Over the past two
decades Greg Pressler has run in eight Hood to Coast races
and competed in hundreds of triathlons, including the mother
of all such events, Ironman Hawaii. Last June he biked in
the 493-mile Race Across Oregon.
In January, the 32-year-old switched gears slightly to become
editor of a new magazine about endurance sports, CitySports
Northwest. Whew!
Willamette Week: If I asked you to get out of
your chair this minute and run a marathon, could you do
it?
Greg Pressler: Yeah, I could do it. I could go out and
run 26.2 miles without too much discomfort. It wouldn't
be my fastest effort, but I could definitely finish. Running
is somewhat cumulative. If you're in it for a long enough
time, you usually get to the point where you can do things
that previously or to other people seem very, very difficult.
What's your daily regimen like? A moment ago you looked
at your watch and noted it was 3:30 pm and it was all right
to drink a RC Cola. Is that part of your diet?
I try to keep my consumption of soda down. Beer, being
a power food, is another story. But my daily regimen really
depends on a number of factors. Number one, what time of
year it is. Typically, in the winter my intensity is lower.
Intensity in what way?
I do harder workouts in the summer or spring; in the winter,
they tend to be lower intensity--just more maintaining fitness
levels. I have a general plan: I swim Monday, Wednesday
and Friday mornings.
You're married?
Happily married for five years.
With all your working out, and now editing a magazine,
does that take a toll on your relationship? Is your wife
into endurance sports?
In the last couple of years, she's really taken a keen
interest in endurance sports. She ran her first marathon
at Portland Marathon this last year. She did a great job.
Amazing. She's a very gifted athlete in her own right. I've
seen a lot of relationships fail because of one person's
devotion or over-devotion or overemphasis on their sport.
Two-time Ironman Hawaii champion Scott Tinley once described
his pursuit of victory as being druglike, controlling every
aspect of his life. Is that true?
It can be. An acquaintance of mine has said, "Beware the
drug that lurks at 140.6."
Meaning?
140.6 is the total combined mileage of the Ironman competition.
So, beware the drug that lurks at 140.6. Because it's like
heroin. No, I've never done heroin, but it's a very powerful
drug, and it can take its toll on relationships.
Have you made any money in endurance sports?
I don't think I've ever been paid for competing. I've had
a sponsor here and there, but I've never been paid. I've
raised some money for some charities.
What's the first thing you want to do at the end of
an Ironman competition?
I was hoping you were going to ask me about the Race Across
Oregon, because I was thinking about three things. In no
particular order, I was thinking about beer, pizza and sleep.
How is that different from any other night?
Right, that's a normal night. Hey, it's Thursday, goddammit--we
gotta have beer, pizza and sleep and--I don't know, throw
another three- or four-letter word in there and the imagination
runs wild. Just like a drug user will have a different experience
every time he or she uses drugs. Like, let's say you drop
acid...one acid trip might be totally 180 degrees different
from the next acid trip. That's kind of like the Ironman.
Is it hard for you to look around at the state of the
American physique?
Mac, I have a tough time with that every day. And so every
day I have to tell myself to do what I can to help improve
that. If I'm walking through an airport, I am constantly
amazed at the state that people let themselves get into.
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Willamette Week | originally
published February 2,
2000
|
