The IRONMAN World Championship was held on October 14th in Kona, Hawaii. The race, which is regularly considered the toughest competition for civilians in the world, was filmed by NBC and will air on the network this Saturday, December 9th. Ahead of the special, three of the competitors stopped by Cheddar to explain their race and the journey they made to Hawaii.
Mike Ergo overcame addiction and depression to race in Hawaii. The former Marine served time in Iraq, and was involved in the Second Battle of Fallujah, the bloodiest battle of the Iraq war, and the heaviest urban combat for Marines since the Vietnam war. Over the course of one month, Ergo said goodbye to 29 of his brothers. This experience haunted him for years. But with the support of his family, his new children, and the promise of an IRONMAN, Ergo was committed to running for his fallen brothers.
Mike Levine ran his first triathlon nearly four decades ago, and at 68, he's competing in another IRONMAN. This time, two things are different. One, he is battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer, and two, he trained and competed with Kathleen McCartney, the 1982 IRONMAN winner. Levine credits McCartney and training for both giving him the zest to compete, and to work past cancer.
Since 1927, Time Magazine has chosen its Person of the Year to acknowledge the world's biggest and most influential change makers. This year it was global phenomenon Taylor Swift. Dan Macsai, executive editor of Time, spoke with Cheddar News about the process to make its pick and what's involved.
So I got the chance to chat with times executive editor Dan Max about how time made its decision and the entire person of the year issue.
A liberal activist with an eye for mainstream entertainment, Lear fashioned bold and controversial comedies that were embraced by viewers who had to watch the evening news to find out what was going on in the world.
Dean O'Neill, CEO and owner of Pekarna Restaurant & Event Space, joined Cheddar News to discuss a new Christmas-themed pop-up called Tinsel Town in the Upper West Side of Manhattan with some delicious food and drinks.
