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Lindsay Nielsen recently became the first woman amputee to
complete an Ironman Triathlon. In September, she competed
in the Madison, Wisconsin event where she completed the 2.4-mile
swim, 112-mile bike ride, and 26.2-mile run in 16 hours, 32
minutes.
Nielsen, 49, of Minneapolis, is also the former amputee record-holder
in the marathon, and the first amputee to earn a spot on the
U.S. team for the world Ironman.
Below is a letter Lindsay wrote, telling about her experience:
Hi All,
I just wanted to touch base with you all after my Ironman
experience. IM is a very exciting event. Lots of bells and
whistles. Jeff said it was just beautiful when all the arms
are coming out of the water during the swim. About 2,200 people
mass-started the swim.
You end up making friends everywhere
you go. You hear stories so intimate because barriers are
removed just by the camaraderie of the event — everyone
pursuing the same goal — everyone kind of scared. I
wonder who really slept Saturday night. Certainly not me.
We were in the water at 6:30, treading
until the 7:00 am start. I crossed the finish line at 11:32
PM. A long day, but so great. I finished in 16 hours and 32
minutes. I was one of those people coming down the last couple
of miles with that funny grin on my face because finally I
believed I was actually going to finish.
I didn't like it when spectators
along those last miles called me an Ironman though —
not even when they called me an Ironwoman. I didn't want to
take that for granted even a few miles from the finish line.
Something so unsettling about witnessing so many ultra-fit
athletes throughout the day by the side of the road, vomiting.
It was 85 degrees. windy with no clouds in the sky. I chose
this IM in part due to the average temps of 71 degrees. Hmmm,
statistics...
My friend and training partner, Lisa,
ended up in the hospital with pulmonary edema related to hyponitremia.
Thank goodness she stopped when she did, at mile 12 of the
marathon, because it was a very dangerous situation, one she
might have not survived had she made a different decision.
She did all the work and missed out on the glory. She did
good.
It takes a lot of guts to make yourself
stop when you've been training for an event for almost a year.
So much is outside our control. I knew we would take care
of our part, which we did, but outcomes don't always match
the effort. And that's how the day felt, incredibly humbling.
I did well, too. I was really scared
before the swim start and felt so glad once we were actually
moving. I did the swim faster than I expected. I was so glad
to run my bike out of the corral. I never want to see video
of myself in that transition because I felt like a pro running
that bike out and I don't want anything to mess with that
image. I held back all day on the bike because of the heat
and the wind, but stuck obsessively to our fuel, salt, and
hydration plan. I was so happy to finally allow myself to
actually race the last 16 miles of the 112 because I still
felt good and the really nasty hills were behind me. A man
at one of the last aid stations on the bike course told me
I looked remarkably good and perhaps I should pick up my pace
some. Probably a coach in real life.
I took the marathon really slowly,
only really paying attention to the cut-off time.
Having our families and friends on the course was so critical.
Never under-estimate the power of support. A smile, yells
of encouragement, a touch here and there, it all kept me going.
There were spectators out on the course the entire time, including
in the dark of night.
Toward the end of the run, I peered
into the dark and there emerged Jeff and Maliq to run me in.
What a welcome sight. They were stellar. I have to say, I
have never smelled like I smelled at the end of that day and
can't say enough about all the people willing to hug me under
those circumstances.
I carried all of your well wishes
and good energy with me. So, Thank you again.
Lindsay |
