This Sunday, the Lake Placid resident who owns High Peaks Cyclery will be on the move again as he takes on the Ironman Lake Placid triathlon for the 20th straight year.

Delaney is among less than a handful of competitors who will have entered all 20 Ironman races in Lake Placid, and he will keep his string alive when he participates in the race that consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike race and a 26.2-mile run.

Normally, preparing for an Ironman race requires significant amounts of training, and dedicating enough time to swimming, biking and running has been something that Delaney has been able to do for previous races. But this summer, busy days at the bike shop have limited his training time, so he’s counting on overall fitness and experience to help carry the day during the grueling race. But then again, being in an Ironman could be considered just another day of enjoyment in the outdoors for Delaney, who will be in the 60-64 age group.

“I’m healthy so I might as well keep moving,” Delaney said. “I’m not going to hurt myself. I’m going to do it for the fun of a day off and just being out there. I’m not going to win anything, but I think I can finish.”

Brian Delaney pedals through his hometown of Lake Placid during the 2013 Ironman race. (Enterprise photo — Lou Reuter)

Delaney has participated in some 25 Ironman triathlons, including the World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. He’s an avid hiker, biker and skier, and when it comes to training, just staying active seems to be the right fit. In fact, he said that being in Ironman races is also a way of training for his other outdoor adventures.

“It’s good training for cross country and nordic ski racing. It’s a good over-distance day,” Delaney said. “Whatever you do, it’s all about keeping fit, staying fit.”

Years ago, Delaney was able to dedicate more time to triathlon. These days, however, he’s just as happy to spend time in the outdoors with his wife Karen. Currently, the pair are closing in on completing trips to the summits of 115 peaks in the Northeast, and said they only have eight more on the list.

“We like hiking, we bike together, we paddle a lot,” he said. “Ironman is kind of low trauma except for the running, but if you are healthy, it’s OK. We’ll hike in the fall, so this is a good building base for that.”

Delaney’s personal-best finish time in Lake Placid was under the 10-hour, 39-minute mark, during the first Ironman here when the race was actually held in August. He’s qualified for the world championships six times. With little training time, Delaney admitted he doesn’t plan to turn in a record outing this week, but still has some goals in terms of finish times for each of the Ironman’s three legs.

Brian Delaney makes his way through the 26.2-mile run course during the 2015 Ironman Lake Placid. (Enterprise photo — Lou Reuter)

“It will probably be an hour-and-a-half until I get out of the water and on the bike, and then the bike will probably be about seven hours. It used to take me six,” he said. “If I can do the first loop in 3:15, I’ll be pretty happy, and then add another 15 minutes or half hour at least for the next lap. And then the run, it’s a jog for sure, but it’s a good jog.

“It’s nice in the Ironman because there’s a feed station every mile,” he continued. “You can get to an aid station, walk through, run to the next aid station and so on. It’s nice. It’s all about feel for the race. If it’s super hot, you gotta slow down and get some ice on you.”

As a finisher in all 19 Ironman Lake Placid triathlons, Delaney said racing in his own backyard holds a special place in his heart.

“It will be I think 25 Ironman races for me, and the thing is, it’s still like the world championships here,” he said. “It’s exciting, it’s electrifying, that’s the thing about this. It’s got some gumption. You come out of that lake, it’s wonderful. It’s a good feeling. The water is clear and nice. And the bike, it’s not that hard. It’s the home course. I know every rock out there.”

Although Delaney’s primary objective is to make it 20-for-20 at the finish line on Sunday, he isn’t looking at the race as an end game. And someday, he might even work his way back toward earning an age group berth for the World Championships in Hawaii.

“It’s just really about finishing now, but one of these years I might surprise everyone and be the world champion in my age group. I think about that. I can do 11, I could probably still crank out a 10:45. If I’m healthy I’ll continue. That’s the best thing about doing all 20 of these. It tells me I’m healthy.”

Year in and year out, it’s been a sure bet that Delaney will be out on the course each year. His efforts have been inspired and inspiring, with no prompting needed. However, if Delaney did need an additional push to be out there on Sunday, all he would have to do is cross paths with fellow Lake Placid resident and race director Greg Borzilleri.

“Everybody knows Brian. He’s a businessman, he’s a dad, he runs those mini-tris, which are awesome, and he just puts his heart into it, which is great,” Borzilleri said. “He’s a little nuts. He seems to enjoy it, and my word of the day is ‘he embraces it.’ I don’t think he trains a lick and he gets through it. He can’t not do it any more. Now that he’s done 19, he’s got to do 20.”