Jerry Brooks

Steve Virgen

There is a six-inch scar on Jerry Brooks’ right knee. That scar,

strange as it might seem, brought him peace of mind. That scar is the

symbol of his character.

You can’t keep Jerry Brooks down.

Ten months ago, Brooks, a Newport Beach resident, went through

total knee replacement surgery. There’s metal beneath that scar. It’s

called oxidized zirconium. But that doesn’t quite explain the reason

Brooks, who at age 62, continues to compete in triathlons.

Actually, for Brooks, competition has been his drug of choice, the

best remedy for reviving his new knee.

“I think I’m a junkee,” Brooks said, referring to his need for

competition. “I’ve always had, not chaos, but excitement in my life.

I like excitement. I don’t like vanilla. I like spice.”

Brooks completed his first triathlon since the knee surgery on May

18. He finished sixth in the men’s 60-64 age group in the Kring and

Chung Newport Beach Triathlon. The knee held up just fine through 1

hour, 34 minutes and 31 seconds of running three miles, cycling 13

miles and swimming a half mile.

He then finished 10th in the Carlsbad Triathlon in 1:49 June 8.

Before the year ends, he wants to compete in at least four more

triathlons.

“Somebody said to me the other day, ‘You’re going to wear that

[knee replacement] out,’ ” Brooks said. “I said, ‘That’s what it’s

for.’ I didn’t buy it so I could sit down. I’m going to wear this

damn thing out. If I wear it out 20 years from now, the technology

will be so advanced it will be amazing what they can do.”

Brooks, who is training for the Pacific Coast Sprint Triathlon at

Crystal Cove July 20, works as a real estate broker by day. But in

the early hours of the morning, he immerses himself in his obsession.

He wakes up at 4:30 a.m. to begin working out. Some days he will

bike. Other days he will run. That scar motivates him.

Because of the surgery, Brooks, takes nothing for granted. Even

work. One of his goals during his morning training sessions is to be

dressed for his job by 9 a.m. And when he’s done with work, usually

at 5 p.m., he will swim for about two hours.

If he’s lucky, some days he will run during his lunch break.

“I like to run when it’s hot,” Brooks said.

His typical week includes, 25 miles of running, 8,000 yards of

swimming and about 25 miles of cycling. Basically, his triathlon

training is a second job. It entails 25-30 hours a week.

For the most part, he has been keeping this schedule for the past

25 years. However, his early confrontations with daily workouts did

not go well. There was a time Brooks would hunch over, cough and

whimper after running for only a quarter of a mile.

However, within three years, he could complete 20-mile runs.

“I traded in bad obsessions for good obsessions,” said Brooks, who

has been living in Newport Beach since 1975. “I put my energy into

good obsessions like getting obsessed with running.”

In 1995, Brooks reached the high point of his training and

triathlon experience. He completed the Kona Ironman, known as the

Super Bowl of triathlons. It is a full ironman -- 1.2-mile swim,

56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run -- as opposed to a sprint triathlon,

which he most often competes in now.

Two years after the Kona, Brooks was run over by a Volkswagon van

while riding his bike near the Back Bay. He suffered a broken leg,

badly bruised ribs and a concussion. But, within a year, he was back

on his bike.

Brooks’ moxie comes from his need for competition, which was

intensified during his college years when he played football for the

Navy. Yet, that was when he first injured his knee. Brooks, who

played both receiver and defensive end, tore ligaments in his right

knee. Ever since, his knee slowly deteriorated.

Ten years ago, doctors told him he needed knee replacement. But

Brooks ignored the advice for fear that it would end his ability to

compete in triathlons. Yet, the pain in his knee became so

excruciating, he began to have trouble just walking.

That’s when he spoke with several doctors about knee replacement

surgery. He found what he wanted when he met Dr. Mark Newman, who

introduced Brooks to oxidized zirconium. Newman now has a picture of

Brooks on display in his office. In the picture, Brooks is crossing

the finish line of the Newport Beach Triathlon.

“I’m getting a lot of enjoyment in seeing his success,” Newman

said. “I remember him telling me that he intended to get back to

running. He was determined. I was a little skeptical. He’s the first

patient that I had that went back to triathlons.”

After the surgery, Brooks rehabilitated with Dr. Steve Hutchins.

Brooks said he experienced the worst pain in his life during the

first three weeks of recovery. But he carried on.

“I had no doubts that he would be able to do triathlons,” Hutchins

said. “Now that he’s doing triathlons, it’s phenomenal.”

The plucky Brooks, who was a police officer for five years before

going into real estate, now has a new goal in mind.

“When I turn 65, I want to go back and do the Kona Ironman,” he

said.