October 17, 200619 yr A Marlin with a mission: Team president David Samson trades his cleats for Ironman triathlon competition in Hawaii BY KEVIN BAXTER kbaxter@MiamiHerald.com For David Samson it all started with a guy named Brad Miller, a pair of shaved legs and a dare. 'I said, `Nice legs. What are you, a model?' '' Samson remembers. Well, not exactly. Turns out Miller was a competitive triathlete, an Ironman. And he invited Samson -- who, at the time, was more of a Tinman or maybe a Thin-Grade Aluminum Man -- to a workout to see just how manly shaved legs could be. ''I went to a pool with him a month or two later and I couldn't even swim for five minutes,'' Samson says. ``I bought a bike and I was all excited. I couldn't bike for 20 minutes without having to get off and rest.'' Fast forward two years. Since nearly drowning in his first visit with Miller, Samson has spent more time in water than Charlie the Tuna. And since that first short bike ride, he's been pedaling more than Lance Armstrong. This Saturday he'll find out if all that was worth it when he joins nearly 1,800 other competitors in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, for the Ironman World Championships. The daylong torture test starts with a 2.4-mile open-ocean swim, transitions into a 112-mile bike race and ends with a 26.2-mile marathon run. Any one of those, individually, is a full day for most athletes. But tackling all three back-to-back makes the Ironman, in Samson's words, ``the ultimate athletic accomplishment.'' ''The distances are overwhelming,'' he continues. ``Which is why it's called an Ironman. This is the ultimate mental and physical challenge. It is taking me to the limit.'' In reality, though, Samson, the 38-year-old president of the Florida Marlins, will accomplish quite a bit just by getting to the starting line. When the gun goes off, he'll be the first president of a major professional sports franchise to attempt the race. And his presence there will benefit the Marlins Community Foundation and the Challenged Athletes Foundation. Samson is president of the first group, which promotes youth programs in South Florida; CAF provides disabled athletes with grants for competition, training and equipment. ''The attention that I'm getting for doing this is great. But it's really meant for only one reason and that's to raise money for the two charities that I'm focused on,'' says Samson, who says he's about halfway toward his fundraising goal of $200,000. **** This isn't the first time Samson has taken a dare that he paid off with sweat and sore muscles. Ten years ago a dinner companion bet Samson, who ran track at New York's private Horace Mann prep school, that he and a friend couldn't finish the New York City Marathon. The two chuckled, accepted the challenge -- then failed to last a mile into their first training run a day later. ''We decided at that minute we were going to run the marathon,'' says Samson who, eight months later, finished the race in a little more than 4 hours. Training for a marathon, however, proved child's play compared to qualifying for the Ironman. For the past several months Samson has been working out an average of 26 hours a week, concentrating on two disciplines a day. ''The minute there's sunlight, I go and work out,'' says Samson, whose training is mapped out by five-time Ironman finisher Luis Vargas from Boulder, Colo. One thing Vargas has preached is moderation -- if you can use that term in reference to training sessions that often last longer than some of Paris Hilton's romances. ''You build up to it,'' Vargas says. ``You can't just go from five [hours] to 10. ``We started with four-hour days and as you progress, you realize that it is possible. Your body, it learns.'' And one of the things Samson's body has learned is that it really doesn't like working this hard. At 129 pounds Samson admits he looks and feels better physically than he ever has. But the length and intensity of his workouts -- which burn up to 2,500 calories a day -- have robbed them of the joy his marathon training provided. ''Working out in general is a great outlet for stress. Within reason,'' he says. ``But the amount required to train for an Ironman passes that level of reason. It's so overwhelming, the distances and time required. And it's seven days a week. So it no longer is the outlet that working out used to be for me.'' **** Training for the Ironman has forced Samson to make other changes in his life -- though, as the race approaches, his schedule has grown simpler. Now that the Marlins season is over, he no longer wakes up at 5:30 to check the West Coast boxscores, for example. Nor is he interrupting his bike rides as frequently to take cellphone calls. He is, however, still missing time with his wife Cindi and the couple's three children. ''Sometimes things have to give,'' he says. ``Time with the family is tough now because, on the weekends, I'm gone all day. [but] I made a choice. I've dedicated this year to finishing the Ironman. And it has changed my social life. I won't stay out late. I won't go out to late dinners.'' Even when he was home physically -- which he isn't now, having flown to Hawaii last weekend -- he hasn't always been there mentally. ''I have thought about it every day for six months,'' he says. ``I find myself worrying more and more about something happening on the bike. Something that would make me not able to finish.'' Or not able to finish in 17 hours, the maximum time allowed to claim the title of Ironman. ''What drives me is training hard enough so that I can finish,'' he says. 'Because when I cross the finish line they will say `David Samson, you are an Ironman.' '' Vargas says his charge should go to the start line confident. ''Oh, he'll make the time. He won't have to worry about that,'' he says. ``He's more ready than he thinks he is. But that's pretty normal for anybody who's never tackled this distance.'' Last year Vargas says he coached a doctor who started his Ironman training at 240 pounds. By race day he was down to 200 and wound up finishing with 15 minutes to spare. Samson, conversely, is 70 pounds lighter, which may leave him at a disadvantage at the buffet table but is a big plus for a triathlete. ''The less mass you have, the easier it is to go a long way. And you don't tire as much,'' Vargas says. ``So he's got a huge advantage. He can really be good at this from a physical standpoint because of how light he is. ``Anything can happen to anybody on any given day. [but] I think he's ready. Don't overestimate the fact that he hasn't done it.'' Dave Scott, a six-time winner of the world's most grueling race, agrees. He said first-time competitors such as Samson just need to control their emotions during the race. ''When the gun goes off for the swim, concentrate on taking slow, deep inhales,'' he wrote in an e-mail interview. ``This will set the stage so that you concentrate on relaxing at the outset. Don't rush your stroke and forget to breathe. Make sure that you breathe every stroke.'' And if Samson can do that and come away an Ironman, that will provide him with the perfect answer when someone notices his bare legs and wonders if he, too, is a model. ''I wax them, yes,'' Samson says. ``Absolutely from that moment on, I'm fully waxed.'' SAMSON'S REGIMEN David Samson's triathlon workouts are directed by five-time Ironman finisher Luis Vargas through markallenonline.com. The program's goal is to get the athlete's heart-rate level above 119 beats a minute and keep it there through the duration of the workout. Here's a peek at his training diary for the week of Sept. 18. MONDAY: Ninety-minute tempo bike ride with a heart-rate of 129-139. TUESDAY: Swim of 5,500 yards (3.1 miles) with a heart rate of 119-139, followed by a weight-lifting session. WEDNESDAY: Speed bike ride. Target heart rate between 139-174 beats per minute. THURSDAY: Speed run. Target heart rate of 139-174 beats per minute. FRIDAY: Seven-hour bike ride followed by a 30-minute run. Target heart rate of 114-139 beats per minute. SATURDAY: Speed swim of 3,500 yards (1.98 miles) with a target heart rate of 139-174 beats per minute followed by a 2-hour 40-minute run with a target heart rate of 119-139 beats per minute. SUNDAY: Weight lifting. For information on the charities Samson is sponsoring, contact the Florida Marlins at 305-626-7286 http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sport...ll/15770295.htm *Pictures a fully waxed David Samson* *shudders* Coincidence an earthquake hits Hawaii the same weekend he's there? I think not. Almost got him, Sir. :whistle
October 17, 200619 yr Well, we know why nothing gets done with the city, county, state and MLB. To the exclusion and neglect of his family (his words), work responsibilities etc. 129 pound "iron man" trains a minimum of 26 hrs a week. The above was part tongue in cheek as I will not stand in judgement-only his family can-of his choices. Does not change anyone's opinion of him. You do something like this because you want to, not because you are philanthropic-stop justifying it, David.
October 17, 200619 yr Those who do not receive the Herald at home have been spared the accompanying photos.
October 17, 200619 yr Author Who's the troll again? Are you seriously defending Samson? Back the FO for the firesale, sure I understand, hell I backed them. But DAVID SAMSON? The biggest creep in the organization? There is a reason he was nicknamed 'Lil Napoleon.'
October 17, 200619 yr Who's the troll again? Are you seriously defending Samson? Back the FO for the firesale, sure I understand, hell I backed them. But DAVID SAMSON? The biggest creep in the organization? There is a reason he was nicknamed 'Lil Napoleon.' Defending the board from stupid behavior. This is the best Marlins board on the net and it didn't become so by posts like the one above.
October 18, 200619 yr the best part of the story is, this all started because he was insulting someone. what a jackass.
October 22, 200619 yr If anyone is interested, the results of Samson's Ironman race yesterday (Saturday). http://ironman.com/events/ironman/worldcha...hip&bib=176 2.4 mile swim: 1h:46m:54s (pace: 2m:48s/100m) 112 mile bike: 7h:46m:46s (pace: 14.4mph) 26.2 mile run: 5h:43m:53s (pace: 13:07/mile) total time: 15h:36m:44s He finished 1580 out of 1627 finishers, another 62 dnf.
October 22, 200619 yr If anyone is interested, the results of Samson's Ironman race yesterday (Saturday). http://ironman.com/events/ironman/worldcha...hip&bib=176 2.4 mile swim: 1h:46m:54s (pace: 2m:48s/100m) 112 mile bike: 7h:46m:46s (pace: 14.4mph) 26.2 mile run: 5h:43m:53s (pace: 13:07/mile) total time: 15h:36m:44s He finished 1580 out of 1627 finishers, another 62 dnf. To put it in better context, there were 2 guys over 70 who had better times than Samson. He should stick to running a baseball franch ... well, on 2d thought , maybe he should make Iron Man his career.
October 22, 200619 yr I think it's really impressive he finished the competition regardless of the place he finished in.
October 23, 200619 yr The fact that he finished the race is very impressive. He is not a professional athlete. No matter what you think of him as the team president, you have to take your hat off to him for competing and finishing this fantastically grueling race.
October 23, 200619 yr The fact that he finished the race is very impressive. He is not a professional athlete. No matter what you think of him as the team president, you have to take your hat off to him for competing and finishing this fantastically grueling race. Sure, I am impressed by the effort, if not the results.
October 23, 200619 yr Yes, anyone to dog him on completing all that even though he was in a low place, is a tool. I've run about a half dozen half marathons and although I dont really train specifically for them, they are extremely tough and I think just completing a full marathon is a huge accomplishment. To do the other two along with it, in succession, is quite the feat.
October 24, 200619 yr Ive done 3 adventure races (all took approx 7 hours to complete). The fact that he FINISHED an Ironman is very impressive. With that said, my feelings for him in baseball terms is that he is still a douchebag.
October 24, 200619 yr Who's the troll again? I thought he meant Marlins Troll. :| yes :mischief what's this, your 5th new screenname?
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