When someone mentions triathlon, typically people think of the Ironman. So of course when Dean decided to plunge into the sport of triathlon, he did it by signing up for Ironman Arizona (IMAZ) 2009 — 140.6 miles of swimming, cycling and running, all in the same day.  It didn’t matter that Dean didn’t know how to swim, or that he didn’t own a suitable bike. Because he signed up at IMAZ April 2008 (and the race would be held in November 2009), Dean had 18 months to train for the required distances.

With the help of his employer and sponsor, Van Horn Aviation, Dean signed up for swimming classes, bought a new road bike, and hired a triathlon coach. He completed his first triathlon, Anthem Reverse Sprint, on a sweltering 104-degree afternoon in September 2008, and hasn’t looked back. He completed three more triathlons in fall of 2008, including the Quarterman distance at Soma triathlon in October.

Dean finished his first half-Iron (70.3) distance at Oceanside, Calif., in April 2009, in 5 hours, 18 minutes and 32 seconds (official time, adjusted for the wave start). Although a bike crash in September 2009 threatened to derail Dean’s Ironman efforts, he heroically prevailed through three shoulder surgeries to still finish IMAZ in November 2009 with a time of 12 hours, 3 minutes and 33 seconds.

Since Kim lured Dean into running, it’s only fair that he pushed her into the sport of triathlon. She bought her first road bike in July 2008 and joined Dean in three of his four fall 2008 triathlons, including Anthem, Stealth Reverse Triathlon, and Nathan’s Sprint Triathlon. Kim completed her first half-iron distance race at Vineman 70.3 in July 2009.

Ironman races typically require registration several months to a year in advance, so when a new race close to home–Ironman St. George in Utah–was announced, Dean convinced Kim they should both sign up. While Dean’s first full Ironman was IMAZ 2009, Kim’s first full Ironman attempt was IMSG in May 2010. Unfortunately, while Dean completed the IMSG course in 12 hours and 24 minutes, Kim had problems with hypothermia in the swim and failed to make the bike cutoff after one loop on the bike.

Kim had already signed up for IMAZ 2010, however, and avenged the IMSG defeat by completing the full Ironman distance at IMAZ in November 2010. With both Rosenlofs now able to say they are “Ironmen,” they now look for new challenges and fun races that will broaden their triathlon experience. Typically they participate in one or two half-Iron or Olympic triathlons per year. They also enjoy supporting and providing encouragement to friends and others who are new to triathlon.

Kim was a member of the LUNA Chix Phoenix Triathlon Team in 2011 and 2012. LUNA Chix was an organization dedicated to encouraging women to live a healthier lifestyle through exercise, but was discontinued in 2016.