For many triathletes, completing an Ironman is the ultimate test of endurance. Some compete to win by being first across the finish line, breaking records, or qualifying for the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Others participate for personal accomplishment, winning in a different way by simply completing the race (no simple task by any means), and maybe breaking a personal record along the way.

This past June, two female athletes stepped up to compete at Ironman Coeur d’Alene. They had not met before the race, and chances are their paths didn’t cross during the race, but they were both there with a purpose. So we decided to connect Tyler Stewart (professional triathlete and overall female winner of the Ironman Coeur d’Alene) and Sage Rountree (triathlete, yoga teacher, coach and author) to compare notes about their Ironman experience and what it means to “win” from their perspective…

SAGE: I was amazed and intimidated by the fitness and stress level of the athletes in Coeur d’Alene, and I found myself happy to be staying with my family in Hayden Lake, the next town up, so we could be relaxed and separate from that nervous energy. How did you spend the days before the race?

TYLER: I hear you. I am one of those athletes who likes to avoid “the scene” as much as possible. I, too, stayed with my family at a private home on the river. I spent most of the days leading up to the race catching up with family members, watching movies, and trying to stay relaxed. It’s easy to get caught up in the hype of a race if you spent a lot of time around the race site. I think it’s best to do what you have to do at the race site and leave.

SAGE: As a first timer, my basic goal was to finish happy, and I felt pretty confident that if I remembered my intention—to be open to the experience, to see what it’s like to race an Ironman—I’d meet the goal. My secondary goal was to finish in the daylight. Considering that Coeur d’Alene is only an hour’s drive from the Canadian border, and that race day was on the summer solstice, Mother Nature was cutting me some slack, and I made it with a few hours to spare! I had parameters set for my wattage on the bike and my pace on the run, and a nutrition plan, all based on what I’d practiced in training. What were your goals coming into the race?

TYLER: Honestly, after having such a life threatening experience at Ironman Arizona last November, my goal was to finish and to feel strong. I suffered from a “thyroid storm” in Arizona—at the time I didn’t know I had only a 45-percent chance of surviving that episode. I was thrilled to take the start line only seven months after this incident. My goals were about as simple as yours. I wanted to finish, I wanted to feel strong, and I wanted to smile and remember why I liked racing again. I feel like I succeeded.

SAGE: The weather was pretty good for us—and on a day when you’ll be spending a lot of time outdoors, that can be a huge factor. I was really happy to have good weather. What did you think of the conditions?

TYLER: Well, I can’t say I felt the same way. When I looked out onto the lake that morning and saw all those whitecaps, I feared for my poor swimming abilities. I am not a very good swimmer, and the sight of waves and chop freak me out. Once I was on the bike, though, the weather seemed perfect! Some people complained about the wind, but being from the San Francisco area, I’ll say: that was not wind! Once onto the run, I was glad it was cool, but I have to admit that by the end of the run—and I finished before it started raining—I was frigid. I think it took me about four hours after the race to warm up. I’m not complaining about the weather, it beats Kona any day!

SAGE: It did get a little choppy on the swim, but I think that’s fun. It’s a chance to relax in the face of intensity, and to adapt breath to breath, to be fully in the moment—this is something we work on in yoga. On the flight home, I talked with a fellow participant who teaches rescue swimming for the Coast Guard, and he said the swim was really enjoyable!

How does it feel to be out front, following the bike labeled FIRST-PLACE FEMALE?

TYLER: It’s pretty darn exciting, but also pretty nerve-racking. For all of my amateur years and most of the last three years as a pro I have always been the one doing the “hunting,” but for the second time ever I was being “hunted.” It feels great to be in first place once you know that the race is yours. But until that point, you feel like a carrot sitting out there just waiting to be eaten up!

SAGE: What were the low points? How do you cope during those points?

TYLER: Anyone that tells you they didn’t have low points during an Ironman is lying! I tell people all the time who are getting ready for their first Ironman that you need to be prepared to go through every emotion you have ever had. There are times you feel great, on top of the world, amazed at what your body can do. But other times you doubt yourself, your body, and what you were thinking doing something this crazy. The first thing I do when I suffer from bad thoughts is eat! Most of the time we begin to doubt ourselves and have low points when we are calorie deficient. So, first I eat. Then I evaluate. I know that every time I take the line at an Ironman there is that chance I will have a very rough day, but I also know there is that chance I will have a great day. It’s how you deal with the experience of that day that makes the memory.

SAGE: In sport, as in life. Now that it’s a month later, what images and emotions from the day stand out?

TYLER: Funny! People ask me all the time if my win ever sunk in. I am not sure it ever really did. Three days after the race, I was back at work—teaching my cycling classes, running around after fifteen dogs—and my win didn’t change any of that. Was it super exciting and did I get a lot of congratulations? Yes! I guess all I really remember was how great it was and how big a smile I had on my face when I knew I had won the race. Running down the finishing stretch, crowds roaring, my whole family at the finish line, I was thrilled. A win like this makes me feel as if all the time and effort and sacrifice I make in my life is worth it—not that winning is everything, by any stretch. My husband, my family, and my business all make huge sacrifices for this sport and I felt like I got to give back a little bit with the win.

Tyler Wins Her First Pro Ironman and Sets a New Course Record

SAGE: The crowds were spectacular, even for a middle-of-the-packer like me. One woman out near the run-course turnaround told me the athletes were inspiring her; I insisted that the supporters were the inspiring ones. This is what I remember, too: the crowds, my family, and feeling like the time I’d invested in training was well spent. Having the luxury of getting to do what I like simply for the experience is a huge gift, and I hope to serve others by showing that when you set a reasonable goal, take your time getting there, and remember why you’re doing it, you can achieve just about anything.

Sage Finishes Her First Ironman

TYLER STEWART spends countless hours in the pool, on her bike, and running more miles than she’d care to admit as a professional triathlete. By day, Tyler and her husband Johnny own and operate a dog grooming, walking and boarding shop called WAGS in San Francisco, California. Read her full race report here »

SAGE ROUNTREE is author of The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga, The Athlete’s Pocket Guide to Yoga, a contributor to Runner’s World, and a member of PowerBar Team Elite. She loves competing in triathlon and running races of all distances. Through her business, Sage Endurance, she teaches yoga to athletes and coaches clients in running, ultrarunning, triathlon, and duathlon. Read her full race report here »