IRONMAN Speaks at Noon Rotary

(LEFT TO RIGHT: SPENCER FOX, NORMA LANSING AND MARK PROBST)

Mark Probst is a local business owner. He's also a marathon man. He's also a triathlete.

Probst, the owner of Probst Auto Body in Dieterich and Flora, spoke to the Effingham Noon Rotary Club on September 13. He spoke, though, about his experiences as a competitor in IRONMAN Triathlons.

Probst said he played junior high basketball, but that was it for him as far as being an "athlete" until he started running. That led to marathons, which eventually led him to compete in an IRONMAN Triathlon. 

A triathlon consists of running a marathon (26.2 miles), swimming 2.4 miles, and bicycling 112 miles; a total of 140.6 miles. 

Probst competed in a triathlon, but decided in recent years to try another one. He got permission from his wife and his children were old enough to understand what their dad was competing in. He took part in an event at Lake Placid, New York, the site of a couple of Winter Olympics. He discussed both the physical and mental toll such an effort took. 

Noon Rotary also saw the resumption of the weekly Rotary student guest, something the club participates in each school year. The inaugural student guest for this school year was Spencer Fox, son of Jason and Jennifer Fox and a senior at Effingham High School. Both EHS and St. Anthony High School participate in the program. Fox plans to play baseball in college, major in Exercise Science and then attend medical school and become an Orthopedic Surgeon.

Norma Lansing served as Rotary weekly program chairman.