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Chicago
Triathlon Race Report
by
Jennifer Sader
The
Weight Watchers message boards had been a bit of a lifeline
for me when I was training for my first triathlon. At the
time, I was overweight and out of shape and had no idea
what someone like me should do to start training for a triathlon.
On the boards I met a group of triathletes like me who were
doing races for fun. After posting to each other for years,
we finally decided we should meet and do a race together.
We had just chosen Chicago as the venue when we found out
that one of our members, Kathleen Putman, was hit by a car
while biking to work. She had a severed aorta and her back
and neck were broken in several places. For weeks, even
the doctors didn't know if she would survive. Luckily, she
fought hard to recover and, about a year later, is learning
to walk, cycle, and even swim again. Kathleen said even
her physical therapists were surprised by her recovery and
credits her triathlon training with making her strong enough
to recover from her injuries.
Upon hearing the news that Kathleen would be well enough
to join us in Chicago, we immediately voted to race in her
honor. We had bright yellow-and-purple team uniforms, t-shirts,
and nametags made to identify the team members. We spent
months planning the trip. Daily, we posted our training
plans, workout triumphs and setbacks to the message board,
cheered on every step of the way by Kathleen.
A few years ago lugging my gear to the hotel would have
been challenge enough!
On the Friday before the race, my husband and I arrived
in Chicago by train lugging a huge plastic bike case and
two huge suitcases full of gear. We ended up walking the
fourteen blocks to the hotel with all our stuff in tow because
none of the taxis lined up at the station were big enough
to accommodate us. Luckily the bike case has good wheels!
Finally! Faces to Match Cyber "Voices"
After we checked in, I finally got to meet a few of the
Team Kathleen members for lunch. Everyone was so interesting
and articulate and funny and normal. Since we had a big
race coming up, we decided on deep-dish pizza and beer –
these were definitely my kind of people! We all chattered
excitedly. My husband kept shaking his head at all the noise,
and this was only the beginning.
Inner Resolve Drives Success
There was an even bigger reunion for Friday's dinner. The
rest of the team got together, including Kathleen and her
mother Frances. We were worried when we found out we'd been
seated on the second floor, but Kathleen got up out of her
wheelchair and walked up the spiral staircase on crutches,
"showing off," as Frances put it, how far she'd
come in her recovery.
Countdown to Race Day Morning
We had twenty-five people at dinner, all talking at once.
It was a little overwhelming, but a lot of fun. Time passed
quickly. Two Team Kathleen members decided to do the super-sprint
race the day before, which was shorter and full of newbie
triathletes and kids. It was fun to go watch and cheer them
on. We attended the pre-race expo and picked up our course
packets and had more rowdy group meals before it was time
to rest up for the big day. Though the weather was rainy
and cold, everyone assured us that the forecast called for
warmer weather on Sunday morning.
Mind
Over Brr Freezing Body
At four-thirty on a very cold Sunday morning, the members
of Team Kathleen gathered in the lobby with our bikes and
gear and headed to the race site. An announcer told us the
water temperature in Lake Michigan was a freezing 65 degrees!
The full forecast: high winds, overcast skies, and temperatures
in the sixties. This was going to be a first for me, as
every other triathlon I'd done was in hot, sunny weather.
Everyone Wins
The members of Team Kathleen are all different ages and
ability levels, so we were all going to be starting and
finishing at different times. We were really visible in
our bright shirts and tri-suits, so we easily found each
other before the race. We vowed to meet up at the finish
line afterward. There were two races that day: A sprint,
and the international distance, which is twice the length
of the sprint. There were Team Kathleen members in both
races. I trained to go the international distance, only
the second time I had tackled a race of this length. The
sprinters got to start first. The rest of us stood cheering
and shivering on shore until our own start time which would
begin with a jump into uninviting, icy cold, choppy waters.
No Whining Allowed!
In a race of this size, they can't put everyone in the water
at once for safety reasons, so they break the racers up
into smaller groups or waves. Since I was in the 27th wave,
I had plenty of time to watch (and listen to the shrieks)
of other people jumping in ahead of me. I managed to stay
calm by reminding myself that since everyone else had to
deal with the same windy and cold conditions, it wouldn't
do me much good to complain about them.
When
I jumped in, the water was just as icy as I thought it would
be. The gun went off and 140 of us started swimming all
at once. I did my best to dodge the other racers and keep
moving forward. The waves seemed huge! After getting a big
giant mouthful of water, I sputtered and coughed and instinctively
looked around for a lifeguard. In that moment, I made the
decision that I wanted to finish this race. I knew no one
could help me do it but me. Knowing this wasn't going to
be an event I could prove how fast I was, I resolved to
prove how tough I was. I did my best to tune out all the
complaining in my head and finished the 1000 meter (1 mile)
swim. When I thought about quitting, I thought about all
the time I'd spent training. When even that didn't seem
convincing, I thought about Kathleen and all she had overcome
just to be able to come and watch us race.
Overriding Bicycle Course Chaos
The bike course was two loops on Lakeshore Drive for a total
of 40 kilometers (about 25 miles). For safety measures,
we had been instructed to ride on the left of the bicycle
path and pass on the right. But in the huge crowds a lot
of people ignored the rules and just did whatever they wanted
making it more difficult and dangerous for the rest of to
pass the slower cyclists while trying to avoid being run
over by the faster ones. At the same time we also had to
avoid empty water bottles and other litter tossed or dropped
on the course by racers.
A Winning Attitude and A Winning
Spirit Can Fix Anything
It took a while for me to settle down and stop worrying
about what everyone else was doing but I knew I needed to
stay focused on my own race. We were going directly into
the wind as we headed north, but that meant we had some
pretty nice tailwinds on the way back. We were also getting
an incredible view of the city skyline as we were traveling
along the course, when we could afford to look around us.
I passed and was passed by a few Team Kathleen racers. Waving
to them really cheered me up.
I was
enjoying myself on one of the faster stretches of road when
I shifted incorrectly and my bike chain slipped off its
gears. I pulled off the road and after a little struggling
managed to get the chain back on. I had another small mishap
where my pedals started locking up, but I figured I could
probably coast in if I had to by that point. Luckily, I
got everything moving again and finished strong before having
to get off and transition into the run.
My legs felt like rubber but I had 10 kilometers (6.2 miles)
to run before I'd cross the finish line. I'd already been
working hard for more than two hours. I took it easy on
myself and walked for a minute or two out of every mile.
Toward the end of the race, I started walking about every
half mile. I got to see more of my teammates, we high-fived
each other as we passed, which always seemed to make me
feel better. I heard a man behind me telling another runner,
"Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, give up."
"That's a pretty good motto," I called out. "It's
Churchill," he hollered back. I had less than two miles
to go and those words echoed in my head for the rest of
the race.
My
Big Finish, My New Beginning
Once I could see the finish line, I knew I'd make it. I
tried to sprint but there wasn't much sprint left in me.
I didn't even see the Team Kathleen members who were cheering
for me or even my husband, so I finished the race feeling
pretty alone. I got my finisher's medal and then saw Kathleen,
who had surprised us all by showing up at the finish. I
practically lifted her out of her chair with my hug. Then
I found a nearby curb, sat down, put my head down, and cried.
I had made it. I was happy and sad, proud and a little disappointed,
but mostly just exhausted and grateful that I had been able
to complete the race. We got a couple of great photos after
the race, and then the group started to break up. It was
sad to leave, not knowing whether we'd ever all meet again.
For a while after the race, I couldn't help but be disappointed
in my time. I hadn't met the goals that I had set for myself
long before arriving in Chicago. For some reason I couldn't
let go of those numbers. Finally I realized how lucky I
am to be able to do this kind of race at all, and what an
accomplishment it was for me to make it through all the
mishaps and challenges of the day. For me, these races are
the road to a healthier life. There is a new challenge at
every stage, but having friends cheer you on along the way
can keeps me going.
I've since thought about this race a lot and have come to
the conclusion that my talent for racing isn't speed or
strength. I'm a very average person physically, but I'm
determined. Once I set a goal, no matter what happens, I
do everything I can to finish.
 Jennifer
Sader is a freelance writer, part-time doctoral student
and recreational athlete. She has completed several sprint
and international distance triathlons and three half-marathons.
Her next goal is to do the Columbus Marathon. She is supported
in all her endeavors by her wonderful husband of ten years,
Jesse Squire, who inspired her to do her first competitive
event, a 5K run, at the ripe old age of 20. Email Jennifer
Sader: jensader@yahoo.com
Photo:
András
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