BRANSON — Nothing wrong with a little sibling rivalry.
Kyle McCammon and Kelly (McCammon) Murphy laugh about who beat whom at the 2010 Ironman 70.3 Branson Sept. 19. Both are Iola High graduates and children to former Iolans Duane and Betty McCammon.
“I really wanted to beat him,” Kelly said from her parents’ home in Branson, Mo., the week after the race. “It was the first time I’ve ever competed in an ironman.”
“Yeah, I did beat her but she is the story. It was her first and she qualified in her age group to compete at the national championships,” Kyle said in a telephone interview from Bridgeport, WV.
Kyle has competed in ironman races, which has competitors swim, bike and run, for several years. He even did the Ironman Brazil in 2004. He said he has done 13 half-ironman races, which was what Branson’s was.
“I had a great swim and the bike ride wasn’t bad. The course was challenging but the run was tough,” Kyle said. “I had a bad bike crash in 2006 and I’m just now getting back to competing.”
Kyle, who is an emergency room doctor in West Virginia, quickly moved the conversation to Kelly. He said he was really proud of her.
“Kelly is an elite marathon runner. She qualified for the national her first time out. That’s hard to do,” Kyle said.
Kelly said she knows how to train for the marathons “but finding the time for the long bike ride was tough.
“It was a lot of fun but I didn’t do so well in the swim portion of the race. When I knew Kyle was coming home (Branson) for this, it was a way to get together as a family too. We use the marathons and now the ironman to get some family time,” Kelly said.
Kelly finished second in the women’s 45-49 age group in 5 hours, 56 minutes, 12 seconds. Kyle was eighth in the men’s 50-54 age group in 5:52:56. Kelly’s husband, Bob Murphy, finished the race in 6:33:17 in the men’s 50-54 group.
In the half-ironman, there is a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike course and a 13.1-mile run.
“I don’t know if I’ll go to the nationals in November. It was a challenge and really enjoyed it because it was different than just running a marathon,” Kelly said. Kelly is a personal trainer in Nashville, Tenn.
“Ironman is a life sport. I really enjoy the cross training it gives you,” Kyle said.
Kyle was a quarterback and half-miler for Iola High School, graduating in 1971. Kelly ran track and cross country, still holding several IHS records. She graduated from IHS in 1981.
McCammon siblings compete in Branson half-Ironman
