Cape Broyle’s Bernard Kenny, 51, has completed an Ironman triathlon – consisting of a 3.8 km swim, a 180 km bike ride, and a 42.2 km run — in Arizona this November with a time of about 11 hours and 21 minutes.
It’s an impressive feat, but it’s not Kenny’s first. In fact, this last competition marked Kenny’s tenth successful Ironman triathlon.
“When I did my first Ironman, back in 2014, I figured I would do one and then I could say I was an Ironman,” said Kenny. “But honestly, I think it’s an addiction. I think it’s a mental addition to pushing yourself to the limit… I’ve had horrible Ironman’s. I’ve had one where I felt like I was going to pass out. And I went into a port-a-potty and sat down, and put my head between my legs to get the blood flowing back into my head. I limped to an aid station and hung out drinking Red Bull and eating chips and pretzels and fruit to get my energy back. And I swore I would never do another one. I couldn’t wait to get it over with. And then a couple of weeks later, when it’s all over, you start to get the itch back again and you want to register for another one.”
Kenny added that by his participation he hopes to set a good example to others — especially his children.
“I want to show my kids that anything is possible if you put your mind to it,” said Kenny. “If there’s something challenging you want to do, if you work hard enough, you can reach that goal.”
All told, Kenny has completed 10 full triathlons and eight half-distance triathlons over the last decade. He has only ever had to bow out of one competition, and that was in 2017 when he crashed his bike while racing in Florida.
Of the many courses he’s done, the Mont-Tremblant course in Quebec – his first ever – remains one of his favorites.
“That was the very first one I did, which would have been in 2014,” said Kenny. “I did it again in 2018 and 2022. I got my best time on that course — 10 hours and 50 minutes. And that is a challenging course, so I was really happy with the result. I went into that race scared that I couldn’t even finish a full Ironman. I left that race feeling like, ‘Man, I’ve got a lot of fuel left in the tank, I probably could have went longer.’”
Kenny’s performance in Arizona has qualified him for the VinFast Ironman Men’s World Championship in Nice, France in September 2025.
“The race in Nice is one of the toughest on the whole circuit,” said Kenny. “The bike leg will be especially tough. But my plan is to enjoy it and take it all in. It’s a world championship race, and so all the pros will be there. It’s a great experience where you get to tow the line with the best in the world.”
But before heading to France, Kenny plans on heading to New York for Ironman Lake Placid on July 20.
“That’ll be a good warm up to Nice,” said Kenny. “The one in Lake Placid, New York has a lot of climbing as well, some 7,000 feet of climbing.”
Kenny said he aims to finish each triathlon within 11 to 12 hours. To do so, he needs to train upwards of 19 hours a week in the weeks leading up the competition.
“There’s a lot of training and a lot of sacrifices,” said Kenny. “For example, if you decided today that you want to do a triathlon, you need to start training and, in my opinion, you need a minimum of 10 hours of a week training. And the best option would be to start training one year out from the race, especially your first. And with the training program, you start small, and build up, just like if you had planned to do a marathon. If you’re just used to running a half marathon and you wanted to run a full marathon someday, you start training small and slowly build as the weeks progress.”
A competitor has to finish the race within 17 hours to receive a finisher medal, and Kenny said he’s seen folks crawl across the finish line.
And despite it being the shortest leg of the journey, Kenny said he has the most trouble with the swimming portion of the competition.
“Because I work offshore 28-days on, and 28 days off, I don’t get much swim training,” he said.
Kenny added that one of the most important things to remember when trying to keep fit, especially as you age, is to commit to a regular strength training and stretching routine.
“One thing I’ve learned from over the years and from doing all these races is that you cannot, cannot, forget the stretching, and strength training, especially as you get up into your mid-to-late forties and for sure in your fifties. You have to do strength training and take the time to do the strength training and the stretching. And I don’t use big weights. I use bands and body weight exercises. Strength training and stretching is critical.”
Originally from Cape Broyle, Kenny now resides in Witless Bay.
