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Why You Tri - Tell Us Your Story We asked our triathletes Why You Tri. Here are some of the inspiring stories. If you have not shared Why You Tri use this form to let us know! Judi Laurence
In 2006 I tried again to be a firefighter and I succeeded. So, I drove back to where the male firefighters said I would never become a firefighter because I was too small and because I was a woman. I got out of my car and yelled at the building, "I DID IT"! My friends talked about getting into better shape by entering the 2009 YWCA Women's Triathlon. I signed up that night! I'd never done a triathlon. I hadn't biked in 10 years. I did limited swimming. I'm not sure if I'd ever done running, other than from a bad date. Months before the race I needed to have surgery to remove a cancerous lump from my neck. Eventually, I recovered and became my old self again. Then, that summer, at my cabin, I slipped on my dock and fell directly on the head of my tibia. It wasn't broken, but the Triathlon was out of the question. The combination of cancer and a leg injury made my dream unobtainable. I went onto the Women's Tri website and saw the need for volunteers. Since I was a certified EMT, I signed up for the medical tent. On crutches, I watched the triathletes cross the finish line. It was a beautiful sight. It was bittersweet. I wanted to be one of them. Have a number on me; be out of breath and sweating with a great sense of accomplishment. Being in the medical tent, however, allowed me to still be part of the Tri. I've since signed up for this year's YWCA Women's Triathlon. I am not out to win this race, nor to push myself so hard that it becomes no fun. My dream is to cross the finish line. I hope that other women like me will challenge and believe in themselves. I know that I will have to find the little spark in myself to run to the finish line. But then and only then will the tears of my success flow and I will again be able to say, "I DID IT"! |
I dreamed of being a firefighter. After college, I got my EMT license. I talked to some male firefighters about becoming one of them. They told me I was too small and a woman. So, I gave up.