MANASQUAN — What you believe you can achieve! Chris Soranno’s motto echoed throughout his painstaking journey to the Ironman World Championships hosted in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Soranno, a 20-year Manasquan resident, longtime bartender at Leggett’s Sand Bar and triathlete extraordinaire, achieved a decade-long goal by finishing the Ironman World Championship in 13 hours, 45 minutes and five seconds on Saturday, Oct. 26.
Alongside 2,400 athletes from over 54 countries, Soranno swam 2.4 miles, biked 112 miles and ran a marathon in Kona. However, his journey to Hawaii began long before the rigorous trek.
While it is evident that any Ironman competition is no walk in the park, participants must specially qualify for the World Championships. Of the 2,400 competitors, Soranno was one of 400 who punched their ticket to the world championships through a legacy program. In part of his monumental effort to make it to the world championships, Soranno completed 13 full Ironman competitions, earning him a spot in this year’s elite competition in Hawaii.
Soranno told The Coast Star, “I’ve only been competitive with one person and that’s myself so each time I go out and give it my best. This was my 14th ironman and I get older every time I do it obviously so I’m just trying to keep myself viable. Going out to the world championships was the culmination of about 12 years of work.”
Soranno’s wife, Carolyn Barrale, joined him on the trip across the country and discussed the preparation and execution of what she called “the pinnacle of the sport.”
The couple arrived on the big island on the Tuesday before the race. Leading up to the big day, at athlete check-in, Soranno was assigned a race number, stickers for his bike as well as several identifying race tattoos. The couple enjoyed a legacy dinner alongside the other program competitors where retired and current professional triathletes detailed stories and shared a mutual appreciation for the competition ahead of the race.
Barrale described their experience arriving on the island, “It’s very emotional, I’ve been along for the ride, we’ve trained together. With all the saving and preparation, when you finally get there it’s like ‘We’re here, we’re actually here.’ It’s really hard to put into words.”
A month before the race, Soranno transported his bicycle to Hawaii in a shipping container. When picking up his wheels, on which he would later traverse the Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway, it was revealed that a piece of the bike was broken, which sent the duo to the bike mechanic.
Amid a minor setback, Soranno continued training in the days leading up to the competition with all gears set for Saturday’s race.
The Ironman World Championships began with a 2.4 mile swim in and out of Kailua Bay. Following the swim, Soranno and other contestants biked for 60 miles up, and 60 miles down Hawaii’s northwest coast on the Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway with a total elevation gain of 1772 meters. The race culminated with a 26.2 mile run with a total elevation gain of 307 meters, finishing with a final straight away on the famed Ali’i Drive, lined with national flags and enthusiastic spectators.
“It’s the world championships, where the world’s best gather every October. What makes it hard is the terrain and the elements are conducive to a good bike and a good run,” Soranno said.
He said that the open water swim is much more controlled versus the run and bike, where heavy headwinds maximize resistance to competitors. In addition to heavy winds, of the many elements presented to the athlete in Hawaii, Soranno noted traveling through “baking” lava fields that he wouldn’t have otherwise encountered training in the greater Manasquan area.
Over the duration of the 13-hour race, Barrale traveled throughout the course at times following Soranno, while tracking his 140-mile journey over the phone on the Ironman app. Barrale said typically spectators aren’t allowed to crowd near the finish line unless they pay a large sum of money or volunteer to assist. After eight years of training, hardwork and dedication Barrale made sure she wasn’t going to miss the moment Soranno crossed the finish line for the most important moment of the journey.
Barrale said, “I volunteered to be at the finish line, so that when he came across I could give him his lei and his medal, so I got to be there for the most important moment. I was crying. He started to cry but he tried not to because there’s a million people looking at you.”
Soranno placed 201st in his Men’s 55 to 59 age group and was the 1,930 competitor to cross the finish line at the World Championships.
Soranno grew up in Spring Lake Heights, where his mother still lives, and wore a wristband dedicated to his father who died in 2020, something Barrale said he kept in his heart throughout the journey.
After finishing the Ironman World Championships, which featured a 2.4 mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and culminated in a marathon, the couple shared tears, fruit and refreshments before Soranno asked Barrale, “What’s next?”
Soranno said without the help of Barrale, who he referred to as his “Sherpa, helper, consigliere, council and confidence builder”, finishing the Kona Ironman wouldn’t have been possible.
In 2009, Soranno ran his first marathon and got hooked. Since crossing the finish line, Soranno has completed 23 marathons, which lead him to pursue the daunting task of completing an Ironman.
Soranno said “My mentality in life is keep looking forward, keep moving forward and that just drives me. In today’s day and age it’s tough to find motivation. There’s always so much negativity if you watch TV and what not. I find positivity in working out and trying to stay healthy and just trying to do things the right way.”
The couple then traveled to Kauai, where they enjoyed a laid-back vacation on the island’s beaches, snorkeled, zip-lined and took a helicopter ride that toured them across the entire island.
Barrale, who has completed four Ironman competitions herself, said she met Soranno through their mutual love for triathlon competitions. The couple met through the Jersey Shore Triathlon Club and have been together for eight years.
In Manasquan, Soranno has tended bar at Leggett’s for 25 years and is the founder of the Spooktacular Race. The race, which traverses the Borough of Manasquan, has donated all proceeds to local charities and foundations for the past 10 years and most recently benefited the Future of Blue Foundation, which supports programs for adults with autism.
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