The loudest cheers go to the stragglers, the Ironman triathletes who find a way to drag themselves across the line before the midnight deadline. Their reward? A roar from the crowd loud enough to drown out the space shuttle, sweaty hugs with family, and the coveted call that every triathlete lives for, “You are an Ironman!”

When thirty-nine year old software engineer Jerry Williamson and wife Denise witness the midnight bedlam at Ironman Lake Placid, he signs up for next year’s race and wonders what he is getting himself into. While Year of the Ironman chronicles the challenges that Jerry could never have imagined when he started his year of intensive training, his story is really about chasing a dream. His insider view of an extreme lifestyle offers hope and encouragement to those wearied by life’s routines.