Swim, bike, run

Do all three at the Hy-Vee Triathlon

 

By Bill Lorenz

 

While there are a multitude of events held on every weekend throughout the year, very few reach the kind of “mega-event” status that the Hy-Vee Triathlon has become.

 

These “mega” events are the ones that transcend the day of the event itself. They are the ones that people build their calendars around. Wedding dates are changed for these types of events. People change their lives to participate. They get up off their couches, quit smoking and start running. These events have their own gravity with far reaching effect.

Some events reach that “mega” status because of their ages or tradition. Others do because of their uniqueness. The Hy-Vee Triathlon was launched into its “bigger than life” status because of a laser-like focus and a blank checkbook commitment to put this event on the world’s map. In only its fourth year, the gravitational pull of the Hy-Vee event weekend can be credited as being the source of significant changes in the lives of so many people. A healthy, active movement that was stirring in central Iowa exploded into a solar system of ancillary “planets.” Each with its own gravitational pull and set of satellites, these events, organizations and movements owe their life and success to the energy emitted by Hy-Vee: The Flatland Multi-Sport Series; triathlon and endurance sport coaching companies; retail businesses selling bikes, running shoes, wetsuits and goggles; health clubs; and even this very magazine.

We’d like to highlight one of the lives that has been changed because of the Hy-Vee Triathlon — Heather Shelton of Des Moines. Heather, after losing her husband in a tragic accident, decided to get off the couch and get on with her life using the Hy-Vee

 

Triathlon as a catalyst of change.

How did Heather Shelton get to the starting line of the Hy-Vee Triathlon? What motivated this 38-year-old widowed mother of three young children who had never run or been in a swimming pool in years to push herself to the point of discovering who she really is, where she is finding sweat and exhaustion liberating? Heather isn’t at the starting line yet, but she is determined that she will be. 

Heather and her husband, Gene, moved onto 14 acres on Highway 90 in Booneville in 2004, two years after they married.  Hy-Vee triathletes know Highway 90 as part of the triathlon bike course. Heather and Gene picked this place, overlooking the Raccoon River Valley, where they would live forever, raise a family and tend to their horses. Gene was the owner of a thriving commercial flooring business, and Heather owned a hair salon. Prior to their marriage, Gene had ridden RAGBRAI nine times and was an active cyclist. He and Heather enjoyed going for casual rides on their tandem.  Three children in eight years prevented Heather from pursuing more active endeavors, but she understood the attraction of Gene’s lifestyle and looked forward to a day when the demands of raising a family would lessen.

Tragedy would strike twice for Heather, late in 2005 and again in 2006. In December of 2005, Cheryl Boston, Heather’s 58 year-old mother, would die in a tragic house fire in Johnston. This untimely death of a beloved family member caused Heather and Gene to talk at length about the meaning of life and how important it was to live every day as though it was their last. No one could have predicted how important those discussions would become. On the morning of June 22, 2006, while on his way to visit his brother on his motorcycle, Gene was struck and seriously injured by another motorist. He had discussed his wishes should such an event occur — he didn’t want to be placed on extended life support. Heather never imagined she would be compelled to respect his wishes, not so soon. Four days after the terrible accident, with no signs of improvement and little hope for a meaningful recovery, life support was terminated. Gene Shelton died at age 46.

At first Heather wasn’t sure what to do with her life or determine how she could live without the man she so loved. She found solace in her children, Madelyn, then 8 years old, Lydia, 5, and Stella, born just two months prior to Gene’s death. Heather’s extended family, still reeling from the earlier tragedy, once again rallied together behind her and her children, but everyone knew life would never be the same.

Heather would eventually find an outlet for her grief, a way to cope and a way to move on. In April of 2008, she joined the Walnut Creek YMCA. It was time for her to begin to understand Gene’s attraction to an active lifestyle. She was able to take advantage of the Y’s childcare for a couple of hours each day to have time for herself. She worked out on the weight and elliptical machines, and she also started attending kickboxing and aerobics classes. She made a few friends, and some of those friends saw more potential in her than she saw in herself. One friend encouraged her to “have a fitness goal.” Losing weight would be a logical goal, and lose weight she did. By September, she had lost 40 pounds. Heather was now working out six days per week and added spin classes to her routine. One of the spin class instructors encouraged her to consider training for a triathlon. 

At first Heather didn’t pay much attention to his suggestion, but as the weeks progressed, she started thinking about what it would be like to train for and compete in a triathlon. She also remembered her friend’s suggestion about a “fitness goal.” When the Y announced it was forming a Hy-Vee Triathlon training group, it hit her; not only was she going to compete in the Hy-Vee Triathlon, she would do it in Gene’s honor. Heather remembers that simply signing up for the training group was an exhilarating and liberating experience, but she knew she had her work cut out for her.

The day before the training group had its initial meeting, Heather bought her first pair of running shoes, and her first swimsuit and goggles in years. “I took swimming lessons in grade school,” she said, “but I never passed.”

What was the first tri training session like for Heather? “I felt like a deer caught in headlights,” she said. But she soon realized the other people in the class were in the same boat. As the classes continued, Heather also discovered that she was “kind of competitive.” “I’m stronger than I think I am,” she said.

Heather’s running experience has been confined to the treadmill, and running is where she struggles the most. “The trainer says I can do this, so I do it,” she says. “I don’t want to walk on the treadmill.” Her mantra while running has become, “I can hate this, but I’m going to do it anyway.”

One of Heather’s biggest sources of support are her children. “They totally get it,” she says about how her children react to her new ambition. Three year-old Stella is still too young to fully understand what a triathlon is about and what finishing the race will mean for her mother. Lydia, now 7 years old, and Madelyn, 9, think it’s cool that their mom is going to compete. They’ve also noticed how in shape their mom is becoming. “Lately they’ve been slapping my butt a lot,” Heather says, smiling.

While simply finishing Hy-Vee will be Heather’s objective on June 13, there are several athletes from around the state who have hopes of a top 10 finish on that Sunday morning.

Tenalle Berard, a 17-year-old Dowling High School student, has hopes of standing atop the podium in the Elite Amateur race. Berard, who finished second to Lindsay Whalen in 2009, has been training with the Des Moines-based Z3 High Performance Junior Triathlon Team, coached by Jenny Weber. With her triathlon specific training, she has seen much improvement, finishing as the second American and eighth overall at the Monterrey ITU Youth Olympic Games qualifier in Monterrey, Mexico, on April 16. Berard will need a solid swim and bike effort to set her up to take the lead on the hilly 10K run that greets the athletes as they head into West Des Moines from Raccoon River Park.
Chasing Berard will be Tami Ritchie of Des Moines. A recent graduate of Grand View University, Ritchie finished the 2009 Hy-Vee Triathlon in 15th overall, winning her age group. Her strong swim led her to an age group victory in the USAT National Championships in Alabama last August in an impressive 2:15:26.

The Elite Amateur Men could see several central Iowa athletes in the top five.
Patrick Davis, Tony White and Chris Vander Linden, all of central Iowa and racing for the Kyle’s Bike Shop Triathlon Team, hope to occupy three of the top five podium spots. Training and racing together helps build confidence and rapport, and the competitive nature of group training pushes each to perform at a higher level. The three finished eighth, 10th and 11th respectively in 2009. With last year’s winner, Nathan White, moving into the pro ranks, and fourth place finisher JJ Bailey retiring from triathlon to focus on cycling, it leaves room for a new group of athletes to fill out the top spots. This group from Kyle’s hope to be that group. Mike Morrison of Des Moines, who finished sixth in last years race and 2nd in the 2009 Big Creek Triathlon, should give White, Davis and Vander Linden a challenge. With so many strong athletes, this should prove to be an exciting race.

Iowa is a great place to live. We’ve got an endless supply of events and resources to help us keep active, have fun and stay healthy. This is thanks, in a large part, to the commitment Hy-Vee has made to making the Hy-Vee Triathlon one of the biggest, richest and best organized events in the World. Join in on the excitement, race, volunteer, or be a spectator and attend the Expo (June 11-12 at Valley Southwoods High School). Visit www.hy-veetriathlon.com for more information and maps.

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