Triathlete sets sights for world championships
In
September, Nancy Brennan placed ninth at the St. Joseph National Age Group
Championships. Her win qualifies her to compete at the triathlete world
championships in April.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Nancy Brennan, program coordinator in the College of Medicine, has entered the world of triathalon and has surprised even herself. Several weeks ago, at the end of her first season in triathalon, she competed at the St. Joseph National Age Group Championships and placed ninth in her age group, and won a spot on the United States team. She will compete in the ITU Triathalon World Championships in Perth, Australia in April.
Qualifying for the United States team is no small feat, even for a seasoned triathlete. What is most amazing is that Brennan was running three to four times a week and swimming once or twice a week for cross training.
Not one to turn down a good challenge, she thought it sounded like fun.
“I always admired people who I termed as athletes,” said Brennan. “I saw their dedication and commitment to stretching the limits of their personal potentials and, I guess, always wondered what my own personal limits would be and whether I would have the dedication to follow through to the end.”
She has the dedication.
In order to fit it all in, her days often begin at 4:30 a.m. and don’t let up until 11 p.m. While working for the College of Medicine’s Mission Based Management program, she continues to do some personal training. She makes time for her 13-year-old daughter, Teal, and still maintains a strenuous training regime.
“Sometimes it’s hard to fit it all in. Between working full time and being a mom, I have had to be very creative about finding time and energy to train,” Brennan said. Eating right and training smart, the foundation of years of training to her clients, has taken on even more significance in her personal routine than before.
She has also had to redefine her definition of “crazy.”
Until her introduction to this sport, she used to call those she saw running in the rain or the extreme heat of our summers, “crazy.” Now she not only finds herself participating, but actually enjoying it.
As a personal trainer, Brennan always urged her clients to find a partner or group to exercise with, she said. She has found her own advice to have been critical to her success. “I was really not aware of the athletic talent in Charleston,” said Brennan. “I was amazed at how they welcomed me into the group and have supported and coached me along the way. There have been many days when I wondered what on earth I was doing, and to have the group support has been invaluable to me.”
And it was worth it. This season’s first race at Hilton Head brought her a third-place finish overall and her three first-place wins and one second-place finish in the Charleston Sprint Triathalon Series left no doubt that she was a natural. Brennan believes the triathalon is more about dedication and perseverance—about the sum of the parts—than about raw talent or having to be a star in all three sports to be a success.
She knows that her years of being mindful of her health and fitness gave her a strong foundation from which to begin. She is also quick to point out that she is not the only triathlete who will be going to Perth. Allison Hardy and Steve Caskie, both among those she considers her role models, will also be part of the U.S. contingent in April.
For now, Brennan has her work cut out for her. There are some cold months of hard training between now and April during a time when most triathletes are “off season” and not training so intensely. But her sights are set and she looks forward to being surrounded by the best in the world.
“I still find it hard to believe that I am one of them,” said Brennan.
“I can’t wait to see just how far I can push my limits!”