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Lake of the Ozarks, Mo. —
After 11 seasons in the NFL, Camdenton’s Jason Whittle faces two extreme challenges: training for a half Ironman triathlon and being a father to his four daughters at the Lake of the Ozarks.
“If you can hang with those four, you can do anything. It’s the best training ever,” Whittle joked.
After hanging up his shoulder pads at the end of the 2008 season, the former offensive guard for the New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Buffalo Bills brought his family back to the lake area.
“It’s always been home. I grew up here, I love it, it’s a great place to raise a family,” Whittle said. “I’ve always been an outdoorsy guy, I like to hunt and fish.”
Whittle says he, his wife and daughters spend three or four days a week on the water in the summer skiing, wakeboarding, tubing and swimming.
“It’s funny how people think the lake is so dirty, the only reason it looks dirty is because it has a mud bottom,” Whittle said. “We have swum in it my whole life.”
Whittle had never tried swimming seriously until a friend from his days with the Camdenton Lakers convinced him to train for a half Ironman triathlon. The event requires a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bicycle ride, and a 13-mile run, a daunting set of tasks for a man who made his living as a 300-pound blocker for Kurt Warner, Tiki Barber, Ron Dayne, and Kerry Collins.
“I never thought I would enjoy running but I do, and the swimming is great,” Whittle said.
Whittle embraced the 2010 Fit & Fun Challenge to help ramp up his training regimen. He says the sport of triathlon is a different type of thinking man’s game than professional football, but that running, swimming and biking require a similar mental toughness.
“There is still this element of having to capture your mind—your body can kind of do anything,” Whittle said of triathlon. “There is not a lot of thinking involved, you just relax, breathe, and take yourself to another place.”
Whittle says his training already offered some physical changes.
“I’ve dropped about 40 pounds, which feels great. I’ve always had kind of a bad back and several injuries over the years, but I just feel great,” Whittle said.
The former Southwest Missouri State Bears’ standout says Mrs. Whittle finds less frustration buying clothes for the 260 pound version of her husband.
“It’s nice to not have to go to a big and tall man shop. It’s nice for my wife,” Whittle laughed.
Whittle says he intends to find a half Ironman triathlon to compete in sometime this winter. Meanwhile, he will continue training and enjoying the Lake of the Ozarks.
At Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State University), Whittle won the Arthur Briggs Award, which recognized outstanding student athletes. He played in a Super Bowl for the NFC champion New York Giants in 2001. In 2009, the Missouri Valley Conference selected Whittle to its “All-Select NFL Team” while celebrating its 25th year of football.
Camdenton fans continue celebrating the Laker who hit it big in the NFL. Whittle’s jerseys from the Giants hang in a trophy case at Camdenton High School and on the wall at the City Grill sports bar in Osage Beach. Whittle says he is adjusting to the recognition at home.
“It’s humbling. In my mind, I’m still as most of the people around here know me—as just, ‘Jason.’ To have be people be excited about my career is such a blessing,” Whittle said.
After 11 seasons in the NFL, Camdenton’s Jason Whittle faces two extreme challenges: training for a half Ironman triathlon and being a father to his four daughters at the Lake of the Ozarks.
“If you can hang with those four, you can do anything. It’s the best training ever,” Whittle joked.
After hanging up his shoulder pads at the end of the 2008 season, the former offensive guard for the New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Buffalo Bills brought his family back to the lake area.
“It’s always been home. I grew up here, I love it, it’s a great place to raise a family,” Whittle said. “I’ve always been an outdoorsy guy, I like to hunt and fish.”
Whittle says he, his wife and daughters spend three or four days a week on the water in the summer skiing, wakeboarding, tubing and swimming.
“It’s funny how people think the lake is so dirty, the only reason it looks dirty is because it has a mud bottom,” Whittle said. “We have swum in it my whole life.”
Whittle had never tried swimming seriously until a friend from his days with the Camdenton Lakers convinced him to train for a half Ironman triathlon. The event requires a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bicycle ride, and a 13-mile run, a daunting set of tasks for a man who made his living as a 300-pound blocker for Kurt Warner, Tiki Barber, Ron Dayne, and Kerry Collins.
“I never thought I would enjoy running but I do, and the swimming is great,” Whittle said.
Whittle embraced the 2010 Fit & Fun Challenge to help ramp up his training regimen. He says the sport of triathlon is a different type of thinking man’s game than professional football, but that running, swimming and biking require a similar mental toughness.
“There is still this element of having to capture your mind—your body can kind of do anything,” Whittle said of triathlon. “There is not a lot of thinking involved, you just relax, breathe, and take yourself to another place.”
Whittle says his training already offered some physical changes.
“I’ve dropped about 40 pounds, which feels great. I’ve always had kind of a bad back and several injuries over the years, but I just feel great,” Whittle said.
The former Southwest Missouri State Bears’ standout says Mrs. Whittle finds less frustration buying clothes for the 260 pound version of her husband.
“It’s nice to not have to go to a big and tall man shop. It’s nice for my wife,” Whittle laughed.
Whittle says he intends to find a half Ironman triathlon to compete in sometime this winter. Meanwhile, he will continue training and enjoying the Lake of the Ozarks.
At Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State University), Whittle won the Arthur Briggs Award, which recognized outstanding student athletes. He played in a Super Bowl for the NFC champion New York Giants in 2001. In 2009, the Missouri Valley Conference selected Whittle to its “All-Select NFL Team” while celebrating its 25th year of football.
Camdenton fans continue celebrating the Laker who hit it big in the NFL. Whittle’s jerseys from the Giants hang in a trophy case at Camdenton High School and on the wall at the City Grill sports bar in Osage Beach. Whittle says he is adjusting to the recognition at home.
“It’s humbling. In my mind, I’m still as most of the people around here know me—as just, ‘Jason.’ To have be people be excited about my career is such a blessing,” Whittle said.
