Comments on: Xterra West Championship

By: Jade Gianakopoulos

Jade Gianakopoulos — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:00:23 +0000

Thank you for your comments and great stories. Amy, way to perservere and finish in Richmond! I hope to see you in Utah at the Xterra National Championship. Dianna, keep up with your triathlons, it sounds like you were able to pull through even with the challenges you already were facing with a first triathlon. Now, they can only get better!
Bonita and Colleen, thank you for your comments and taking the time to read Athleta Chi!
Tri hard!

Like: 1

By: Amy Quinn

Amy Quinn — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:43:12 +0000

Hi Jade! I have a very similar Xterra experience. I too qualified for the world champs in Utah last year and had a great race in Maui. I had such a fabulous time that I couldn’t wait to go back! Therefore, I trained to qualify in Richmond in June. I was very fit leading up to the race, however, I came down with a virus the weekend of the qualifier. To make matters worse, I was not able to arrive in Richmond until the evening before the race. Anyhow, I was able to hold myself together the first part of the race but began to deteriorate midway through the bike course. By the time I got to the run, I cramped so badly I had to sit down on the Mayan ruins. I have NEVER cramped like that. Needless to say, I didn’t qualify for Maui :(. However, I learned from the experience and I look at it as another opporunity to go back to Utah, which I would have bypassed had I qualified in Richmond. Thanks for sharing your story. Its nice to know we’re not alone in our sufferings and disappointments. Perhaps we’ll have a chance to meet in Maui someday!!!

Like: 2

By: Colleen

Colleen — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:27:49 +0000

You Rock, Jade!! I cannot imagine how you reached into your suitcase of pain and accomplished such an admirable quest. I too, felt like I was right there with your awesome account of the experience. You are a class act and I applaude your finish of such a challanging race with a few extra challanges thrown in the mix. Congratulations to you and goodluck with your future endeavors. Take care

Like: 1

By: Dianna G.

Dianna G. — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 05:45:38 +0000

Good for you, Jade, for finishing despite your illness. I hope you have recovered and are on your way. I came down with a bad cold three weeks prior to my first-ever tri, but thankfully had time to recover. I can’t imagine I would have had the same fortitude two days out!

Like: 1

By: Bonita Heeg

Bonita Heeg — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 02:43:20 +0000

Wow. Jade’s wonderful writing ability, as she journaled this experience, allowed me to feel like I was right next to her during this race. I could almost feel the “scorching desert sun” and “refreshing wind.” Though I will never accomplish what she has listed here, Jade’s public admission of having her “personal worst race performance,” along with her shared wisdom of seeing it as her “personal best in terms of the will to finish the race” is absolutely inspiring! Again, wow.

Like: 3