Ironman entrant dedicates effort to leukemia patient

Angela Soo

Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2001 | 8:20 a.m.

Las Vegan Jay Heller has entered the competition of his lifetime -- the Ironman Triathlon World Championship.

"It's something I've been wanting to do for a long time," Heller, 33, said. "It's like the Super Bowl."

In a competition that takes anywhere from eight to 17 hours to complete, participants will attempt to swim 2.4 miles in the ocean, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles. The triathlon begins 7 a.m. Saturday in Kailua-Lona, Hawaii.

Both the male and female winners will receive $70,000. A total of $325,000 will be paid equally among the top 10 men and women.

Although Heller doesn't expect to win, especially since he's trying to recover from a recent bout of bronchitis, he has dedicated the race to 7-year-old Ethan Selstad, Las Vegas boy who has leukemia. Any money Heller earns will go to Selstad through the local Leukemia Foundation.

"I'm training in honor of a little boy here in town," Heller said. "I'm trying to bring some awareness and something to benefit the community."

But before he can even think about raising money, Heller will have to train in the few days that he has left. He left Sunday with his personal cheering squad.

"My dad, mom and fiancee are all going to support me in Hawaii," Heller said.

The competition draws about 1,500 athletes, ages 18 to 82, from 50 countries and 50 states. Temperatures on race day range from 82 to 95 degrees with 90 percent humidity. Crosswinds on portions of the bike course sometimes gust as high as 60 mph.

"It's just the pinnacle event to be brushing shoulders with some of the best athletes in the world," Heller said. "It's a dream come true."