James R Ward -- Ironman Tribute

This is an amazing local story about John Spense and his experiences in WWII.  The first of a very few and certainly among the even fewer remaining.

Another of the few has passed and I knew him and admired him as a role model.  James R. Ward Was an Ironman.  I watched him compete at Kona and National and World triathlon championships.  He was a legendary "Iron Gent" of Kona.

I knew he was in the OSS during WWII and swam up rivers in Burma at night to map them.  He never said anything else about his service.

Something he said at an Ironman Kona awards banquet where he set an 75-79 age group record for the oldest, fastest triathlete back in the day when the when the oldest competing man and woman were given the honor of saying something to us all in addition to the men and woman winners.

He said, as best I can remember:  "It is my sincerest wish that each and every one of you will someday break my age group record."  I said to myself:  "Yes, Jim I will do that someday in memory of you."  Now I am 70 and the last race in Kona was '96.  My dear friend Harriet Anderson is still racing and won her age group this year again at Kona.  I still go to Kona every year to watch friends race and in memory of those that I have known.  Among them the memory of the woman I loved and raced triathlons with, was privileged shared my life with for more than 20 years.  I do the course in Kona the week before the race.  Sometimes attend the Iron Gents luncheon.  I touch again the spirit of Jeanette and those spirits of the extraordinary people I have known there.  They continue to inspire me.  Among them I always remember Jim. 

Once while triathlon training and swimming in the pool at Camp Pendleton I met a man who said he taught Jim how to swim and told me a few more things about Jim.  I wondered if there was more to know and like John Spense, Jim leaves behind and amazing story as well.  He writes about his unit here, Detachment 101, OSS.  More on OSS Det. 101 here and also here: http://www.oss-101.com/.  There is an interview with Jim here but it is not available online.  More on the OSS in the Pacific here

Jim evidently talks about his exploits here but links to an M
mp3 file do not work.  I was surprised to learn that he was in Vietnam at the same time I was.  Even more surprised to learn of his status in the CIA.

Jim was a gracious giant of a man.  My idea of everything an Ironman should be and I would hope to be.  The triathlon community was saddened by his loss.

Jim died 5 miles into a long bike ride. at the age of 83.  We raced together in many races.

We raced together many times.  One of his favorite race t-shirts was from a National Championship in which we both raced.  Mine favorite too.  Maybe it was our racing colors.  Red, white and blue. I happened to be wearing mine somewhere and he was also wearing his.  His was well faded but Jim's memory is still clear in my mind as one of the most admired men I have met.