A father of 2 year old twins with one on the way barely has time to catch his breath, let alone train for a triathlon. But somehow Mr. Ibnabdeljalil, French teacher, made the time between his family, school and coaching the tennis team.

Inspired by his cousin who climbed Mount Everest, Ibnabdeljalil began doing triathlons, which led him to take on an Ironman. On August 24, he competed in the Louisville Ironman. With his finishing time of 13:53:31, Ibnabdeljalil said he finished with a smile on his face and victory in his eyes.

“I felt satisfied with my time because I wasn’t a professional and it was an accomplishment,” he said.

Ibnabdeljalil recalled how athletes began with a 2.4-mile swim downstream and then upstream on the Ohio River. After the swim, they were greeted by spectators and cheerful volunteers that gave them the courage to keep going.  Upon the athletes’ departure from the water, they transitioned into the next event, which was biking.  Athletes pedaled through 112 miles of rolling hills mixed with flat areas. After finishing the bike race, they put on their running shoes and set out to complete a full marathon, which consisted of 26.2 miles.

“I felt the need to keep going even though the weather was super hot, which made the asphalt even hotter and harder to run,” said Ibnabdeljalil. “I just want this to be memorable and inspire my students and my kids that they can do anything they try.”