NAME: BOBBIE WILLIAMS
HOME: Texas
Age Group: 65-69
Occupation: Tri Coach and Home maker
Sport: Triathlon

What got you into the sport of Triathlon?
I have always been a swimmer but I never had a coach as a kid or was on a team. I just love to swim. As an adult and living where I do now I used to ride my bike to and from the neighborhood pool in the summer for an early morning lap swim and in the Winter I swam at the local high school at 9 o'clock at night. My running was doing an occasional fun run. No training… maybe 4-6 miles a week! One night swimming at the local high school, another swimmer asked me if I was going to do the triathlon. I said, "what's a triathlon"? When he told me it was this swim, bike, run thing, I replied, "I can do that". I didn't make it to the triathlon which was just a month away, but the following year I did my first triathlon. That was 1983!
I had practically no training but I thought, "how hard can it be"? Well I found out! It was really hard. It was an Olympic distance event, and I had never run over 4 miles or biked more than 15 miles. But after I received my 4th place finishers mug, I was hooked. I still have that mug and it is 24 yrs. old!

How many years have you been competing and what is your best or most rewarding experience?
After 16 yrs of random training and racing I decided I wanted to try to do an Ironman. Because I was one of the older female triathletes , I won every race I entered. I had done many sprint and Olympic distance races in Texas. Some I went to every year and won my AG every year. I didn't even need to try! It lost it's appeal and I needed a challenge. So I decided to take a chance and try something bigger. It was sort of scary at first. I hired Coach Troy and he coached me through my first Ironman. And I just kept going. At Ironman Florida I won a Kona slot I also had won a lottery slot to Canada for the following year. Faced with two Ironman races 6 weeks apart the following year I put my life in Coach Troy's hands.
I was terrified at Canada but pretty confident in Kona. It was one of the most challenging weather conditions in the history of the Hawaiian Ironman, with cross winds of 60 mph and head winds of 40 mph. We were riding on a tilt! Being a newbie at Kona, I just assumed the winds were normal. Coach Troy said it was windy there and I thought to myself, 'Yes, it certainly is windy." I managed to make the bike cutoff by two minutes and finished the race only 10 minutes slower than Canada. I earned a third place award that day. It was a thrill of a lifetime. But the most amazing thing was I felt pretty good at the finish. I was extremely well prepared!

What is your motivation for training and racing?

I like to attempt difficult challenges. It's sort of like a dare to myself. I like to do the thing that people think I cannot do. Triathlon challenges me everyday. I never get tired of the training and the race is simply the carrot to keep me striving to get better. My goals are longer, harder and faster. Of course the fitness and good health are bonuses. But I have been blessed with good health most of my life. If I don't have some training to do most every day I feel like there is something missing in my life. My children are grown so they don't require so much attention these days. Now they worry about me instead of me worrying about them.?

How do you balance family, work and training?

Since my children are grown I only have to care for my husband and myself. Fortunately he is a triathlete also so he understands my commitment to training. I put training pretty close to the top of my priorities. Unless something urgent comes along, housework comes in a poor second. I can always find time to visit with my children across the country. Also as a Triathlon Academy coach, my clients get priority attention. I have time to talk to them as long as they want. As an older athlete I need to space my training throughout the day. In between training sessions, I do all the other stuff! ?

What are your three year athletic goals?

I'll be changing age groups in a couple years and I'm still looking for an AG win at Kona. If my health remains good I intend to keep striving to get better and faster and someday, maybe I will be first on the podium. The competition gets tougher every year so it keeps me focused. I cannot assume they will all die off because as I get older and continue to compete so do all the other ladies in my AG. We're a tough bunch, showing the world that old age does not mean quitting.

What advice would you give other women in your situation?
To stay healthy and vibrant all your life, stay active.
Many women in my AG were never athletes in their youth and have no athletic background. Many are timid about undertaking such a rigorous sport. But once they finish a sprint triathlon they love it. I would advice them to hire a coach that understands their concerns, listens to them and helps them make the transition to a healthy lifestyle. We all need goals, but once that empty nest syndrome sets in, many women feel they have nothing to get excited about. Triathlon will get you excited! Start small and go as far as you want!