Hawk wins the Big One ( Continued)
Now, as a rookie, he had to face seasoned politician, City Councillor Julie Hall. “I was definitely the underdog in this one,” he says. “At that point, I was outspent 14-1. I don’t know how the numbers ended: that’s still being accounted.
But his determination from running triathlons and racing stock cars served him well. He continued door-knocking and in the final count he won, 52% to 48%.
The teaching experience then earned him chairmanship of the Progress Caucus Subcommittee on Education. And he went hard to work from his first moment at the Statehouse. “First day I was there, (school) testing was not in the budget.” Not good news to a career teacher. “I had no office, yet, but I got an amendment for money for testing into the budget. The next week, I got money for firefighting into it.” Good thing for the Commonwealth that Hawk retains the split-second decision-making that is so necessary in oval track racing.
Now, he’s gearing up for the debate on an opioid bill that will be next on the agenda for the legislature. “That’s going to be a quagmire,” says Jim.
Now, he’s doing it all again, because six months after winning the Special, he has to face the general election to preserve his seat. That bright red trailer that used to haul the 49 to Seekonk is now in his yard full of election signs for supporters to pick up. At least he has the advantage of running as an incumbent this time.
Hawk went back to Lake Placid, NY in 2015, at age 65 -- to do the Ironman for the first time in six years. He was relentless in training, piling on the hours of running, swimming and cycling. He hadn’t planned on finishing. “There are time limits for each leg,” he says – first the 2.4-mile swim, then 112 miles on the bike, followed by a 26-mile marathon. You have to be out of the water at a certain time, and done with the biking as well as completing the marathon. If you’re beyond the limit at the end of the swim or the bike race, you don’t get to continue.
Jim came out of the water and got onto the bike. He didn’t know if he could make the cut for the cycling leg. “It’s a mountain resort. There are a lot of long climbs of at least 5 miles. It’s 8 miles up Whiteface Mountain. I made it (Whiteface). Now I’m pedaling as hard as I can to make the cutoff and start the marathon.”
He succeeded and stepped off the bike to stare down 26 miles of running. “My legs were really beat because I pedaled so hard.” But he hung in there and kept pushing. “I was on mile 16 and had 2 hours to go 10 miles. That was really tough.”
He skipped water stops and food stops, opting to depend on the high-calorie supplements dissolved in his water bag. It became a war of attrition, each step of the way. At last, the end came in sight. Several hundred yards ahead. “I could see the finish line and my legs went out on me.” Hawk had hit the wall.
“Two volunteers came out and started screaming at me. They knew they couldn’t touch or help me, but they could speak. ‘You’ve got to finish!’ and they stayed right alongside.” The announcer at the finish line could see Jim struggling toward the finish and ran down and continued to bellow encouragement. The miracle came through and Hawk stepped over the line with seconds to spare.
In the meantime, he still stops in for a Saturday night at the Speedway to watch his old Sport Trucks Division run. Most recently he was on hand as Rob Murphy, who had picked up Jim’s old truck, showed up for the first time, a month into the season, rebuilt like new, and took down the win, first try.
Jim’s retirement from Attleboro High left him plenty of time and he was wondering what else he might do when State Representative Heroux left his seat to become Mayor. He’s staying fit for another go at next year’s Lake Placid event and he’s already campaigning for the November elections. Jim says he retired from teaching in 2015. How can anybody call what Jim Hawkins has been doing “a retirement”???