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Gates Mills mother, daughter on course for duathlon
(by Sali McSherry - September 16, 2009)
Gates Mills mother, daughter on course for duathlon
By SALI McSHERRY
Two years ago, 61-year-old Sarah Nice, of Gates Mills, would not have considered training for a duathlon. Although an avid tennis player, equestrian and swimmer, she did not run and she did not ride a bicycle except around the village.
But that was two years ago. That was before her 24-year-old daughter, Ashley, a competitive athlete, talked her into training for an event they could enter together.
In April, the mother and daughter duo entered the nationals for the duathlon in Richmond, Va. Mrs. Nice's age group began the race in the early morning when it was still slightly cool. She finished in the top 12 and qualified for the world championship that takes place Sept. 26 in Concord, N.C.
During the hottest part of the day, at high noon, and 95-degree weather, Ashley, found herself saying, "I can't believe my mother finished this. It took everything out of me."
And with sheer determination, she also qualified in the top 12 and will compete this weekend against athletes from all over the world.
The course will begin with a 10-kilometer run, a 40-kilometer bike ride and end with a 5-kilometer run.
Last year, it took about two months for a friend of Mrs. Nice's, who wanted her to run and walk a 10-kilometer event in Cleveland with her, to wear her down and do it. Mrs. Nice succumbed and said, "I really enjoyed it. I liked the camaraderie, the excitement and pushing myself."
She has entered local triathlons and one in Colorado over the last year. Mrs. Nice trains six days a week, running one day and cycling the next.
Miss Nice was a hopeful for the 2010 U.S. Olympic snowboarding team but a shoulder injury prevented her from continuing. She won the Canadian Nationals in snowboarding racing several years ago, and was first in a group of 63 women in her age bracket in her first triathlon. Last spring, she won the National Collegiate Sprint Triathlon Championship for women, which was held in Lubbick, Texas.
She has never shied away from competition, even after an injury, because it is important to her to stay in shape, she said.
Miss Nice is studying biology at Colorado State University in Denver and is considering a career as a physician's assistant, veterinarian or nurse.
Mrs. Nice, a Realtor for Howard Hanna Real Estate Services in Gates Mills, said she has a new lease on life.
But most of all, being able to spend time with her daughter has been the major draw, Mrs. Nice said. Comparing racing times and ideas is a lot of fun, she said, and there's a special closeness. And, she asked, how often does a mother have an opportunity to train and enter duathlons with her daughter?
Miss. Nice agreed and said she was proud of her mother and was glad to have the chance to share with her a common bond -- competition.
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