My family history in sport includes involvement in swimming, tennis, track, cycling, soccer, and weight training. I decided to pursue completing a triathlon after being diagnosed with MS at age 35. Uncertain what lasting effects MS could have on my life, I pursued this dream while still physically able.
The person who has had the most influence on my sporting career is my father. I learned from him that we have a choice in how we want to live and be remembered. He was a POW in Korea for 28 months and didn’t allow that experience to overshadow his life, define who he was or dictate what he could accomplish.
I currently train in Spanish Fort, Alabama, and typically swim train three hours a week, bike train seven hours, and run five hours. My personal best swim time (750m) is 22 minutes, bike (20km) one hour 24 minutes, and run (5km) one hour ten minutes. My favorite ITU race was Gold Coast in 2009, because Australia is a beautiful place and the people there are friendly. My triathlon goal is to participate in the 2016 Paralympics.
Outside of triathlon, I’m very involved in church activities as my husband is a Methodist minister. I’m also an advocate for others living with MS. The biggest obstacle that I have have overcome is the fear of failure: the only way I’ll fail is if I never even try.
One thing the triathlon world doesn’t know about me is that I love to sing!
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