My niece Julia was an Ironman. I say “was’, not because she gave up competing in triathlons, but because we lost this beautiful, powerful, dedicated woman and athlete last year to metastatic breast cancer at age 46.
Sometimes, life can be cruel.
Her illness did not take away her drive, however, as she slowly returned to her road work and training after her first bout with the disease at 43. I can’t recall if she competed at the Ironman level at that time, but I know she did races and half-marathons.
Looking back, I vividly remember how impressed all of us in the family were when she did her first Ironman in Tempe, Arizona. I was in awe of the training regime she kept up while working full time as a a director of IT — a position she held at multiple companies during her career. When she later earned a spot in the Kona World Championship in Hawaii, we were all so amazed, and so proud.
I remember watching parts of that tri online, looking for her number, her shirt, her bike among the crowds of athletes. My nephew, Andrew and her mother, Jeanne, accompanied her out to that competition. It proved to be a grueling tri, with temperatures close to100 degrees during the mountainous cycling portion. I remember Andrew confiding that when she came out of the tent between the bike and the run, Julia had doubts about being able to continue. She did find the strength to carry on, however, and finished Kona, but it was a true test of will.
One of the reasons I wanted to pursue a story about Prime-age athletes taking on the new Springfield 70.3 Ironman was in memory of Julia. I wanted to ask the questions I didn’t take the time to ask her. Questions like, why does someone want to take part in something like this? How does one train to insure they have the strength and endurance to complete each leg of the tri? What is the ultimate goal — and what’s the true reward — for making it to the finish line?
I found each athlete I interviewed had their own reason for entering the Springfield event, and a slightly different take on training. However, almost all shared a single goal — to see what their body could do at their age — whether that meant finishing their first Ironman or scoring in the top five for their age group..
I hope you find their stories inspiring, even if you are an armchair athlete.
If all this talk of pushing your limits gets you inspired to lace up your sneakers and hit the road, Laurie Addoms — the relay cyclist in my Ironman story and a member of the Pioneer Valley Women’s Running Club — has some tips for novice runners. You’ll find her advice in this month’s Three Big Questions column.
Even Prime’s alternative medicine columnist, Jonathan Evans, tailored his monthly column to athletes. He’s got advice on how diet and supplements can help would-be runners, cyclists, swimmers and other competitors reach their peak performance.
But not everyone is an athlete, so you’ll find plenty of gentler pursuits, including walks, summer concerts, plant sales, baseball games and even a Father’s Day event in our monthly calendar. I hope you find an activity that you enjoy.
And speaking of Father’s Day, I want to wish my husband John, and all the fathers, grandfathers and great grandfathers who read Prime a relaxing day on June 18. Being a parent — or grandparent — isn’t always an easy job, and it’s frequently thankless. You deserve a day to be recognized and celebrated.
Whatever you do this month, may you do it in health and happiness. And as always, thanks for reading.
Debbie Gardner
dgardner@thereminder.com
