Idaho Falls man intensifies training for personal Ironman race

An Idaho Falls man is inching closer to his goal of completing the Iron Man course in Kona, Hawaii, but the challenges of obtaining that goal haven’t stopped yet.

Rod Hutchins, 57, continues to train right here in eastern Idaho, and he is getting some help from technology.

Hutchins runs on a treadmill and cycles on a stationary bike that can adapt to the changing terrain of the course he’ll take.

They increase their incline or resistance when the course goes up hill, and both decrease when the course heads downhill.

“To be able to, for today for example, it’s snowing outside. I could run outside, but one fall could damage both of my replaced hips,” says Hutchins, “It could damage my replaced knee. It could damage the spinal stimulator I have in my back. So I’m very limited and careful to any outside activity right now.”

Hutchins will also have to swim as part of his iron man race in April, and he jokes he hasn’t been able to replicate the oceanic conditions of Hawaii in the land-locked Idaho falls area.

But he says he’s come a long way since having nine surgeries in nine months after being paralyzed from the next down with Guillan-Barre syndrome.

Hutchins says, “From the time, remember back in March, just two times a week on the treadmill and on the bike, did me in. To come this far, to have that much incremental growth, and progress over that time. Then to be two and a half months out, we’re pretty confident that we’ll get this job done.”

Rod Hutchins is asking for help to send him, and his Dream Team, to Hawaii in April. He has a deadline to raise the $150,000 needed.

If you would like to help donate to his cause, click on the link here: https://www.gofundme.com/irondreamteam