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Father and daughter compete in triatholon |
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Written by Dan England for NEXTnc
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Tuesday, 15 May 2007 |
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When Leah Larson was 4, maybe 5, she would ride her bike while her father, Mark, ran. He pushed her up the tough hills while telling her that one day, she'll be running faster than him.
She remembers listening in wonder to his comments, but she believed him. This was Daddy, after all. Daddy was usually right.
Daddy was right. Leah's goal will be to win when she competes in the Pelican Fest and Greeley triathlons.
Mark's goal will be to not finish last.
Of course, Leah, 22, is a Greeley West High School graduate who is now ranked as one of the top up-and-coming amateur triathletes in the country and competes on the club team at the University of Colorado, where she is a senior studying finance.
The Pelican Fest, on May 26 in Windsor, will be Mark's first triathlon.
He's no slouch, of course, and Leah's mother, Maureen Larson, warns you not to believe it when Mark says he doesn't care where he finishes. He's plenty competitive. He ran the mile and the 800 for the University of Northern Colorado in 1974-78 and once held Greeley Central High School's mile record of 4:25. The Larsons live in Greeley.
His genes are one reason why their younger son, Dan, runs for the Colorado School of Mines, and they are probably why Leah entered her first triathlon at the end of her sophomore year, something she wanted to do for two years but kept chickening out, and managed to finish 18th. She remembers getting cold sweats dreaming about biking up those hills.
Now, of course, she loves the hills, using them as weapons for snatching leads from others. Leah got hooked at that first race, and now she wants to try an Ironman (the ultimate test of endurance, it includes a marathon) because two hours of a triathlon just isn't enough. If she sounds addicted, well, it's because she is.
"You feel like you're flying," Leah said. "It's a complete high."
She felt that way from the very first race, despite the mistakes she made, including hitting a road sign while biking.
"I got a good scar from that one," she said.
She didn't exactly push Mark into his first race. She was subtle. She made sure that he saw a few of her races. She knew Mark and his competitive streak.
"I knew that once he saw a race, he would want to do one himself," she said.
She was right. Mark loves the sport now, and though he does not have high expectations, he believes it will be fun.
"I love how you can go hop in the pool when it's cold and windy outside or go for a bike ride when you don't feel like running," Mark said.
Leah hopes to complete her Ironman — she'll try a half this fall, and maybe even two, which was news to her father — and she might even make a career out of triathlons. She may one day try out for the Olympics, though she said that's a dream.
Mark, though, said Leah needs to dream. Leah smiled at that.
Leah is looking forward to the upcoming races with her father as much as anything she's done in the past. She plans to finish the race and go back and run the last leg, a 5K, with her father.
Daddy pushed her up those hills and told her she would do it one day. He always encouraged her.
And she can't wait to finally return the favor.
— Dan England covers the outdoors, entertainment and the environment for The Tribune. His column runs on Tuesday. If you have an idea for a column, call 392.4418 or write
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THE PELICAN FEST TRIATHLON
The Pelican Fest Triathlon takes place May 26 at the lake in Water Valley.
You swim 800 meters, bike 10 miles and run a 5K, 3.1 miles.
For more information, go to www.pelicanfest.com.
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THE GREELEY TRIATHLON
The Greeley Triathlon will be June 10.
You swim 500 yards, bike 12 miles and run a 5K.
The start time is 7 a.m. at the Centennial Pool.
For more information, go to www.greeleytriathlonclub.com. You also can register online at timberlinetiming.com. | Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register. |
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