Tri for A Cure

I stood with 700 other triathletes on a warm spring morning, waiting patiently for my number to be called so I could begin the first leg of the race, the 400-meter swim. The first racers had gotten into the water at 7:00 a.m., but with 15 second intervals between racers, 2 ½ hours had passed and I was still waiting to begin.

Due to a registration snafu, I was going to be the very last competitor. Since everyone else had been lined up according to age, oldest to youngest, I found myself standing in line with teenagers and twenty-somethings. At least I didn’t need to apologize to anyone behind me for being slow!

I am not a good swimmer. In fact, I am pretty horrible.

The younger racers soon pulled away from me, leaving me to experience something I have never had happen in a triathlon before – I had the entire pool to myself!! Although a triathlon is meant to be an individual race to test the stamina of the athlete in three disciplines, it was a little bit intimidating to be all alone. The crowds of 700 people with their family and friends had thinned to include the race crew and a few stragglers. And me.

I felt like everyone was wondering, “What’s that old lady doing in the pool behind everyone else?”

The one perk was that everyone cheered for me when I got out of the water! I think they were as relieved as I was that I was finished with the swim. The other advantage to a late start was that Aleah was running just 5 minutes in front of me. I caught her at the end of the 8 mile bike ride and we did the 2.5 mile run together, crossing the finish line in unison as the race director called out our names.

We were still huffing and puffing when a volunteer placed a medal around each of our necks, a reward for finishing and for participating in a tri that raised money for breast cancer research.

The event, in some ways, was a mirror of my experience with cancer. There were times that I felt incredibly alone. Just me and the disease, in a big pool of uncertanty. There were times I heard the cheers of those around me, encouraging me to keep going and not give up. And there was also my family, running beside me, crossing the line with me as I finished treatment.

I think the tshirts we were each given say it all:

Tri 2 Love

Tri 2 Inspire

Tri 2 Support

Always Tri.