The mood in Whistler is festive, contrasting to the tension felt among the athletes as we head into the final stretch of the waiting game for the village’s inaugural, 2013 IRONMAN race. With only 1 day to go before submitting her over-fifty body to 16hrs of consecutive swimming, cycling and running (much of the latter uphill), we checked in with Maridee to see how she was holding up.
“In the last 24hrs, I’ve had more pins and needles than my acupuncturist gave me in a month of treatment for my glut-med training injury,” she says. Maridee’s snappy retort may be indicative of an outwardly care-free attitude, but when you get to the bottom of it, the anatomy involved in glut-med strains and how it affects runners is nothing to be cheeky about.
Her nonchalance may stem from months of tireless training in preparation for Sunday. Thousands of km of biking, endless hours of running and swimming, as well as core strength and collateral fitness work give Maridee the right to be casual. But she’s not flippant. “I’ve done the work, the day will come and I will do my best. It’s just going to be a swim, hopefully a safe bike ride and then a bit of a run.”
Under the courage of her words lies the faintest trace of apprehension, only apparent to the most seasoned interviewers – or therapists. When you are poised to step into the realm of X-factors that come with pushing yourself to the edge of human endurance, a modicum of trepidation is healthy.
Amidst the many and varied expectations and forecasts, I offer the following prediction: Maridee will start with water splashing into her face and end with tears streaming down her cheeks as she crosses the finish line as a true IRONMAN.
Get ready to roll…
(Photo by LaPrimaDonna)
She is far more prepared than she knows. In 8 hours we will be on our way to the start line and before the end of the day she will be done. More impressive than the race itself is the seemingly endless hours of training, the self discipline that it took her to just get there. Elite competitors may finish in around 8 hours, but the real drama is with the non-pros coming across the line in the dark. People with little background in athletics, balancing work, family and life along with 20 hours per week of training for a one day event. After that day is over we realize that all along, we are training for life…
And yes: there will be tears! Go Maridee!
Go Maridee!