Paratriathlon National and Age Group Champsionships- A Race No Go

 

“When a well-trained race horse enters the starting gate, it doesn’t look around and analyze the competition.  It simply waits for the gate to open and at the bell, lets the body do its thing-to simply run the race.” – Jerry Lynch, Author of Running Within.

I signed up to compete at the USA Triathlon (USAT) age group sprint triathlon on August 10th. It was to be held in my hometown of Milwaukee.  This race was also going to be the Paratriathlon National Championship.  I had hoped for a classification spot because opportunities are race. Unfortunately, I cannot make the 1 hr 25 minute qualifying time.  Most able-bodied women in my age group would struggle to meet that standard.

I begged for a classification time because I would like to compete at the Winter World Championships next year as a para-athlete.  It is not as though anyone is breaking down the doors. I have seen one male athlete compete.  So that was the first blow..  It means I likely will never be able to race as a para-sthlete at a World Championship. If I am to achieve the goal of a world championship, it will have to be as an age-group athlete.

There was an open division in past years. It is not divided into five divisions ATD1-5.  From the participant list, I could see there were 12 women signed up.  The list did not show which category the athletes fit into.  I decided to do some research on each of the women. I was the oldest at 67. The youngest two were 15.  The second oldest was 50 years old.

It is easy to look up finish times on the USAT website. Some of the women were close to the time standard. My hopes of placing on the podium were very slim. Some had no times listed and were a complete unknown.

I approached race morning with a bit of dread. As I set up in transition, I was not super excited about the race; my age and CMT progression were feeling very real. I remember the first time I did my first para and age group national races, I was 20 minutes faster.

There were flash flood warnings the morning of the race, with an advisory to stay off the roads. Still, I was on my way at 4am for a 5am opening of transition. My wave was the 2nd one at 6:45.

I had a feeling of dread. Transition was a muddy mess. Thunderstorms were predicted throughout the day.

I went over to the swim start and saw lots of debris in the water. A boat was hauling what looked like half of a large tree. A similar situation at a Para National Championship led to the cancellation of the swim. The race became a duathlon.  The problem was that there was so much debris on the road, I blew a tire, dropping me from second to 4th and my only finish at a para championship off the podium.

As the start time got closer, USAT leadership began to make announcements about race delays, and finally, the announcement came to cancel the race.

From where we were the everything looked ok.  We were told no police and fire were available to support the race.  What we did not know was the extent of flooding across Milwaukee and the surrounding counties.  Wauwatosa a suburb just to the west, had 600 EMS calls from its flooded downtown.

I found two streets blocked on my way home, including this one.

Three young women had been in the white car.  The water got up to chest high in just two minutes. They were to escape through an open window. These scenes played out all across the area. The State Fair, which attracts up to 100,000 visitors in a day, was cancelled due to flooding.

Although many athletes were disappointed, they understood especially when they understood the extent of the damage and flooding on the race course.  USAT made a difficult but correct decision. They did what they thought was best for the safety of the athletes. The city had declared a State of Emergency, and they did not want the race to interfere with vital rescue and clean-up work.

I do realize racing is a privilege. I am lucky with CMT, I can still race, even if I finish off the podium.  It is going to give me an incentive to work harder and give the other athletes a run for their money.

The race will be back in Milwaukee next year, and I am going to work really hard in the next year.

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

Chris Wodke

Founder Team CMT

www.run4cmt.com

 

Chris is a triathlete, Nordic skier, and long-distance runner. She is a three-time participant in 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.

She has won national championships as a physically challenged athlete in Aqualon, Duathlon, Aqua bike, and Winter Triathlon. She was the national champion in her age group in 2023 for gravel duathlon.

 

 In 2014, she represented the U.S. as a Paratriathlete at the Pan-American Triathlon Championship in Dallas, Texas.  

 

She was the 2023 Gravel Duathlon National Champion in the 65-69 age group.

 

She has won state championships as an age-group athlete in cycling and triathlon. She has represented America as an age-group athlete at world championships in Chicago, Denmark, Cozumel, and Norway. She earned a bronze medal at the Winter Duathlon World Championship in 2023 in Norway.

 

In 2020, she was named a National Ski Patrol Subaru Ambassador and a USA Triathlon Foundation Ambassador.

 

She travels around the country raising awareness of CMT.

 

She is the author of the book “Running for My Life,” which 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 find a cure for CMT. We currently have 257 athletes in 43 states. We also have members in Australia, Canada, England, Finland, Vietnam, Iran, Scotland, France, Turkey, Poland, Norway, Mexico, Wales, Ireland, and Sweden! If you wish to join us, visit our website: 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.

 

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