In another few days, North Reading's Thor Kirleis will be trying for another personal-best time at the Ford Ironman World Championships in Clearwater, Fla.
Kirleis, 37, qualified for the half-triathlon (1.2-mile swim/56-mile bike ride/13.1-mile run) in August at the Timberman 70.3 in Bristol, N.H., finishing in a total time of 5:03.58. That shaved seven minutes off his previous personal record at that distance.
Yet, Kirleis will hardly be focused on his time.
"I'm just giddy about qualifying ... I'm going to enjoy myself and see what happens," he said.
Considering his background, and his recovery from a freak accident, who can blame him?
Already an avid soccer player and enthusiastic marathon runner, Kirleis was in Boston with some friends in 2000, horsing around, when he fell awkwardly on some glass, which severely cut into his left knee. That severed a nerve in his knee (as well as an index finger), causing him to lose all feeling from his knee down.
The accident forced Kirleis to endure five hours of surgery, which entailed serious nerve grafting, and still left him without any feeling in his lower left leg, not to mention some serious doubt about his ability to compete in sports.
"I felt that my sporting days were over," said Kirleis, a graduate of Northeastern University who works as a software engineer. "I kept asking the doctors if I'd play soccer again, but they wouldn't give me an answer."
Yet, Kirleis was not to be denied and he refused to settle for a sedentary life. Wearing a brace, he locked his foot onto a pedal and picked up biking. Then, after nine months, as the doctors predicted, he started to get back some feeling in his foot. In another year, he was back running again.
Gradually able to pick up where he left off, despite far less than full strength in his left leg, Kirleis worked his way back to a marathon, running the Dublin Marathon in 2004.
"That was my comeback marathon," said the Long Island native, who has run 33 marathons with a best time of 2:55. "It was amazing to me that I had gotten back, and I was just so happy to be doing it.
"I've pretty much forgotten about the accident although I still don't have complete feeling in my leg. I've regained about 95 percent of the movement I lost in my foot."
Kirleis, 37, qualified for the half-triathlon (1.2-mile swim/56-mile bike ride/13.1-mile run) in August at the Timberman 70.3 in Bristol, N.H., finishing in a total time of 5:03.58. That shaved seven minutes off his previous personal record at that distance.
Yet, Kirleis will hardly be focused on his time.
"I'm just giddy about qualifying ... I'm going to enjoy myself and see what happens," he said.
Considering his background, and his recovery from a freak accident, who can blame him?
Already an avid soccer player and enthusiastic marathon runner, Kirleis was in Boston with some friends in 2000, horsing around, when he fell awkwardly on some glass, which severely cut into his left knee. That severed a nerve in his knee (as well as an index finger), causing him to lose all feeling from his knee down.
The accident forced Kirleis to endure five hours of surgery, which entailed serious nerve grafting, and still left him without any feeling in his lower left leg, not to mention some serious doubt about his ability to compete in sports.
"I felt that my sporting days were over," said Kirleis, a graduate of Northeastern University who works as a software engineer. "I kept asking the doctors if I'd play soccer again, but they wouldn't give me an answer."
Yet, Kirleis was not to be denied and he refused to settle for a sedentary life. Wearing a brace, he locked his foot onto a pedal and picked up biking. Then, after nine months, as the doctors predicted, he started to get back some feeling in his foot. In another year, he was back running again.
Gradually able to pick up where he left off, despite far less than full strength in his left leg, Kirleis worked his way back to a marathon, running the Dublin Marathon in 2004.
"That was my comeback marathon," said the Long Island native, who has run 33 marathons with a best time of 2:55. "It was amazing to me that I had gotten back, and I was just so happy to be doing it.
"I've pretty much forgotten about the accident although I still don't have complete feeling in my leg. I've regained about 95 percent of the movement I lost in my foot."
Rejuvenated following the Dublin Marathon, he tried - on the suggestion of his fiance, Heather Sinopoli - his luck in a small triathlon in Rhode Island in 2005. After all, he was an avid runner and, following his accident, he had become a conscientious biker. So what if his swimming skills - to put it mildly - were limited?
Encouraged by his performance, Kirleis tried another triathlon and, he says, got hooked.
"That's when I really got the (triathlon) bug," said Kirleis, who has lived in North Reading for 12 years. "I signed up for a half Ironman in Miami and I did exceptionally well for the first time. I had the seventh fastest run split and I did pretty well on the bike. I was worried about the swim, but I made it OK."
Kirleis had good reason to be worried about the swim. He had never swum much in his life and, when he was 7, he nearly drowned, leaving him petrified of the water.
Still, he overcame his fear and, while improving, he still struggles with the swimming segment. Regardless, a new career had been launched.
Since then, Kirleis has moved up to a full Ironman (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, 26.2-mile run) and competed in Ironman Wisconsin in 2006. This year he competed in Ironman Coeur d'Alene (in Idaho), which served as the national championship at that distance. He finished with a highly respectable time of 11:04.06, good for 242nd out of 2,197 finishers.
"I still pinch myself that I did so well," said Kirleis, whose first name is Juergen, but goes by his middle name. "I consider it the race of my life. After doing the swim and bike, I had a 3:35 marathon time."
Of course, the marathon has always been his strength. He has run 33 of them overall and, three weeks ago, completed a string of running one a month for 14 straight months, a streak he is ending so that he can focus more on the other segments of the triathlon.
Long range, Kirleis would like to qualify for the famed Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii and get his full triathlon time under 10 hours.
"I realize that would be an incredible improvement for me and maybe unlikely," he said. "But you shoot for the stars and maybe you hit the moon. If I don't reach it, that's all right. I'll have tried."
After the way Kirleis has recovered from his accident seven years ago, not to mention a cycling accident in 2005 that sent him to the hospital and put him on the shelf for a month and a half, it's the competition and training that leads up to it that thrills him.
Whatever prizes and accolades he might win this weekend will just be icing on the exercise cake.
Meet Thor Kirleis
Age: 37
Residence: North Reading
Job: Software engineer
Sport: Triathlons, marathons
Next competition: Ford Ironman 70.3 World Championship Nov. 10 in Clearwater, Fla.
Key numbers: Has run 33 marathons with a best time of 2:55, has competed in two full Ironman triathlons, with a top time of 11:04.06; ran a marathon a month for 14 straight months.
Overcoming adversity: In 2000, a freak accident severed a nerve in his left leg, forcing him to lose all feeling from the knee down and put his competitive future in serious doubt
John Wall talks about the loss to the Heat-2/10
Collins takes the blame for the Sixers' final possession
Sixers vs. Clippers highlights
Sixers defensive effort not enough vs. Clippers
Post game plus crew on the Sixers loss
Rose and Zumoff recap the Sixers last second loss
Penn vs. Harvard highlights
Stefon Diggs chooses Maryland, Randy Edsall comments-2/10
Cal Ripken says the Orioles will go as far as their pitching-2/10
Sandusky makes a statement
Collegiate Corner: Philly College Hoops - 2/9
Ovechkin: "I don't think we deserved to lose today."
Brayden Schenn scores a goal against his brother Luke
What is ailing the Flyers?
Briere on facing the Maple Leafs
Flyers on Bobrovsky starting and work ethic
Schenn and Hartnell help the Flyers snap their skid
Iguodala is selected to his first All-Star Game
What is the injury situation with Hawes?
Brayden Schenn on trade rumors surrounding his brother, Luke Schenn
Julien: 'did it the hard way'
McAdam's Spring Training primer
Doc: Team's effort is 'un-Celtic'
Pierce stresses mental toughness
Globe 10.0 Who was the best free agent in Boston?
Maria Menounos dons a Giants-colored bikini after losing Super Bowl bet-2/7
Thomas' moratorium: 'I'm out, peace'
Gasol: 'Not pleasant' being part of trade rumor
Blakely: Gasol-for-Rondo trade unlikely
Brady-ing is Latest Internet Meme
Globe 10.0: Is Paul Pierce the Celtics greatest scorer?
Ranking Pierce among Celtics greats
Garnett's tale of first meeting Paul Pierce
Pierce's loyalty touted after big night
Hurt Locker: Patriots react to Super Bowl loss
Brown: 'Eli Manning is better than Tom Brady'
Local fans crushed by Patriots loss in Super Bowl XLVI
Marcus Johansson Caps lone goal in loss to Bruins-2/5
Matt Hendricks throws down with the Bruins' Adam McQuaid--2/5
Vinatieri, Law, Brown recount Super Bowl XXXVI
