Tom Murray is going back to Hawaii - but not to soak up the sun.

The 62-year-old Zelienople resident is going to swim 2.4 miles, bicycle 112 miles and run 26.2 miles.

Why not? He's done it before.

Murray will be competing in the Ironman Triathlon World Championship (ITWC) Oct. 16 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, for the seventh time in 17 years. He qualified by finishing second in the 60-64 age group at the Lake Placid (NY) Ironman July 25.

"There are Ironman events like this held all over the country," Murray said. "Some are designated as world qualifiers.

"Depending on the age group and number of participants, the top finishers of each qualifier can compete in the world event."

Murray finished second among 24 competitors in his age group in Lake Placid. The top two from that event earned berths in the world event.

This was the first time in Murray's career that he did not win the world qualifier. He placed fourth at the ITWC in Hawaii in 2002.

"This isn't something I do every year," said Murray, a retired real estate broker. "There's a lot of training time involved and there are other things in life I want to do."

In years he does compete in the Ironman triathlons, Murray trains for 25 hours a week for three months leading up to the competition.

The endurance race must be completed within an allotted 17-hour time frame.

"An Olympic triathlon (25 bike miles, 1 swim, 6 running) is more of a speed-type race," Murray said. "I'm better in the longer races. I train for endurance and that's my strength."

Murray has consistently finished among the top 10 in his age group at the ITWC. The overall race field will consist of more than 1,600 competitors.

Each year, more than 50,000 triathletes from more than 50 countries attempt to qualify for the race.

While training, Murray runs 18 to 20 miles per week, swims 12,000 yards in the pool and bikes 225 miles per week.

"I'll do two events per day, taking a day off from the other," he said. "If I find someone else in the region training for the Ironman, I'll try to hook up with that person and ride bicycles with him or something.

"The training's rigorous and it can get lonely out there at times. The training can be tougher than the race itself. It's discipline … You have to go out there and do it.

"Once you get to the race, it's all worth it," Murray added.

Of the 1,649 athletes who started the ITWC in Hawaii last year, 1,575 finished. Competitors ranged in age from 18 to 80. The oldest finisher was Bill Albrecht, 76, of Marquette, Mi., who completed the course in 16:08.49.

"The nice thing about triathlons is it's a lifetime sport," Murray said. "It's an age-group competition and I'm a competitive guy.

"If you stay in shape, you can do this for a long time. My goal is to stay in this forever."

Murray has taken various family members to Hawaii with him over the years to view the competition. He plans on doing so again in October.

"These races promote good health and fitness," he said. "If watching the race keeps my family thinking that way, it's well worth bringing them out there in my view.

"I was 45 when I did my first (triathlon) and I saw a 60-year-old doing it. I was impressed by that, but now I see a considerable amount of older people doing this. I'm encouraged by that.

"Initially, I entered just to see if I could complete this distance. Now I enter because it's a race," he added.