5 DOCTORS OF INTEREST
The
MARATHON
MAN
BY WILLI MILLER
PHOTO BY PORFIRIO SOLORZANO
It wasn’t enough for Dr. George Nichols to run a marathon
in all 50 states. Now, the Vero Beach orthopedic surgeon is
trying to complete an Ironman triathlon on six of the
world’s continents.
Nichols years ago started keeping a list in his head of
things he wanted to accomplish. Now, he has them on paper
and enjoys crossing off things as he does them, even though
he acknowledges, as he gets closer to 60, that he might not
be able to accomplish some of his goals.
“As we get older, our life list shrinks a bit,” he says.
“There are different things we want to do. I’d like to sail
around the world, but when it comes time for me to retire…
I don’t think I could physically do it. And I’ve always wanted
to be high up on a mountain, like the top of Mount
McKinley, just to see what it’s like.” Those things might be
further down his list now, but he hasn’t completely ruled
them out.
Nichols is already half of the way to completing his goal of
competing an Ironman triathlon on six continents. The
triathlon has three grueling stages: a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-
mile bike, and a 26.2-mile run, a full marathon. His fifth continent,
124
Asia, is scheduled for this fall, as he participates in the
Ironman in Korea. Next March, it’s South America.
Continent No.7 doesn’t have an Ironman triathlon but there
is a marathon on Antarctica and he’s on the waiting list for
acceptance.
Nichols ran his first marathon at 44 and has run one in
every state and is now going around again. He figures he
runs about 15 a year, with a total of 85 to his credit. His running
began in high school, when he ran to keep in shape for
tennis, and it hasn’t stopped, or even slowed down.
Fortunately, his wife, Lori, is also a runner, sharing what
Nichols calls one of his vices: exercise. The other vice he
admits to is Diet Coke.
At home, Nichols prepares most of what the couple eats.
“We have a deal in the house. I cook and she does the dishes,”
he says, after whispering that his wife doesn’t cook. His
specialties are chicken and fish, but you won’t find red meat
or desserts on the table at the Nichols house. “We really
watch what we eat. We’re very careful about that.”
Nichols, a resident of Vero Beach for 23 years, thinks it’s a
great place to raise kids. Professionally, it’s a perfect mix of
people for his practice at Vero Orthopedics. The weather is a
bonus for this athletic gentleman whose favorite thing to do
on the Treasure Coast is ride his bike on S.R. A1A. “It’s very
rare that I can’t get outdoors and exercise, which is very
important to me.”