Kevin Levi-Goerlich

Not many can call themselves “Ironman,” but one university student earned the title by placing first in his age group at the Ironman Lake Placid competition last month.

The July 27 triathlon was senior kinesiology major Kevin Levi-Goerlich’s first Ironman competition, and the victory secured him a spot in the Ironman World Championship in October.

“It’s surreal because of the flood of emotions that hits you when you cross the finish line,” Levi-Goerlich said.

His family and friends stood by the track and watched his progress, monitoring his position online when he was out of sight.

“I was telling him he was second, close to first,” said Genevieve Brock, a friend and senior kinesiology major who was at the race. “I told him he could hurry up and catch the first-place guy.”

Levi-Goerlich finished the course, which included a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run, with an official time of 9:33:11, about 10 minutes faster than the second-place finisher in the 18- to 24-year-old bracket.

He and Brock are both members of the Maryland Triathlon Club, of which Levi-Goerlich is vice-president. It was after Levi-Goerlich started training with the club that he realized he was better at longer races, he said.

“Endurance sports, in general, allow you to see who you are inside,” Levi-Goerlich said.

Competitors at the Lake Placid event faced challenges such as a thunderstorm that forced those still swimming in the lake to stop. But by that point, Levi-Goerlich was on a bike.

“It was definitely an interesting situation to be in,” he said.

Though he hadn’t raced in that kind of weather, Levi-Goerlich said he was prepared. He had spent eight months training two to three times a day, six days a week.

“He has probably one of the best work ethics that I’ve ever seen.” Brock said.

Once, she said, Levi-Goerlich told her he could hang out after he finished a four-and-a-half-hour bike ride and an hour-and-a-half run.

“And then [he] asked to swim for 45 minutes later that day with me,” Brock said.

Levi-Goerlich is used to hard work and dedication. His passion for triathlons began shortly after he left for college in 2011, said his mother, Susan Levi-Goerlich. He’s competed in 12 in the past year, with the end goal of racing in an Ironman.

He won the Collegiate division at Monticelloman Half Triathlon in 2013 and placed second place overall in 2014.

To maintain a balance between school and sport, Kevin said he focuses on time management. When training for the Ironman, he worked two part-time jobs while studying full time at this university. He also coached a youth triathlon club in Mount Airy.

“He is very focused,” his father, Ulrich Levi-Goerlich, said. “He just wants to deliver high quality.”

Levi-Goerlich said he will take a month off before training for the Oct. 11 Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

For now, he holds on to the good memories from that stormy day in Lake Placid.

“I would say that every triathlete dreams of being able to compete at the Ironman World Championships,” Levi-Goerlich said. “Qualifying on my first attempt was a dream come true.”