‘Mountain Dragons’ commander at Fort Drum proves her mettle during 70.3-mile Ironman
Walter Ham
Contributor
GENEVA, N.Y. (July 25, 2022) – A U.S. Army Chemical Company commander proved her mettle during the 70.3-mile Ironman competition July 10 in Geneva, New York.
Capt. Jenny R. Metzler, commander of the 59th Chemical Company “Mountain Dragons” at Fort Drum, New York, swam 1.2 miles, biked 56 miles and ran 13.1 miles in 5:40.26.
Metzler came in seventh out of 34 competitors in her age category during the grueling endurance race.
More than a thousand competitors participated in the Ironman competition, which took place in the Finger Lakes region of New York, starting and ending near Seneca Lake.
“I wanted to see what new limits I could reach,” Metzler said. “I trained every day for six solid months. I was on a weekly plan of rotating between swimming, biking and running. The most challenging part of training was training in the Fort Drum winter and balancing between being a commander.”
Metzler said conditions on race day were ideal with temperatures in the low 50s and no wind.
The Fort Drum-based 59th Chemical Company is part of the 83rd Chemical Battalion, 48th Chemical Brigade and 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command.
From 19 bases in 16 states, Soldiers and Army civilians from 20th CBRNE Command take on the world’s most dangerous hazards in support of joint, interagency and allied operations.
Metzler said serving in the U.S. Army Chemical Corps gives her the opportunity to lead Soldiers and accomplish important missions.
After completing the 70.3-mile Ironman race and six previous marathons, Metzler plans to take on new challenges over the next two years.
“I hope to cap the year off with a 50-mile race, the Boston Marathon in April 2023 and a full 140.6 Ironman toward the latter part of 2023,” Metzler said.
(Ham serves as deputy director, Public Affairs, 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command)