Henderson resident will participate in Ironman triathalon during vacation
By LAUREN ROMANO
VIEW STAFF WRITER
JENNA DOSCH/VIEWHenderson resident Reenie Griffin is training for the Ironman triathalon in Nice, France. Griffin, a mother of four, said she hopes to finish the race in less than 12 hours.
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Henderson resident Reenie Griffin starts her day long before she gets her four children ready for school. At 5 a.m., she does laundry, washes dishes, goes for a run and then starts breakfast.
Once the kids, ages 5 to 10, are gone for the day, she hits the gym for weight training and swimming, followed by a bike ride.
Griffin is training for her first Ironman competition in Nice, France.
"My husband loves to travel. I love to train," Griffin said.
Completing the triathlon at the start of her trip will give Griffin a few weeks to recover and see France with her family. She said if they were just going on a trip, she would disappear for a few hours every day to work out. This way, she can't train even if she wants to.
The competition will include a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run.
Griffin began doing triathlons in college and said she had so much fun, she hasn't stopped. Triathlon season is from April through November, and Griffin does about one race a month. She took breaks only to have children, and even those were short breaks.
"I did a triathlon in the first trimester of my pregnancy," Griffin said. "No one could tell I was pregnant."
As part of her training, Griffin is going to do a half-Ironman this month in Las Vegas.
"There aren't as many races here as there are in California, but there are races," Griffin said.
There also is a group of triathletes in the valley, and Griffin said it's easy to find a training partner.
"It's better to be with someone, and you can't just call a neighbor and say 'Hey, want to go on a 100-mile bike ride?' " Griffin said.
Joe Carter, one of Griffin's training partners, said he especially likes riding with a partner because it can be social.
"We can be talking about all kinds of things, but instead of sitting in a Starbucks, you're on a bike," he said.
Although Griffin will do her key training while Carter is recovering from his Ironman in South Africa, he has been helpful because he already has completed the triathlon in Nice.
"France will be a great race for her," Carter said. "She's really strong on the bike. She's a good climber, and there's a lot of climbing."
During the winter, Griffin said she swims in a lap pool at the gym, but when the weather is good, she will do an open swim at Boulder Beach. It's not safe to swim there alone, so she brings a partner there, too.
Griffin spends about 20 to 30 hours a week working out and said she tries to fit it all in while her kids are in school.
"My priority is the kids," she said. "I try to make all their games and activities and do the long rides on Sundays."
Griffin said she wouldn't be great at swimming, biking or running if she was compared to other athletes who specialize in the sports, so the triathlon is perfect for her.
"I like the diversity of three different sports," she said.
Racers need to be quick from beginning to end, including the transitions. Griffin said changing her clothes between events is one of her strong points and even if it doesn't seem that important, those moments could make or break a race.
Griffin said her goal in Nice is to complete the course in under 12 hours.
"It is the ultimate dream for me if I did well in France and qualified for Kona (Hawaii)," Griffin said.
The Hawaiian Ironman in November is the world championship event.
"For me being a common folk, a mom with four kids, just making it to Kona would be great," Griffin said.
Griffin said she would like to complete the Japan Ironman next year and another in Brazil the following year.
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