Completing an Ironman Triathlon is no small feat; it's a challenge that includes running a 26.22-mile marathon, biking for 112 miles and completing a 2.4-mile swim. When father-and-son duo Jeff and Johnny Agar — aka Team Agar — competed in their first Ironman back in 2016, they failed to finish. Their next four attempts were also unsuccessful. But last month, the pair, on their sixth try, at last crossed the finish line with just four minutes and 25 seconds to spare before the competition's 17-hour completion deadline ended.
Completing the notoriously challenging triathlon is a triumph for any athlete. For Team Agar, it's also a testament to both a father's love and a son's grit and unwavering belief in himself. Now 28, Johnny was born premature at 29 weeks — a full-term pregnancy is 40 weeks — and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, a group of disorders that can affect movement and muscle tone. He and his father use specialized equipment, including a kayak for the swim portion, that enables Jeff to push or pull Johnny along the course. As the Rockford, Mich., natives approached the finish line at Ironman Maryland in Cambridge, on Sept. 17, Johnny stood, and with the help of a mobility aid, made those final steps on his own, letting out a yell as he achieved his longtime goal.
"I had all that pent-up emotion and that's how it all came out," Johnny tells Yahoo Life, adding that he tends to get emotional any time he finishes a race. "I never take one for granted, [whether] it's a 5k or Ironman."
Johnny Agar (pictured with his parents, Jeff and Becki Agar) achieved his dream of completing the Ironman with his dad after five unsuccessful attempts. (Photo: Johnny Agar Instagram)
While they're now established endurance athletes with the Ironman finisher shirts and medals — not to mention appearances in Under Armour ads alongside Michael Phelps and Dwayne Johnson — to prove it, Team Agar didn't really get its start until 2012. Seeing his son's interest in participating in races for myTeam Triumph, Jeff decided to get involved himself. "I wonder how tough a 5k could be," Jeff, who describes his previous athletic endeavors as mostly high school baseball, remembers thinking at the time. The first race was "brutal." The second one saw them being outpaced by "an 80-year-old power walker." But the pair resolved to train, and eventually set their sights on bigger challenges.