Soon, Landry plans to complete what will be just her fourth Ironman race and say she’s done the race known to all as Kona.
She’s been training for Kona since she found out she was a lottery winner in April, yet Landry’s entry into the competition seems to be a story of destiny that began when she was 9.
As a child, 25 years ago, Landry handed out water to the athletes in Kona. She also cheered for her father, Jim, who competed in the race and finished it in 1982 and ’83.
“It was really exciting to be in that environment as a young child and I never let go of that,” Landry said. “To watch him do Kona when I was 9, that stayed with me forever. It’s such a magical place.”
Landry spent several weekends with her family, traveling from New Jersey to New York to Boston and along the East Coast to watch her father compete in triathlons. But it wasn’t until five years ago that she actually became truly hooked on the sport.
She began with long distance running and then delved into triathlon.
For the past four years, she entered the lottery for Kona, hoping to land a spot. Now she’s wanting to write a book about a thirty-something interior designer/Newport Beach wife who finished Kona, swimming in the ocean water for 2.4 miles, biking for 112 miles and running a 26.2 marathon.
She’s already set up a website, www.2genim.com, that works as a biography. The website address stands for second generation Ironman.
Next weekend, she’ll add journal entries about Kona and photos that will most likely include her father, who booked his flight and hotel before his daughter did.
Jim Muehe, 63, who is retired in Arizona, is thrilled for his daughter and excited to return to Kona. He was last there in 1991 to watch his brother compete.
