Professor Doug Hume bikes the 112-mile leg of the triathlon. Courtesy: Doug Hume
An Ironman triathlon includes a 2.4-mile swim and 112-mile bike race, which is followed by a full marathon of 26.2 miles. Sound hard? Not for Doug Hume, assistant professor of political science who Nov. 17 finished his Ironman race in Tempe, Ariz., in 13 hours and 26 minutes.
This was Hume’s third Ironman since 2010. His most recent time was about an hour slower than one he ran in 2011, he said.
“I just kind of hit a wall on the run and just really struggled through the last 18 miles. It was brutal,” Hume said.
You don’t have to justify it, professor Hume. Although the run was difficult for him, he finished the 2.4-mile swim in just one hour and three minutes.
“I’m best at the swim; I’m a pretty good swimmer. The bike is pretty enjoyable, I like riding the bike, and the run, that’s a grind,” Hume said.
Every Ironman goes in the same pattern with the swim portion first, followed by the bike race and finishing with a full marathon.
“I think they do that because they don’t want people really really tired at the end of the day in the water because they’d just sink,” Hume said. “So, you get [the swim] out of the way first, and then the next most dangerous would be the bike because a bike crash would be pretty bad. And then if you’re running, the worst you could is just kind of keel over, and you’re not really hurting anyone else.”
Dr. David Lambert, a colleague who is also an assistant professor in the Department of History and Political Science, tracked Hume’s progress during the race.
“I was just inspired to know that he was going to be doing the Ironman, so I just asked him and he gave me his bib number and stuff and followed him on the online tracker,” said Lambert.
Hume’s drive to do the races comes from his motivation to stay in shape and to find relief from stress in a busy life.
“In my prior career, I think a lot of it was a stress reliever as well, to kind of get out. I would end up being indoors all day. … It’s a stressful job being a lawyer, so it’s a chance to just kind of get out and get in the sun and enjoy nature a little bit,” Hume said.
Hume started working as an adjunct professor in the political science department more than a decade ago. Before Hume started working at APU full-time this fall, he was a practicing attorney. He went to law school at Pepperdine University after finishing his undergrad at Azusa Pacific in 1993.
“Eventually, [I] really felt the Lord calling me here full time. So I kind of left the full-time law position and started teaching full time this fall,” said Hume.
Alexander Rice graduated from APU in May 2012 with a political science degree and said he thinks Hume’s new position as pre-law adviser and full-time faculty is “a perfect fit.”
“He’s a fantastic teacher who provides valuable insight for those who are interested in pursuing a law degree,” Rice said.
Rice took two classes with Hume; both were once-a-week night classes from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Rice speculated that Hume’s endurance, as shown through his Ironman races, is what made his classes fun and enjoyable.
“When I took them, he would work all day, at a full-time job, then come and teach a 3-hour class at the end of his work day, and he never seemed worn out,” Rice said. “It’s a 3-hour class that you walk out not feeling exhausted, but feeling refreshed.”
Rice is currently studying to take the LSAT Saturday, Dec. 7 and credits Hume for why he is pursuing a career in law.
“[Hume] emphasized creating an environment that was as close to law school as you could get at the undergrad level, while providing feedback that was, for me personally encouraging,” Rice said. “And I really enjoyed the study, so it just made me realize, yeah this is what I want to do.”
While Hume was a student at APU, he threw javelin and discus for the track team. The current vice president for student life and dean of students, Terry Franson, was one of Hume’s coaches.
Franson said as an athlete, Hume “was very focused, very hardworking … He was very dedicated and so solid.”
Hume’s dedication and hard work made him an great athlete, Franson said.
“Nobody could outwork him. Maybe he didn’t have as high level of [natural] talent as some of the others, but his work ethic surpassed whatever gap there might have been in innate God-given talent,” Franson said.
Although Hume threw javelin and discus competitively as an APU student, he doesn’t consider himself incredibly competitive while training for the triathlons. Instead, he receives his energy during the competitions.
“I guess I’m kind of a competitive person, but not really. I don’t think that’s a good word to describe me. I’m more of an includer overall,” Hume said. “When you’re doing one of these triathlons, they always put your age on your calf in marker and I think part of that is so you can kind of see people in your age group run by you or that you’re coming up on. That gets a little competitive at times when people are close to you in your division, you try to outdo them.”
His former coach was surprised to hear Hume had completed his third triathlon, but said it reflected his character.
“Being a husband and a dad and involved with a lot of stuff in his community and commuting and doing a triathlon, it kind of goes back to how I remember him as an athlete – very driven, very focused, very goal-oriented. So that’s an unbelievable accomplishment,” Franson said.
Hume explained he turned to triathlons after playing basketball to stay in shape became painful. After a friend brought up the idea, he started by doing shorter triathlons before completing his first Ironman.
“I think once you start getting a little older, the thermostat, I like to say, turns down a little bit in your body. You aren’t quite able to burn things as quickly as when you were young, so it’s just an extra way to stay in shape,” Hume said.
Hume usually trains by running alone, sometimes biking with friends, and participates in a swim club where he receives group coaching.
“It’s a cool sport, and it’s growing and it’s a lot of fun. If people ever go out, they can do a real short, a sprint race, where the distances are short and get a feel for it. Most people who do it just love it, they get hooked. The whole atmosphere and the people are great, a lot of excitement and just a lot of fun,” Hume said.
Hume seems unfazed by his accomplishments, while others gawk at the thought of being physically active for 13 hours straight.
“Just think to do all that, any one of those things: 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike race and then 26.2[-mile] marathon … it’s just such an inspiration,” Lambert said.
When he’s not training for an Ironman or teaching for APU, Hume loves playing musical instruments and attending soccer and volleyball games and track meets to cheer on his three daughters, all less than 13 years old. Hume plans on taking a break from training for an Ironman until his next planned one in 2015.