There is a story behind every first triathlon. Yes, there are some good stories about standing on the edge of the pool or on the shore of a lake or other body of water wondering how in the world you arrived at this moment when suddenly the starting gun fires and you are jolted back into one of the more intense moments of your life. But, most first triathlon stories start much earlier than that. A good first triathlon story starts with a bet, or a glance of yourself in the mirror one morning, or maybe the day you turned 40. As memorable as a first triathlon was (or will be!) the story about how and why we chose to reigister in the first place is just as important. Some stories, like this one (and my own personal story), start with someone leafing through Endurance Magazine. Please enjoy this conversation between Susan Gladin and Holli Patillo — two women who chose to make Ramblin’ Rose their first triathlon.
— Joe Nuss, Editor
SG: What do you remember, Holli?
HP: I remember that I had started hanging out with you guys in November 2011. The triathlon would’ve been May 2012. The first time I met Susan’s husband, Peter, was the day he was diagnosed with cancer.
SG: We started jogging together some before we signed up. We didn’t have any aspirations for being super competitive women or anything.
HP: I was housesitting.
SG: It was during the time that Peter was in the hospital. He was just going crazy; it was very stressful. I had asked Holli to farm sit so that I could stay in town with Peter. He fell asleep around 8pm that night, so I decided I may as well just go home. So I did.
HP: We were hanging out and opened a bottle of wine.
SG: We got out an Endurance magazine.
HP: Before we knew it, we had signed up for our first Ramblin’ Rose. I probably would have backed out if I’d paid for my own entry that year. Susan paid for me, and I didn’t want to let her down. I decided to go through with it.
SG: We started training together a lot.
HP: Susan and Peter have a great pond here on the farm that you can swim in and we used that to practice our swimming. We ran on trails, and we biked.
SG: I remember the first day we practiced the whole thing. We were very happy, like “We did it, we did it! We know we can do it now.”
HP: I remember going to a workshop about it hosted by Monette [Williams]. I was really glad that we went to that because I really wouldn’t have known anything about transition.
SG: You became the queen of transitions.
HP: Yeah I’m a really good transitioner nowadays. That night we bought our triathlon outfits.
SG: I remember getting all marked up. I found those pictures of us showing our markings. They write your age on the back of your leg. You can’t be too modest!
HP: What was your biggest challenge during the actual first triathlon?
SG: Probably running. Always, for me it’s the running. I think I was in pretty good biking shape then because I had been biking more but I’m not a good runner. Running is always hard for me.
HP: For me it was the swim. I was expecting it to be easier.
SG: Remember that funny feeling when you get off your bike and start running? It’s like “I think I have legs?!”
HP: After we did our first triathlon we loved it. We’ve done several more now. We’ve also expanded our repertoire to include half marathons.
SG: Since 2012, Peter who has cancer has been healthy until recently. He had a recurrence in late October of 2013. That is finally manifesting itself right now. As we speak…as we record this. It’s kind of a full circle thing.
HP: What I really love about Ramblin’ Rose is that it is a women’s only thing. It feels very supportive.
SG: I remember being in line to swim at Raleigh and I had an injured shoulder. Swimming was really difficult for me. I told the woman in front of me about it and she said “Turn around, I’m a massage therapist.” She massaged my shoulder! That’s the kind of camaraderie we have.
HP: I always enjoy talking to the women behind me when we’re waiting on the swim. Like, “Is this your first triathlon?” Sometimes it is! It’s fun to reassure them.
SG: I’m always amazed at the people who do it for whom it is a much bigger challenge than the two of us, who are able bodied.
HP: Older women, too. You see senior citizens out there killing it.
SG: I’m becoming one.
HP: You’ll never be a senior citizen.
SG: I’m turning 60 this month. We both have birthdays this month. Do you have one strong memory of the Ramblin’ Roses that we’ve done?
HP: When I crossed the finish line the first time, they gave us necklaces. I put mine on and I never wanted to take it off. I was so proud. What about you?
SG: Somehow my mind goes to Winston-Salem, but no particular memory. I’m ready to sign up for another one.
HP: Let’s bust out the wine and laptops.
