An iron man whether he wins or not

Two years after he nearly lost his right leg in a car accident that almost killed him, Hamilton Blake will run in his first-ever Ironman Triathlon.

It was about 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 10, 2013. Blake, 51, had just finished a 14-hour work day managing Roy’s restaurant in Newport Beach and was headed home to Mission Viejo.

His future changed in an instant when he fell asleep at the wheel and plowed into a tree. The airbag deployed, smoke billowed out of the engine and the driver’s side door wouldn’t open.

The married father of two children ages 6 and 8 was trapped. He managed to punch through a car window and pivot out, but cut his head and arm on broken glass.

When he went to stand up, he collapsed in pain.

Passersby called paramedics, and Blake was rushed to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo.

What followed was a series of grueling surgeries and treatments. He faced a seven-hour operation to fix a break in the leg that doctors originally thought he’d lose. It also needed two screws and more than 50 stitches, while an arm required 200 stitches. For three weeks, he had to sit in a device that would hold his leg still.

The next month, he sat in a wheelchair. By January 2014, he was able to put weight on his leg when he began using a walker. He completed rehabilitation later that year.

He still feels pinches of pain in his leg, yet doesn’t let any problem stop him from in getting back in shape. His competitive spirit and feeling of loss, he said, made him decide to run the Ironman Triathlon in Tempe, Ariz., on Nov. 15.

The Ironman is considered one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world.

The series of long-distance races tests an athlete’s physical endurance. Only competitors in great health have a shot at completing the race — which entails swimming, biking and running — and any participant who completes the triathlon within a strict time limit of 17 hours becomes an Ironman.

Blake said he doesn’t mind the pain of the 26.2-mile run, 2.4-mile swim and 112-mile bike ride. Pain is not foreign to him. He has had more than his share over the past two years.

“Nobody bet I lived,” Blake said, tears forming. “Being in a wheelchair was a frightening experience. Not knowing whether I was going to walk again — that was motivating for me.”

Beginning last November, Blake, who continues to work at Roy’s and has managed the restaurant for 14 years, began training with Todd Smiley and Jeff Cyr, friends who have run triathlons. Smiley loaned his bike and shoes to Blake, and Cyr sent text messages to Blake every day supporting him in his practice.

“I’m so blessed to have so many people help me out,” Blake said. “I thought I’d be limping for the rest of my life. It gets hard to talk about it sometimes.”

On a typical day, Blake will drop off his kids at school and then head to the waters off Corona del Mar State Beach, where he will swim two miles, sometimes encountering aggressive sea lions. Then he’ll change out of his wetsuit, put on biking gear and peddle trails for 66 miles. Later in the week, he’ll run about 20 miles or more.

Jim Gianulias, a Newport Beach resident who has dined at Roy’s since its opening in 1999 and has known Blake for three years, said Blake exhibits great inner strength.

“Downturns are difficult and he’s taken a serious situation, turned it around and put a positive spin on it,” Gianulias said. “It’s so special to watch him make that turn. What he’s doing is a toast to life.”

Blake said he finds inspiration on the official Ironman website, which offers training articles and features on racers, including the father who pushed his disabled son in a wheelchair during one competition.

But the main support comes from his family and friends.

“I’m not trying to be the fastest guy. My goal is just to finish,” Blake said. “I feel blessed to have come this far.”

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