It took a long time for me to call myself an “athlete”.  I didn’t grow up playing sports and it wasn’t till I was introduced to Kiteboarding in 2000 that I really got the bug.  Being out on the water, all the stresses of the day seemed to fall to disappear. 

On days it wasn’t windy I started going on long runs.  Those runs got progressively longer and longer, until I found myself signed up to do my first marathon for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society with Team in Training.  When things get tough out there, I still think about a t-shirt one of the coaches wore: “you think running a marathon is hard try chemotherapy.” 

In the fall of 2006 I went down to Florida to watch some friends race the Ironman. I was inspired by local Wilmington athlete John Moehnke who couldn’t even swim when he started the sport; he was afraid of the water.  I soon found that everyone had a story to tell: there was a man who lost 140 pounds in order to propel himself the 140.6 miles it took to complete the race; and, of course, the “c-different” guys who are blind athletes that swim, bike and run tethered to a guide.

With only one sprint distance triathlon under my belt, I signed up to race Ironman Florida the next year, my first full season of triathlon.  I was about to find out what I was made of.  After experiencing severe dehydration on the bike, they wanted to give me an IV in the bike to run transition, but I knew that would mean disqualification. I spent 40 minutes on my back on the ground.   Nauseated, I walked the first 4 miles of the run to finish the race and hear “Jennifer Royall, you are an Ironman”.  I am excited to race that distance again this fall in Arizona.

Race Tip: 

When it comes to race nutrition, everyone’s body responds differently to the products available. Make sure to test out what you plan to eat and drink on a race simulation training day, or at a non-priority race.

Never give up