Triathlete goes the distance
Parker Kerth competes in a race. Photos submitted
By Tom Victoria
Move aside Tony Stark, Parker Kerth is the real Iron Man. The triathlete competes in the world-renowned Ironman competitions.
The Ironman triathlons consist of a grueling 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run.
Parker, 25, of Chicago said the event is physically and mentally arduous.
“The bike is hard mentally just because you're out there for so long,” he said. “When you look at your bike computer, you've been out there for 70 miles. You look down at your computer, you see 70, and then you think yourself, man, still 42 miles to go. I'm going to be out here for a long time. Once you get off the bike, it's almost a relief. It’s like, oh, all I have left to do is a marathon now.”
For Parker, finishing that marathon draws upon physical and mental toughness.
“I still don't think there's anything quite as hard as the last 6 to 8 miles of that Ironman marathon, whether that be physically or mentally,” he said. “By that point, everything hurts. Your muscles ache. Your bones hurt. All the voices in your head are screaming at you to stop. It's purely mental, just being able to tell yourself because you have the physical capability, you've done all the training.”
Parker said the physical challenge has been met for the most part.
“Being able to push yourself mentally to the point where you continue running, you don't stop,” he said. “You push to that finish line. That's what really separates those who finish and those that don't. I truly believe that almost anyone that lines up for an Ironman can finish it physically. They have the physical capabilities. It's the mental part of it that really separates those and what determines how well you do or where you finish if you finish.”
Parker explained why the competition appeals to him.
“At first, it was the challenge,” he said. “I remember when I was growing up, I had a neighbor that lived a few doors down. He told me what an Ironman was. He was training for one. There's no way that's possible. There's no way you can run a marathon after biking 112 miles and swimming that much. I thought doing a marathon by itself was impressive. The fact that you were able to do that after everything else, I just thought that was completely mind-blowing.”
Over time, triathlons became possible in Parker’s mind.
“I wasn't even a runner,” he said. “I was still a wrestler. But then I ran two miles. Months after that, I ran a 10k, then I ran a half marathon. The more you progress and the more you accomplish things that seem extraordinary, you start to realize that I really am capable. The human body is capable of doing these extraordinary feats.”
Parker eventually aimed for an Ironman.
“I wanted to finish my senior year of college doing some big event,” he said. “Originally, I wanted to do a full Ironman, but they're all sold out and full. So I did a Half Ironman. Soon after that, I did complete my first Ironman.”
Parker keeps competing for the satisfaction.
“The draw to go back and compete at more Ironmans hasn't been the challenge because I already know I can do it,” he said. “It has been the sense of accomplishment I feel after putting in that much work, time, effort and seeing it all accumulate into one big event and then seeing it all come together.”
Parker isn’t satisfied with accomplishing the feat of an Ironman himself, he trains others to do so as well.
“That's my full-time job,” he said. “I coach athletes of all abilities, all ages, training for all different types of events. My primary focus is for Ironman and Half Ironman distance events. That's probably what 80 percent of my athletes are currently training for. The ages, the experience levels vary. Some are just trying to complete the first one in under 13 or 14 hours. Others are trying to qualify for the world championships.”
Parker also trains people in one of the sports.
“I also coach a few single sport athletes or a few athletes that may not be able to afford full triathlon coaching and maybe just want to focus on the bike or run,” he said.
Parker said athletes not having experience in all three sports have to adjust to triathlon training.
“With the swim especially, it can be a little bit more difficult if they are not coming from a swim background and are brand new to swimming,” he said. “Our coaching is done primarily remote. I'm giving them workouts on training peaks. With the swim, since it is a much more technique-based sport compared to running and biking, there can be a few challenges with that. The way we approach that is we usually have the athlete film themselves swimming. I record myself giving them cues and tips. I will also send them videos or podcasts that I think will help them.”
For Parker’s own training, swimming was the biggest adjustment.
“I was a runner,” he said. “I walked onto the cross-country team my junior year of college. I ran to cut weight for wrestling when I was a wrestler. I biked for fun when I was a kid. The summer junior year, going to my senior year of college, I got injured running quite a bit. I started biking a lot more. I took swim lessons in elementary school, so I knew how not to drown, but that's about it. I didn't really start swimming again until a couple months out from my first Half Ironman.”
Parker said the order of the Ironman helped ease the adjustment to competitive swimming.
“It's probably the best one to be the worst at,” he said. “In an Ironman or any triathlon, it's always the first event. I come out of the water last and then I spend the rest of the race passing people. It’s better that than the other way around.”
Parker tells his athletes to savor the race’s end.
“I always tell my athletes that are training for their first Ironman really take a moment,” he said. “Those last 200 yards, 200 meters, last mile of the marathon, really let it soak in, because there is not a feeling that I have yet experienced that can compare to what it feels like to finish an Ironman.”
Parker uses a coach to help him train.
“That helps a lot, honestly,” he said. “I have a coach, Natasha, the owner of NVDM, she's my coach and my boss. I'm also a coach with them. I have a rough idea of what I need to do, but I put all of my trust into her and her workouts. I have some suggestions I give her. That's where we have a good relationship and where she's very open to feedback. I don't really have to think too much about what workouts I should be doing when, how hard I should be training, what I should be training. That's all taken care of by her.”
Parker explained why fitness and sports are his passions.
“It's something I've really always just enjoyed doing,” he said. “It's been a part of my life since I’ve been able to walk. I grew up picking a soccer ball around when I was 1 or 2 years old with my grandfather. I've always been an active kid.”
Athletics came naturally to Parker.
“My social group was always very active,” he said. “All my friends did sports. That's how it started. It just seemed weird not to do a sport. In high school, I was a two- or three-sport athlete. Middle school, I remember I'd finish track practice and change in the car and then drive to lacrosse practice.”
Parker continued sports after it no longer was associated with friendships.
“After high school, it became less of a social thing,” he said. “It just gave me something to look forward to other than school. Along with that, seeing progress in yourself. With sports, at least in the sports that I was competing in and doing like running, weightlifting, triathlon, it's black and white. In school, I'd spend countless hours of studying and I still wouldn't understand the subject of the topic. With sports, if I showed up and I did the work and I went to the practice, I did the training, I logged the hours, I knew I may not see progress the next day or the next week or the next month. But long-term, I was going to get better at it.”
Parker can’t envision himself stopping anytime soon.
“I just really enjoyed it,” he said. “Too much of a good thing is still a bad thing. That's something I've been trying to learn and find the right balance. But it's always been a part of my life and I never really saw a different option or I really thought of doing something different. I loved it and I enjoy it every day and wouldn't imagine doing anything else.”
Parker explained why he enjoys coaching.
“The relationships, 100 percent,” he said. “My best friends now are athletes that I work with. I always loved coaching. I've always loved the data. That's why I started coaching. I've always been very data-driven. I used to work for Garmin as a software engineer working on some of their outdoor wearables or watches. I always love digging into the different metrics that they track. The power, the pace, the heart rate, how they get the VO2 (volume of oxygen) mass lactate thresholds (cardiorespiratory fitness) and all those interesting statistics and data points.”
Parker’s voracious appetite for information aided him when he began competing.
“I've always been consuming content,” he said. “I qualify for the Half Ironman world championships without having an outside coach. I would just watch YouTube videos, listen to podcasts. I've always loved the data.”
Parker left software engineering to sate his need for more activity.
“I loved working for Garmin,” he said. “By far the best experience I could have asked for working at more of a typical 9-to-5 job. Loved everyone I worked with, but I wasn't a huge fan of sitting at a computer from 9 to 5 pretty much every day. I'm a very active individual. It wasn't my cup of tea. And then Natasha, she realized that I was very data-driven. Through that time of us working together, she got a sense that maybe I could be a coach.”
Fitting everything in a day became crucial in Parker’s decision on his career.
“She asked me if I wanted to come on as a full-time coach,” he said. “I thought, I have this stable job at Garmin, good income. I could take this riskier job. I'm relatively young. It's a good time to take a little bit of a risk. And so that's what I did. I wanted to train full-time as well. I was having to wake up at 4 a.m. before work to train for two, three hours. I'd go to work, train for another hour or so after work. I was burning the match at both ends. You can't do that forever. Something's got to give: the work or the training, and I didn't want to give up the training.”
Parker stressed one thing people need to compete in an Ironman that isn’t tied to athleticism.
“It's not a cheap sport,” he said. “It's a very expensive sport. I had to pay $1,600 just to pay for the race entry at the Ironman World Championships. That's without qualifying, so just to race. That doesn't take into account the flights, the hotel. You can get by and you can race with hand-me-down gear and whatnot.”
Parker said there are other triathlons with the same distances, just not the prestige of an Ironman.
“Ironman is the company,” he said. “It's not the actual race. You have the full distance. You can do 2.4 miles swim, 112 miles bike and a marathon run. That isn't an Ironman technically. You can do that, but those are more like local ones. They (Ironman) are very well run. Do they have to be that expensive? Probably not, but you can tell they put a lot of time, they put a lot of effort. It really is an event. I remember the first one I went to. That's actually the thing that surprised me most about my first Half Ironman was the venue, the race Expo, all the volunteers, everything like that. That was very impressive.”
Parker said it’s not hard to find an Ironman in many places across the globe.
“Ironman is very global,” he said. “You can find an Ironman wherever you go. They’re in the Middle East, Australia. They have Ironmans in Africa, South America. Obviously, the bigger cities are going to have more Ironmans. It'll be more popular. But you can find an Ironman pretty much everywhere you go now.”
As with many athletes, Parker relies on sponsors to stay competing.
“Very helpful with the athletes and myself as well,” he said. “Always asking what we need, answering any questions I have, whether that be supplement-related or just training-related as well. Always reaching out, being very supportive and I've been very impressed and very thankful to have them on my team this year and working with them and with NVDM as well.”
Parker said athletes should have some considerations when seeking sponsors.
“Look at what products you use and what costs you the most,” he said. “I would like a bike sponsor eventually. We'll see about that, because that is definitely the most expensive part about triathlon training. Probably second to a bike is nutrition. With the amount you're training, you always need to be fueling properly and with the right amount of carbs, protein, electrolytes.”
Fitness is always Parker’s focus.
“I enjoy the training as much if not more than the actual races,” he said. “Even before triathlon training, I was in college. I'd wake up at 6:30 in the morning before classes, run six to 10 miles and then go lift weights in the afternoon. It was instilled for me from when I was a wrestler in high school. I would always be active no matter what. I remember when I was in high school traveling in Europe with my family. My biggest concern was where is the local gym that I could go to. I've always been into exercising. Being fit is 100 percent a big part of who I am and being part of my life.”
Parker noticed how being extremely fit impacts other parts of his life.
“My mom is from the Czech Republic,” he said. “Almost every summer, we would go to Europe and visit her family, but then also travel around Europe. The biggest benefit I've seen is being able to go for runs in different countries, being able to explore countries by running through them or going on long hikes with my family up in the mountains, up in the Alps in Switzerland or in Italy. Two summers ago, my family and I went to Italy and I rented a bike. I was able to bike around the entire countryside. That's been the biggest part for me has really been exploring more countries and more cities on foot or by bike and experiencing the culture more.”
Parker also keeps busy producing social media content, including a YouTube channel.
“I'm doing this because it's something that I love to do and that I truly find passion in it,” he said. “I'm trying to share that with my followers and hopefully that my enjoyment of it can spread to them and help them find joy doing the same things and trying to make the sport seem a little bit more accessible as well. It doesn't have to be all too serious. You can have fun doing it.”
Parker said not training when he doesn’t feel like it isn’t an option.
“I'm not always motivated to train,” he said. “There are days when I wake up like, I really don't want to do this. For example, this morning I was tired. I didn't want to go to the pool and do my recovery swim. But I know even though as much as I maybe didn't want to go swim, I would feel twice as bad tomorrow if I didn't do that swim. I'd be lying if I said I'd wake up every day and say I can't wait to do this workout or this bike ride is going to be so fun. I have some workouts this week that I know are going to be pretty painful and I'm not looking forward to, but I'm going to do it because it's just who I am. It's just a part of me.”
Parker said running takes the biggest toll on the body.
“I'll go for a three- or four-hour bike ride, a hard bike ride,” he said. “Don't get me wrong, I'll be tired after it. But I feel relatively fine. Whereas if you give me a 30-minute track workout to do, my legs are pretty beat up after that one. The running definitely takes the most physical toll.”
Parker strongly advised those wanting to try an Ironman to get a coach.
“If you want to get the most out of yourself and you want to see what you can truly do,” he said. “There's a reason why the best athletes in the world have a coach, just having a second pair of eyes look at their workouts, give them suggestions. There's nothing that is as valuable as that.”
Parker said athletes need assurances they’re on the right path.
“I found in triathlon, sometimes I show up and I didn't have a good workout today,” he said. “I get a little down on myself and my coach looks at the workout. She'll point something out. If I have a question, she's done all this, been through it all. So having that reassurance and know that I can trust the process and that I'm on the right path definitely helps a lot as well.”
Parker dispensed advice to aspiring triathlon coaches.
“Try to consume as much content as possible,” he said. “You don't try to get stuck in one modality. That's something I've found. You may think for the longest time that this is the right answer or this is the correct method for coaching, but there are so many different approaches and so many different ways of going about trying to achieve the same training stimulus. Listen to as many podcasts out there, YouTube videos and try it on yourself. Experiment. But then also realize that just because it works for you doesn't mean it's going to work for everyone else out there.”
Parker said someone wanting to do an Ironman doesn’t have to start with other triathlons.
“Not necessarily,” he said. “You can, but it's up to the athlete. Depends on what the athlete enjoys. Some athletes, they like that big venue, gets them fired up, gets them motivated. Others might think it's a little too much, but I think either way, it would be fine.”
Parker said most triathlons follow the same order of the legs to the race.
“Ninety-nine percent of the time,” he said. “There are a few that swap them.”
Parker cited PTO (Professional Triathletes Organization), Challenge races and Super League triathlons as some other known triathlon events.
“Just to name a few,” he said.
Parker is grateful to be able to compete and coach.
“I always do want to mention how thankful and grateful I am for Natasha, my coach, to give me this opportunity,” he said. “I know being a coach with NVDM has been life-changing. I'm still shocked every day that I get to wake up and swim, bike, run as my job and the connections I've made, the friendships I've made through this have been truly life-changing. There's nothing I would rather be doing with my time right now. I'm just super excited for what the future brings.”
Parker’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parkerkerth/
Parker’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8AySUd_LUSiT3nX8XlDFlQ
Parker’s coaching: https://www.parkerkerthtriathlonnvdm.com/