KTRK anchor Art Rascon showed he has the heart of an iron man after finishing an Ironman with two broken wrists.
Rascon posted to Facebook that he was “grateful” after he “smashed head on” into a 55-gallon barrel, eight miles into the 112-mile cycling portion of last weekend’s Ironman Texas. He said he flew off his bicycle while he looked away for a moment.
The IronMan is considered the most difficult one day endurance test in the sporting world. It’s a 2.4 mile swim in open water, followed by a 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile marathon to wrap it up with a bow.
During the Monday morning newscast on the station’s streaming channel, Rascon talked about his wrists after his accident.
“I didn’t know they were broken at the time,” Rascon told morning anchors Samica Knight and his son Jacob Rascon in an on-air interview. “I looked at the bike, hoping that it would be rideable… I just thought in my mind that I got to finish.”
He said when he grabbed the handlebars to get back on the bike, he felt pain in his left wrist. He also knew he had over 100 miles left on the ride and a 26.2-mile run to go.
“There were thoughts running through my mind because I was in so much pain after the wreck that I thought I can’t continue,” Rascon said. “There’s no way. Those thoughts were passing through the mind. But then, there was me trying to prevail over those thoughts, saying ‘I’ve got to do it. I can do this.'”
Rascon finished with an hour and 45 minutes before the course deadline, which is usually either 16 or 17 hours depending on the course.