Road to Kona

Mike Sciacca

Dave and Becky Bartis have traversed this course before, the one that

runs through the town of Penticton in British Columbia and the

surrounding Okanagan Valley.

The husband and wife triathlon team from Huntington Beach are in

Penticton to compete at the Ironman Canada on Sunday.

They will join more than 1,800 other athletes from around the

globe to compete in the Canadian event, which, annually, is one of

the most popular triathlons in the world.

The Ironman Canada, which is celebrating its 21st anniversary, is

comprised of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile

run.

Athletes will be competing for 100 qualifying spots in the

upcoming Ironman World Championships, to be held in October in Kona,

Hawaii, as well as a portion of the $75,000 pro prize purse.

“We definitely want to make it back to Hawaii,” said Dave Bartis,

38, a former All-American diver. “We had an incredible time last year

and we’re trying to qualify for it again in this Ironman Canada

triathlon.”

Each Ironman event held during the year offers qualifying spots

for the Ironman World Championships in Kona.

The Ironman Canada race will offer 100 spots for the world

championships event, Dave Bartis said, so both he and his wife will

need to finish among the top 5% in their respective race group.

Becky Bartis will compete in the 30-34 age division and Dave

Bartis will run among the 35- to 39-year-old competitors.

This is the second Ironman Canada for the Bartis’ who competed at

last August’s event.

They each hit a personal best mark last year in Penticton, Dave

finishing the event in 10 hours, 8 minutes and Becky crossing the

finish line in 10 hours, 50 minutes.

The Bartis’ first met in podiatry school -- they now run their own

podiatry office -- and in October, will be married seven years.

“We had both been very athletic and competitive when we met,” said

Becky Bartis, 33, a track and field and cross country athlete who

competed at UCLA. “I came more from a running side and Dave was more

from the swim side with diving.

“I told him that if he taught me more about swimming, I’d teach

him about running. Together, we’ll learn how to bike. We did and each

have done eight Ironman events.”

They train year-round, she said. Early morning and evening

training sessions are the norm.

“We do marathons and half-marathons during the winter,” she said.

“We love it. This is our hobby and kind of our lifestyle. It’s

definitely time consuming but it’s also nice that we can do this

together.”

Dave Bartis recently won the Fourth of July Huntington Beach 5K

race, giving him the overall title for the second consecutive year.

“My reason for doing an Ironman competition is to push myself, to

see how far I can go” he said. “I’ve always been very competitive and

this is just a great way to keep in shape.

“It’s also great in that it’s a good outlet from work and it

allows us to be outdoors and train together.”

The Bartis’ took in a stray cat and named it, Kona, after the site

of the world championships event.

“He’s our inspiration to get back there,” Becky Bartis said.

A year ago, the Bartis’ each had the thrill of competing at Kona,

getting the chance after being selected from a lottery drawing.

More than 5,000 athletes entered the lottery for the chance to

land a spot in the world championship, but only 150 names were

selected, Becky Bartis said.

“We entered separately and by an amazing stroke of luck, we both

were selected,” she said. “It was just an amazing experience and one

we’ll never forget. We both enjoyed every moment of it.”

Both finished among the top 50% of the athletes competing in Kona:

Dave finished in 10 hours, 48 minutes and Becky finished in 11 hours,

34 minutes.

But the trip was bittersweet for the two.

Three days after the Ironman in Kona -- where Becky’s entire

family had traveled to cheer the two on as they crossed the finish

line -- her father died of a heart attack while snorkeling.

“It’s really important for us to get back to Hawaii and honor my

dad,” she said. “He was one of our biggest supporters who went to

many, many of our events. We want to do it for him.”

* MIKE SCIACCA covers sports and features. He can be reached at

(714) 965-7171 or by e-mail at [email protected].