it took me I think about seven or seven and a half. There were hills, but the wind was the most significant challenge. And the heat and the humidity.”

            Johnson completed the entire grueling triathlon in 15 and a half hours. At the end of the race she experienced a “high” in which all of her pain went away and she could only feel adrenaline pumping through her body as she neared the finish line.

            “At the end I ran an 8 minute mile,” she says. “I didn’t have to go to the medical tent, so I had a little massage, some pizza and some fluids. Then I made some phone calls, talked about the day with my family, and I took an ice bath. I just sat in a bath of ice.”

            Back home, Johnson has returned to her job coordinating lung transplant patients at Duke University as her brother continues daily rehab, works toward the goal of driving a car specially outfitted with hand controls, and contemplates returning to work himself. Life goes on. Although she wants to take a break and return to a normal life for a while, Johnson still has her mind on the next challenge.

            “It is really an addiction,” she says. “I will do another one, but I want to take this year to settle back into life. I may run a marathon, I may not. We will see. I may do a half Ironman. I’m pretty newly married too— I want to just enjoy my marriage, enjoy my family and take a little break.”

11/12/09