Training for a triathlon

A veteran and a first-timer to take on Danskin event next month

Susan Schell

of the Gateway

Next month, hundreds of women will grab their wetsuits, tennis shoes and bicycles and head for Seattle for one of the most grueling non-professional athletic events: a triathlon. Two Gig Harbor women with very different stories will participate in the annual Danskin Women’s Triathlon, which will take place Aug. 16-17.

Kathy Baumgardner and Bobbie Busch are at the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to competing in the event. For Baumgardner, the Danskin will be her first triathlon. She’ll be competing in the race to celebrate her 50th birthday in September — and to honor her sister, who died of colon cancer six years ago.

Busch, on the other hand, is a veteran triathlete and member of the “Kitsap Tri Babes,” a group of local triathlon enthusiasts, mostly in their 40s, 50s and 60s.

How did they come up with their catchy name? Simple: “We do triathlons, and we’re babes,” Busch said while she packed her bags last Wednesday night to head for Lake Chelan. “The Chelan Man” was Busch’s 24th marathon.

“I love them,” she said. “I’m not very good at them — I do them for fun.”

A veteran of the sport

Busch became interested in triathlons after she hurt her foot training for a marathon. At the time, she was told she needed to cross-train.

“My doctor told me, ‘If you want to be walking when you’re 70, you better learn how to swim,’ ” she said. “A friend of mine said, ‘You need to do a triathlons.’ ”

There was just one problem: Busch couldn’t swim, and she didn’t like putting her face in the water.

“I just sort of dog-paddled,” she said. “I thought, ‘I can’t do triathlons.’ But then, you never know until you try.”

Busch’s first “try” turned comical when her fear of water overtook her at a Clear Lake event. As other swimmers plunged into the lake, Busch clung to the dock.

“My husband came over and said, ‘You know, we drove a long way for you to do this,’ ” she said.

A lifeguard paddled over on his board and escorted Busch into the water.

“He had to paddle along beside me to get me going,” she said. “Then, suddenly, he said, ‘Somebody over there looks like they’re dying. I have to go.’ ”

Busch laughs at those days. Since then, she’s become a good open-water swimmer and has participated in the Danskin Triathlon since 1996.

The middle school teacher met the Tri Babes through another teacher who saw Busch wearing a Danskin T-shirt. She was promptly introduced to the rest of the “babes,” who are now going on their sixth year competing as a group.

First time for everything

This year will mark Baumgardner’s first trip to the Danskin Triathlon, but merely training for the event has affected every corner of her life.

“I try to work out at least five times a week, swimming, jogging or taking a bike class,” she said. “Sometimes I take an hour, maybe I can go longer on other days.”

Baumgardner is a private voice instructor who teaches a class, “Music Together,” at Rainy Dayz Play Center and Preschool in Gig Harbor. She said triathlon training gives her more energy and improves the quality of her class.

“We do a lot of running around, dancing and having fun,” she said. “It’s been so much better since I started training. If you make that (exercise) a priority, it makes your life more productive the rest of the day.”

Baumgardner said event training has also added focus and meaning to her life.

“It’s my goal,” she said. “My kids were slowly leaving the nest. My parents both passed away from stroke — I had the genetic possibility of having a stroke myself. I needed to get motivated for myself and for the memory of my sister, who passed away at 47 of colon cancer. Part of the reason was issues of her not taking care of herself.”

In the past, Baumgardner’s exercise routine consisted of an occasional walk with a friend, but “that’s it,” she said. “I let everything else run my life.”

The wakeup call came when the church she belongs to offered free blood pressure tests. She said she took the test “for fun” — and received some heart-stopping news.

“When my blood pressure was checked, I was in stage two hypertension,” Baumgardner recalled. “They said, ‘You need to go to the doctor, like, tomorrow.’ ”

She did see a doctor the next day, and the doctor confirmed the diagnosis.

“Because of my parents, I knew it was in my genes, but I still couldn’t believe it,” she said. “I had no idea. They said, ‘You’re in stage two hypertension — and there is no stage three.’ ”

Armed with that knowledge, she started to exercise seriously.

“I thought ‘I’m never going to make it to 50,’ ” she said. “There was something that clicked. I started exercising, and the blood pressure started coming down.”

In January, a friend at the YMCA told her about the Danskin Triathlon, and she began training in February.

“Turning 50 is a new chapter in my life,” Baumgardner said. “Training for the triathlon has been very motivating. My blood pressure is low and my iron is high. My doctor said, ‘I can’t believe how well you’re doing. When you’re done with the triathlon, I want you as my poster child.’ ”

Still, embarking on a triathlon is not for the faint-of-heart. Even though it’s not a full-scale “Iron Man” triathlon, the Danskin consists of an 800-yard open-water swim, a 12-mile bike ride and a 3.1-mile run.

That doesn’t intimidate first-timer Baumgardner.

“I’m really not afraid,” she said. “I figure, if my sister can face cancer, I can face this.”

Danskin Women Triathlon

In its 19th year, the Danskin Women’s Triathlon Series remains the longest running multi-sports series in the world.

Eligibility: Races are open to women ages 14 and older.

Dates: Aug. 16-17

Contact: Tri Hotline, 800-452-9526, or visit www.danskin.com/seattlemain.html.

Reach reporter Susan Schell at 253-853-9240 or by e-mail at susan.schell@gateline.com.