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11.12.04 Markus, left, and Susan (Stroup) Mittermayer Erskine graduate enters Ironman contest in Austria Erskine College graduates Markus and Susan (Stroup) Mittermayer traveled to Austria this past summer — but not just for any European vacation. The Mittermayers, who completed their bachelor's degrees at Erskine in 1975 and now live in South Pasadena, Fla., decided to go to the European country north of Italy so Markus could compete for the first time in the sixth Karnten Ironman Austria Triathlon. "Originally I'd been racing mountain bikes," Markus said. "It seems strange that we do it here in Florida, but there is a very active race circuit. To get to the parks we need to travel about one-and-a-half hours." He started training on a road bike that he could ride from his house. Two years ago, on New Year’s Day, Markus ran into a group called the "St. Pete Mad Dogs," an area triathlon club. "They were having a 'fun' triathlon and invited me to join them for the next one," Markus said. From that point, he did some sprint distance triathlons, followed by Olympic distance and finally, on July 4, his first Ironman competition. During the Ironman competition, participants have to swim 2.4 miles, bicycle for 112 miles and run 26.2 miles — all in less than 17 hours. The Mittermayers went over a week early to rent an apartment and "relax and have fun," Markus said. "A group of Mad Dogs had been there in 2001 and told us how wonderful it was — and that's true," he wrote for the Mad Dog Newsletter. "A beautiful lake to swim, beautiful mountains to ride and a beautiful run course around the lake and into the center of town." Erskine alumna Lucy (Terrell) Stokely joined the Mittermayers for the second and third week of the trip. Susan and Lucy were college roommates at Erskine. "It was my Erskine cheering section," Markus said. Markus was impressed by how well the event was organized. "The crowds were huge," he said. "(During) the biking, spectators lined up just like in the Tour de France — it really felt cool with so many people, helicopters, press, music and action going on." Starting a swimming competition with 2,089 participants was a "new experience" for Markus and likely not shared by many. “The water was cold and crowded,” he said. Then came the 26.2-mile run. "It was flat and the first half went OK, but then it got harder," Markus said. He finished the triathlon in 13:47:50. The Mittermayers and Stokely stayed for the continuing celebration with fireworks at midnight and an awards ceremony the next day. The trio then went to France and watched two stages of the Tour de France, which Markus said was "very cool." "Of course we got to see Lance," he said. Stokely said the trip to Europe was her first and she enjoyed having the opportunity to visit there. "Everything was so beautiful and clean, with sunflowers everywhere," Stokely said. "We explored castles and did a lot of sightseeing around Vienna." She said her favorite part of the visit to Vienna was visiting Markus’s aunt and uncle, who live in the historic part of the city. "Their home was beautiful, with painted, high ceilings, a private courtyard and winding staircases," Stokely said. "Markus's uncle said the hard part was finding a painter who would preserve the original paintings on the ceilings and not paint over them." Stokely said she also enjoyed following the Tour de France. "The French countryside was beautiful," she said. "It was so neat being a part of such a great event." No one in the group could speak French, Stokely said, so "buying food was a challenge." "But we had a great time," she said. "It was good to be with old friends." Stokely is an occupational therapist in Bradenton, Fla., while Markus Mittermayer is executive vice president of a travel agency and Susan is executive vice president of a trust company. They both work in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Markus Mittermayer |
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