Wisconsin Senior Olympics- Track Meet

"Patience, persistence and perseverance are the three virtues of extraordinary performance." - Jerry Lynch, Author of Running Within

On August 19, I competed at the Wisconsin Senior Olympics track meet. This was the first time I've ever done a track meet of any kind.  Trying new events keeps things fresh for me.

The meet was at Homestead High School in Mequon, Wisconsin.  The facility was really impressive.  They have a state of the art track and a large concession area that was open during the event.  It seemed more like a college facility.

I signed up for pretty much every track event scheduled at the meet, just to try them out.

Power Walk
I started the day with two power walk events, a 1500 meter and 5000 meter power walk.  The refs explained all of the rules and that they would be judging us all the way around the track. 

I wore a race number just like a running race.  I did not even have to keep track of my laps. I got an update each time I went around the start line. I would joke with them every time I came around.

The group racing was small. I was just about 20 seconds behind the lead woman and I got lapped by one of the men in the 5000 meter race. I would finish with a silver, just 40 seconds behind.

In the 1500 meter race, the refs called me to the front line ahead of the group because I was "fast".  I took the lead in the women's race right at the start and held it for the entire race. I finished in 10:57.

The track events all went by pretty fast. The meet ran right on time. I planned on running in between events because I had to do my long run of 16 miles.   The events happened one after another, with no time to run.  It was really hot and humid so running was out of the question.

For most of the events the officials let us know who was in our age group.  I knew I was in trouble when one of the women in my age group showed up wearing spikes. 


50 Meter
I found out that I am no sprinter. I finished in 5th, but one of the athletes was from out of state. Which meant I finished 4th in the state and qualified for the national games.  I finished in 13:43

100 Meters
I finished in 4th, but 3rd in the state in a time of 23:31, well behind the leader.

200 Meter
Since I was so far behind in the first races, I had decided to skip this one. But one of the athletes, told me this was my race and that I should do it. She swore I would beat her. At the gun, she took off and finished ahead of me. She had not registered for the race, so I took 3rd in 55:19.

400 Meter
There were just three of us, one from out of state, so I finished in 2nd with a time of 2:02.

800 Meter
I was the only one from the state in my age group. I finished with a time of 4:33

1500 Meters
I was actually competitive in this race right up until the end.  I was in third place at the start. I could here the athlete coming behind me. She passed me on the last lap.I tucked in behind her thinking I would pass at the end. She made a move and I could not cover it.   I finished just 20 seconds behind. I really am a long distance runner. This was the race I was at least competitive.

The race was lots of fun. I ended up winning six medals and qualifying for the national games next year in New Mexico.  I got three gold, two silver and a bronze. My ankle also held up fine, so I will be doing more track workouts in the future.

I had a great time and met lots of really nice people. I am looking forward to doing this meet again next year.

**********************

Chris Wodke

Founder & Manager Team CMT

www.run4cmt.com

Chris is a triathlete and long distance runner. She is a three time participant of the Boston Marathon.  In 2012 she finished 2nd at Boston in the Mobility Impaired Division. She was on the course in 2013 when the bombs exploded.

She has appeared three times at the Paratriathlon National Triathlon Sprint Championship. She was the 2012 and 2014 National Champion Paratriathlon Open Division Champion.

In 2014 she was the PC Open Champion at the Duathlon National Championship and at the Aqua bike National Championship in 2016. She represented Team USA at the Aquathon ITU World Championship in Chicago in 2015i, Cozumel in 2016 and Denmark in 2018. In 2018 finishing 5^th in the 60 to 64 age group.

 In 2014 she represented the U.S. as a paratriathlete at the Pan-American Triathlon Championship in Dallas, Texas.  She has won state championships in cycling and triathlon as a senior Olympian. In 2017 she placed 2^nd in her age group at the Winter Triathlon National Championship, earning a spot on Team USA for the World Championship.

She travels around the country raising awareness of CMT.

She is the author of the book, “Running for My Life” that details her experience as a CMT affected athlete and the book “Soup Sundays, A Journey Toward Healthy Eating”.

http://www.henschelhausbooks.com/catalog/memoir-biography/215-running-for-my-life-winning-for-cmt-9781595982827.html

You may visit her author page at:
http://www.amazon.com/Christine-Wodke/e/B00IJ02HX6

Team CMT is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise awareness and to find a cure for CMT. We have 217 members in 39 states. We also have members in Australia, England, Scotland, Canada, Vietnam, Turkey, Finland, France, Ireland, Poland, Iran, Norway and Sweden. If you wish to join us visit our web site; www.run4cmt.com or www.hnf-cure.org

CMT or Charcot-Marie-Tooth is the most commonly inherited peripheral neuropathy. It affects over 155,000 Americans (as many as MS).  It is a disease of the nerves that control the muscles. It is slowly progressive, causing loss of normal function and or sensation in the lower legs/feet and arms/hands.

Symptoms include; muscle wasting in the lower legs and feet leading to foot drop, poor balance and gait problems Atrophy in the hands causes difficulty with manual dexterity.

Structural foot deformities such as high arches and hammer toes are common.

Poor tolerance for cool or cold temperatures and many people have chronically cold hands and feet.

Additional symptoms may include fatigue, sleep apnea, breathing difficulties and hearing loss.

Additional Link

Follow CMT affected Paratriathlete Timmy Dixon
http://cmtamputee.wordpress.com/

Follow CMT Author Chris Steinke
https://cmtandmesite.wordpress.com/2017/01/30/what-is-charcot-marie-tooth-disease/

Keywords: Running, Running and CMT, triathlon, triathlon and CMT, athlete and CMT, cycling and CMT, paratriathlon, challenged athlete, Team CMT, Running for My Life-Winning for CMT. Hereditary Neuropathy, Charcot-Marie-Tooth.

CMT and running, CMT and triathlon, CMT and athlete, Charcot-Marie-Tooth and running, Charcot-Marie-Tooth and triathlon, Team USA and Team CMT, Running for my life-Winning for CMT, CMT athlete, athlete and CMT, triathlete and CMT, Boston Marathon Bombing, CMT disease, CMT and exercise, exercise and CMT, CMT, athlete and CMT.Team CMT, CMT athlete, athlete and CMT, bike4CMT, walk4CMT,  CMTA, HNF, Tri4CMT, Walk4CMT, MDA