Capt. Reese Wolff (Alaska) bikes 112 miles to complete the second leg of the Ironman Santa Rosa.

Capt. Reese Wolff (Alaska) puts his perseverance, physical endurance, and sheer will to the test a half dozen times a year. When he’s not flying the Airbus A320 or volunteering as a Training Committee member for his pilot group, he competes in Ironman contests. Having been bitten by the triathlon “bug,” his goal is to one day qualify for and participate in the annual Kona Ironman World Championship in Hawaii.

“Finishing a full Ironman is an epic achievement,” Wolff remarked. While many airline pilots were either flying or at home spending time with their families for Mother’s Day weekend last year, this third-generation ALPA member swam 2.4 miles (3.86 kilometers) in Lake Sonoma; biked a grueling 112 miles (180.25 kilometers) in the Alexander, Russian River, and Dry Creek valleys; and ran an arduous 26.2-mile trek (42.2 kilometers) that included the Santa Rosa Creek Trail to compete in last year’s Ironman Santa Rosa in Santa Rosa, Calif. “I finished in the top 15 percent for my age group,” said Wolff, 52, who noted that his time was 11 hours and 4 minutes.

Santa Rosa was the only full Ironman Wolff competed in during 2019. “You really only have one of those in you a year; at least, I do,” he divulged. Last year’s other competitions were Ironman 70.3 contests, which split the distance for each of a full Ironman triathlon’s three segments. The Alaska captain also participated in last year’s Superseal Olympic Triathlon, which took place on March 17 in Coronado, Calif. Participants swam 1,500 meters in the San Diego Bay, biked 40 kilometers of the Silver Strand Highway, and ran the final 10 kilometers on a dirt trail beside the bay.

Wolff said that while he ran competitively in high school, he started smoking in his early 20s, which limited his exercise activities. “When my second son was born in 2002, I realized that I didn’t want my kids growing up around cigarettes,” he said. “I had tried to quit previously, but with no luck. Finally, I just started running again. Every time I craved a cigarette, I’d go for a run.”

Running eventually led to marathons, and Wolff competed in 20—including the Boston Marathon on six occasions. However, he soon transitioned to triathlons, noting, “When running marathons, I realized after a while that I wasn’t getting any faster, so I started mentally shopping for a new challenge.” Wolff, who previously flew for Virgin America, has a couple of buddies who also flew for the airline and transitioned to Alaska with the merger in 2018. They compete in Ironman competitions and talked him into trying one.

Participating in an Ironman triathlon takes an incredible amount of commitment and preparation. “You have to spend a bunch of money buying the right kind of bike, a wet suit, and other equipment,” he said. Conditioning is also important. “For Santa Rosa, I trained 21 hours a week for five months,” recalled Wolff. “I split that up among swimming, riding, running, and a day at the gym doing weight-lifting resistance training—not to mention stretching and yoga.”

Wolff noted that his very supportive wife, Samantha, serves as his nutritional assistant, trainer, travel planner, and race-day guide. “This is a very selfish sport. You can’t do it without support at home,” he commented.

Looking ahead, Wolff said that he’s qualified to compete in the 2020 Ironman 70.3 World Championship, which will be held in Taupo, New Zealand. He plans to prepare by taking part in the upcoming Oceanside Ironman 70.3 in California in April and the Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas later that month in Lake Woodlands in Texas.

However, Wolff’s sights remain firmly on the Aloha state. “As soon as I finished last year’s Ironman Santa Rosa, I knew I wanted to do it again. My goal is to qualify for the Kona Ironman World Championship.” Each year more than 80,000 vie for the 2,000 available slots, and selection is based on age and previous performance. Wolff acknowledged that in striving to compete in the full Ironman world championship, he wants to see how far he can push himself while he still can.