Triathlon stirs emotions; almost 200 cancer survivors compete

Joan Conroy runs for her bicycle, bathing cap in hand, after her half-mile swim in the first leg. "I'm only 76. I'll be 77 next week," she said. Conroy said she had never done anything athletic until last year, when she took part in the same triathlon in Seattle. (BETTY UDESEN / THE SEATTLE TIMES)

Lisa Walker couldn't have gotten better advertising for her new business if she paid for it.

The 43-year-old Walker, who plans to start a triathlon-coaching company this fall, captured her first triathlon in 30 attempts yesterday morning by taking the 15th annual Danskin Women's Triathlon Series stop at Genesee Park in the Rainier Valley.

Walker, of Edmonds, built off her fourth-place finish in 2003, covering the course in 1 hour, 15 minutes, 57.9 seconds. Walker finished 9.5 seconds in front of Jennifer Swenson of Boulder, Colo.

"This is big to me and it's going to be good for my résumé," said Walker, who competed in her first triathlon in the Danskin Seattle event in 1996 at Seward Park. "My girlfriend, Leslie Gourlie, got me into this. I guess this is just an example of 'you're never too old.'

"I just keep moving up each year. When I turned 40, I just got better and I got faster. I just kept learning something and working at it more."

The event in Seattle is the largest women-only triathlon in the country with about 4,500 participants. It's the seventh stop on the eight-event Danskin tour.

The triathlon consisted of a half-mile swim in Lake Washington, a 12.4-mile bicycle ride and a 3.1-mile run in the park.

"This is a pinnacle for her," said Gourlie, who works for Columbia Fitness in Sammamish.

Walker, whose new business will be called Active Triathlon Coaching, didn't reach the lead until moving in front on an uphill portion near the 1.5-mile mark of the run. She was third after the swim and third after the bike ride.

"It was the run that really helped me today," Walker said. "A lot of this is what's in your mind. You have to keep coaching yourself, telling yourself it's worth it and you can do it if you want.

"Don't let anyone stop you, especially yourself."

Walker usually has her two children, 13-year-old daughter Alex and 10-year-old son Peyton, run the final 30 yards in most triathlons. On this day, Alex and Peyton were at home in bed.

"When my kids find out, they're just going to freak out," Walker said. "They're going to be screaming."

For almost 200 cancer survivors who competed, the triathlon was a liberating experience. For those like 36-year-old Natalie Mosca, finishing put them in a state of euphoria.

Mosca trained since January after having her final surgery for cervical cancer in September 2003.

"I think it just hits you," said Mosca, who pumped her arms and screamed wildly after finishing in 1,539th overall and 293rd in the 35-39 age division in 1:58:22.0. "It's something you focus and train a long time for. It's just the sensation of being in a team effort.

"It also means I'm not alone in being a cancer survivor. There's just an energy at the finish. It feels so good."

That sentiment echoes the feeling of many triathlon participants, who each received a medallion at the finish inscribed with, "The woman who starts the race is not the same woman who finishes the race."

Many of the survivors crossed the finish line shedding tears of joy. The last group finished in less than four hours.

Notes

• Stacey Ward, 25, of Spokane, accepted a marriage proposal from her boyfriend, Derek Klemetsen, 25, after he held a sign at the finish reading, "Stacey, will you marry me?"

• Jeanne Broom of Seattle celebrated her 53rd birthday with a 754th-place overall finish and a 20th-place finish in the 50-54 age division. She checked in with a time of 1:47:43.0.

• The event's two oldest competitors, Lakewood's Carolyn Orwiler and Tukwila's Matsue Watanabe, both 77, finished the course. Watanabe won the 75-79 age group with a time of 2:41:29.4. Orwiler clocked in at 2:46:48.0.

• Joan Conroy, 76, traveled from Madison, Conn., to participate with daughter Janice Albert, 53, of Seattle, and granddaughter Michel Albanese, 28, of Brooklyn, N.Y.

• Sally Edwards, 56, a spokeswoman for Danskin, completed her 97th triathlon as part of the Danskin Women's Triathlon Series, which began in 1990. Edwards lives in Sacramento, Calif.

Danskin Women's Triathlon

At Genesee Park (Seattle)

Elite division — 1, Lisa Walker, Edmonds, 1 hour, 15 minutes, 57.9 seconds; 2, Jennifer Swenson, Boulder, Colo., 1:16:07.4; 3, Stacia McInnes, Bellevue, 1:17:55.1.

19-and-under division — 1, Lauren Verrilli, Seattle, 1:32:36.0; 2, Jessica Verrilli, Seattle, 1:32:51.6; 3, Kerry Pigott, Medina, 1:33:59.9.

20-24 division — 1, Julie Vieselmeyer, Seattle, 1:26:56.4; 2, Kristen Hart, Seattle, 1:27:30.6; 3, Dana Cantrell, Seattle, 1:27:59.6.

25-29 division — 1, Aimee Corr, Seattle, 1:22:54.4; 2, Tristan Fields, Seattle, 1:26:58.6; 3, Jill Richard, Seattle, 1:29:14.8.

30-34 division — 1, Kimberly Farnsworth, Olympia, 1:23:48.2; 2, Sally Otton, Olympia, 1:27:00.3; 3, Kristi Porter, Southern Pines, N.C., 1:28:14.9.

35-39 division — 1, Karin Gardner, Seattle, 1:18:38.1; 2, Danielle Dibba, Seattle, 1:21:26.8; 3, Ruth Frobe, Seattle, 1:28:09.0.

40-44 division — Evi Emmenegger, Seattle, 1:21:18.5; 2, Libby Armintrout, Seattle, 1:23:30.3; 3, Renee Laush, Seattle, 1:25:03.3.

45-49 division — 1, Valerie Ritchie, Seattle, 1:25:25.5; 2, Juli Anderson, Portland, Ore., 1:28:34.8; 3, Hillary Stibbard-Terrell, Kenmore, 1:29:13.8.

50-54 division — 1, Paula Waite, Sisters, Ore., 1:34:01.6; 2, Judith Sentz, Seattle, 1:37:54.8; 3, Elizabeth Rose, Seattle, 1:39:35.1.

55-59 division — 1, Kate Carruthers, Bainbridge, 1:40:30.5; 2, Adele Eberhart, Aptos, Calif., 1:48:33.9; 3, Pamela Kane, Bellingham, 1:49:01.4.

60-64 division — 1, Rosemary Orr, Seattle, 1:55:00.3; 2, Sally Stephens, Rupert, Idaho, 1:58:19.3; 3, Elizabeth Robinson, Everett, 1:58:53.3.

65-69 division — 1, Carol Ann Hanford, Olympia, 2:12:15.1; 2, Sally Krie, Kent, 2:18:10.4; 3, Nancy Peterson, Shoreline, 2:21:27.6.

70-74 division — 1, Annette Orton, Sand Point, Idaho, 3:08:43.1.

75-79 division — 1, Matsue Watanabe, Tukwila, 2:41:29.4.

Corporate division — 1, Ezell's, Seattle, 1:29:10.2; 2, Apple, Federal Way, 1:30:10.0; 3, Wamu Women, Seattle, 1:33:25.7.

Family division — 1, Glenns Girls, Woodinville, 1:17:47.2; 2, Wily Wileys, Bellevue, 1:35:37.2; 3, KNK Cousins, Bellevue, 1:36:14.2.

Friends division — 1, Lisa, Sammamish, 1:19:27.4; 2, Flying Gems, Woodinville, 1:24:28.3; 3, Gully Dwellers, Seattle, 1:27:12.8.

Recreation division — 1, Hodgins, Lake Stevens, 1:31:31.5; 2, Fjelstad, Maple Valley, 1:36:03.1; 3, Renee Shank, Seattle, 1:36:39.3.

Survivor division — 1, Flying Dutch Girls, Seattle, 1:31:53.3; 2, Leanne Johnson, Seattle, 1:43:35.1; 3, On The Move, Bellevue, 1:51:27.3.

Natalie Mosca uses a burst of energy to complete the Danskin Womens Triathlon yesterday. Mosca was one of almost 200 cancer survivors to compete in the event. (BETTY UDESEN / THE SEATTLE TIMES)
Energy and emotions are evident yesterday as a wave of athletes enters Lake Washington for the first leg, a half-mile swim, of the Danskin Women's Triathlon Series. (BETTY UDESEN / THE SEATTLE TIMES)