Father and son team race Ironman Hawaii

The world famous Hawaii Ironman will be held for the 34th time on October 9. With world class athletes like Rutger Beke, Marino Vanhoenacker, Frederik Van Lierde and Sofie Goos the Belgian delegation can hope for a couple of great results and maybe even the overall victory.

Thirty-seven Belgians will toe the start line this year, including the father and son team from Ghent, Stefaan (48) and Michiel (21) Vervisch. It doesn't happen very often that a father and son compete in Kaïlua-Kona in the same year and for Belgium it's the first time ever. "We are very proud to be the first ones to do so", says Stefaan. "American media love these kind of stories and we secretly hope they will pick up on it."

Passion and a way of life
To start in Hawaii you have to participate in one of the 25 official Ironman qualifying races and finish in the top of your age group. Michiel had secured his slot in April by winning his age group in South Africa. Stefaan just missed out that day but secured his Kona spot by qualifying at Ironman UK a couple of months later.

The immense passion they have for the sport of triathlon is shown through their enthusiasm, persistence and mental strength. Intense training weeks of 20 hours are more common than exception if one wants to start an Ironman race with an optimum fitness level. For them triathlon is a lifestyle sport which constantly has them searching for a perfect balance between training, family and work.

Finding the right race gear
Although they say they don't really care about their finish time, Stefaan and Michiel want to race to their full potential. The wind, the heat and the humidity make this Hawaii Ironman to be one of the toughest races of the year, both physically and mentally. Wearing the right clothing on race day is as important as the carbon they ride on. endurance Junkie, a new Belgian triathlon brand that targets long distance and Ironman athletes, will supply Stefaan and Michiel with a race kit that has been specially designed for Hawaii.

"Like with Stefaan and Michiel, everything endurance Junkie does comes from a passion for Ironman", says Peter Brees, founder of the brand and an experienced triathlete. "We are slowly putting together a team of top amateur athletes with full-time jobs who continue to chase their Ironman dreams. Stefaan and Michiel fit that profile perfectly and we are very happy they choose to wear our race gear."

Follow the race in the Internet
Father and son leave for Hawaii on Thursday, September 30th. The race start is on Saturday, October 9th at 7 a.m. local time (7 p.m. here in Belgium) and can be followed live on www.ironman.com.