The "Ironman" Triathlon is a test of physical endurance. The man or woman who attempts this race must work for months to prepare their bodies to be pushed to the limit. The Florida Ironman race started with 2,100 participants diving into the Gulf of Mexico at 7 a.m. on a clear Saturday morning for a 2.4 mile swim. After they run out of the water and some volunteers help them out of their wetsuits, they race to the transition area to change for the 112 mile bike through the streets of Panama City Beach. Finally, the last leg of this race is to run a marathon of 26.2 miles. The winner's time: 8 hours, 31 minutes.

Dr. Robert Gross of Albertson Family Chiropractic volunteered his services during the 2004 Panama City Florida Ironman Triathlon from Nov. 3-6. Dr. Gross and many other ART providers (Active Release Technique) treated countless triathletes for the three days leading up to the race. The triathletes came from around the globe, such as Australia, Sweden, England and Japan. One triathlete treated by Dr. Bob was Martin Pieck representing Germany. Martin arrived in Florida with "little hope that he would participate in the event for which he had trained for more than a year."

Utilizing ART, Martin was able to recover from severe pain he suffered from at the attachment of his hamstring and ankle adhesions that had plagued him for many months. After three treatments over two days by Dr. Gross, Martin was able to finish 57th overall and 11th in his age group of men 35-39 years old. As Pieck exclaimed, "I was not only able to finish, but I also finished with a personal best time and qualified for the first time for the Triathlon World Championships in Kona, Hawaii."

Active Release Technique (ART) is a patented, state-of-the-art soft tissue system that treats problems with muscles, ligaments, tendons, fascia and nerves as well as back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fascitis, knee problems, tennis elbow and other conditions resulting from over-used muscles.

Dr. Robert Gross has been in chiropractic practice for 15 years and has offices in Albertson and South Huntington.