Sports

UPDATE: Local dentist competes in Iron Man in Hawaii

By Bill Moss, Published: October 11, 2013

Nigel Morgan, a busy dentist with three children under 9 years old, swims at the YMCA during lunch, takes long bike rides on weekends and runs "while my children are asleep." He makes time to train for triathlons.

Dr. Morgan, 40, was among 2,000 athletes from 60 countries competing Saturday at the Iron Man in Kona, on Hawaii's Big Island, the world championship of triathlons.

Morgan finished the 140.6-mile event in 10:11:50 — with a 2.4-mile swim of 1:02:22, a 112-mile bike segment of 5:17:10 and a marathon (26.2 miles) time of 3:41:10. He placed 139th among 305 male triathletes in the 40-44 age group.

The overall winner, Frederik Van Lierde of Belgium, finished the race in 8:12:29. Among celebrity athletes, former NFL football star Hines Ward finished in 13:08:09, with a 1:20:01 swim, a 6:21:12 bicycle segment and 5:12:56 marathon.
At a regional Iron Man tryout in Louisville, Ky., Morgan finished 38th out of 3,000 competitors and seventh in his 40-44 age group. For that race, the triathletes swam in the Ohio River.
In Hawaii, the athletes swim in the Pacific Ocean, and unless they want to swim from the back of the pack, they generally tread water for about 10 minutes before the starting gun. The 2.4-mile swim is followed by a 112-mile bike segment and then a marathon — 26.2 miles. It's 140.6 miles in all.
He swims at the YMCA with Jim Marshall, one of the most dedicated swimmers in town.
"I've improved my swimming," he said.
A runner first, Morgan said he still enjoys the running part of the three-event challenge. He devotes 15 to 20 hours a week to training and has built up stamina through years of conditioning.
"Now I tend to stay off the roads just because they've gotten so dangerous," he said of running. His long runs and bike rides are three to four hours; he swims 5,000-6,000 meters, almost two miles. Sometimes he swims at Biltmore Lake to simulate the rougher water of the Pacific.
"Typically I try to eat basically a balanced diet," he said. "A lof of fruit and vegetables. I stay away from fried food. I don't ever eat fast food. I don't really count calories."
That's not surprising given how many calories a triathlete burns in training and racing.
During the event, he will try to ingest 600 calories per hour while on the bicycling segment and take in 14,000 milligrams of sodium.
"It's something that I kind of struggle with," he said of his liquid intake. "I have a real high sweat rate. I try and really look at body awareness."

Born in Scotland, Morgan moved with his family to Chapel Hill when he was 8 years old.

He ran cross country at Chapel Hill High School and ran for a year at Brevard College before transferring to N.C. State University, where he earned a degree in psychology. He received a master's degree in public health from Boston University and earned his dentistry degree from UNC.

Born in Scotland, Morgan moved with his family to Chapel Hill when he was 8 years old.
After serving as director of the Haywood County Dental Clinic for two years and working in a cosmetic and restorative practice in Asheville, be started his own practice in Hendersonville practice, in March 2008.
He and his wife, Felisa, a marathon runner, have daughters ages 9 and 7 and a son who is 4.
While he's run triathlons all over, Hawaii is his favorite. This will be his sixth race at Kona. His wife and children will be there to watch him, and after the race the family take a week to enjoy the island.
On Sunday, Morgan said he would probably take a short bike ride to loosen up his body. But other than that he'll relax, recover and eat.
"I love the training, I love the lifestyle," he said. "It keeps me feeling young. I get to travel to different places and challenge my body. It seems like every Iron Man you do is different."