Three Women Share Their Later-in-Life Accomplishments

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Three Women Share Their Later-in-Life Accomplishments | A Cup of Jo Highland County Press

Who: Sandi
Where: Arvada, Colorado
What: Became a professional triathlete at age 60

“When I was 55, I realized I’d lost a spark. I wasn’t athletic at all and wanted to change my life. One day, I met a fellow speech therapist named Mark; we struck up a conversation, and before long I learned that he had won Iron Man Hawaii in his age group. I didn’t even know how to swim or gear a bike, but Mark and I started going on bike rides together. He introduced me to all his triathlete friends and that was the beginning of risk-taking for me. In my head, I had an excuse for not wanting to do something, but I just did everything. I had to learn how to run, which is just walking 100 steps and then jogging 100 steps. I joined a women’s triathlete group, and even though I was among the oldest in the group, it was so much fun. I was anxious, but I was no longer watching someone else play. I had a group of women I would swim with, and after practice we’d go eat Mexican food, with our wet hair slicked back. At age 60, I competed in my first triathlon, in Silverthorne, Colorado, up in the mountains. I didn’t want Mark to come watch me because I wanted to do it on my own. I won my age group — and even beat someone who had the reputation of winning in the thin air of the mountains. I was hooked. One morning I woke up at 4:30 a.m. to drive to a competition, and I rolled down the windows and cranked up the music and thought, ‘This is the moment I’ve been waiting for. It’s just for me.’ I had been taking care of people all my life, but now I wasn’t on the sidelines anymore. From ages 60 to 70, I competed as a professional triathlete, and I’ve never been happier. It was like I had a secret inside me the whole time. I suffered a stroke a few years ago, so I can’t do what I once did, but I bought a recumbent bike and go up the mountain roads near my house. I can still be free, and that’s what it’s all about — the feeling of being free.”

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