Au Contraire: Swimming, biking and running for Chelsea

Women ages 30-something to 60-something are going for it. They are doing something outside themselves, bigger than themselves, but also for themselves, and for a for another woman who couldn’t be there.

“Tri-n For Chelsea” is a team of which I’m proud to be a member. We’re a group of moms who will race in a triathlon on Oct. 17. Our mission is to raise awareness and funds for Chelsea’s Light Foundation. The foundation’s mission is to promote laws in our state and nation that will prevent registered sex offenders from slipping through the cracks in the system, and that will protect our children from sexual predators.

Most of the women on the Tri-n-For Chelsea team have never participated in a triathlon. I’d never even considered it. I thought triathlons were something crazy people went to Hawaii to do. Turns out crazy people on the mainland do them too.

It also turns out that the people who race in them aren’t really all that crazy. First off, while every triathlon does include a swim, bike, and run portion (that’s the crazy part), they are not all “Iron Man” distances (2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike and a 26-mile run). For instance I’ll be “competing” in the Sprint distance which is a 750-meter swim, 10-mile bike, and a three-mile run. Not easy, but also not entirely crazy.

Unless injury or illness befalls me, I will finish this race. I guarantee it. And here’s why. I will have in my mind’s eye Chelsea’s image. It will inspire (from the Latin “inspirare” or “to breathe”) me every stroke, spin, and step along the way. Chelsea, who represented so much that is good and vibrant; Chelsea, who like my son, her classmate, would have begun college this month; Chelsea, whose many aspirations included racing in a triathlon. Chelsea, who has come to serve as my daily reminder to take nothing for granted and to focus not on what I can’t do but what I can do because everyday is another chance at life.

In honoring Chelsea, each team member honors herself. And there are as many reasons to do so as there are women on our team.

Two years ago, the mother (of four) who organized the Tri-n For Chelsea team was told by doctors that she most likely had multiple sclerosis. This will be her fifth triathlon since then.
Another mom wants to set an example of a healthy lifestyle for her kids, and yet another wants to overcome her fear of water. All of us on the team want to send the message to Brent, Kelly and Tyler King that Chelsea did not live her life in vain. None of us do.

Each of us has a contribution to make. If you are not yet crazy enough to run a triathlon, your contribution could be to live life with overflowing love and joy that you share with others. It could be to care for a dependent. It could be to rescue a stray cat, or write a song that makes lovers swoon, or tell a joke that makes people laugh. It could also be to come out to Mission Bay on Oct. 17 and cheer on a group of crazy moms who will be wearing shirts adorned with one of Chelsea’s favorite quotes by Virgil: “They can because they think they can.”

Reach Sandberg at sandberg8462@yahoo.com.