I got hooked on Triathlon 8 years ago when I did my first race,the 2002 Abitaman Triathlon in Mandeville,Louisiana.That race isn’t around anymore thanks to Hurricane Katrina-but I still am! In those first 2-3 years,I raced as an Athena (the 150lbs and over category)since I was coming off of 10 years of relative inactivity,smoking cigarettes and living the late-night-up-to-no-good scene.It took a while to get under 150lbs-lots of hard work,going to bed early,and surrounding myself with great,HEALTHY people,but once that happened,my engine was started and it seemed like I woke up one day and I was hovering at about 130 lbs and a size 4.All the while,through the years,I saw my speed increase and began winning all the local races leading up to qualifying for Kona and Clearwater in 2007.I walked away from Clearwater (the 2007 Ironman 70.3 World Championship)as the Top Amateur,and determined it was time to step it up and race with the pros. So in 2008,I began racing as a Professional as a member of the ZOOT ULTRA TRIATHLON TEAM and have never looked back.In 2002 when I did that first race-a sprint-I never imagined I would eventually be racing as a pro.It is truly a dream come true!
When I began to race in 2002, I was a size 10-12 and around 160 lbs - and this was after a year of spinning and running and swimming to prepare. For the first two years I raced as an ATHENA (150lbs+)until my body began to change and the weight came off. It took a while, but it finally happened. Today, I am a healthy, happy size 4 (a 6 at Christmas!), 30 lbs lighter and feel better than ever. The following pictures are a look into what I looked like in 2003....hard to believe
MY ATHENA DAYS! from 2003
This is what I looked like in my 2nd year of racing....pretty amazing how I have changed. It shows that it takes years to see the difference, but if you stick with it and are consistant, it can happen.
More ATHENA pic's...those shorts were a size 12!!
2003 LA TRI...
my first "1st place" at Pelicanman Duathlon in Chalmette, LA
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