Honeymoon of Champions
Montana’s Only Pro Female Triathlete Takes Quick Ride to the Top
By Brianna Randall, 1-16-07
 |
|
 | |
|
Most women envision a Hawaiian honeymoon spent lounging on a sunny beach while sipping a Mai Tai. Linsey Corbin, Montana's only professional female triathlete and one of the youngest women in the pros, found her post-wedding bliss preparing for a different sort of Hawaiian vacation -- training for the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona.
The Ironman is an endurance race comprised of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run in succession. Everyone's idea of a dream honeymoon, right?
But the dream shifted when, three days after her August 26th wedding in Bend, Oregon, 25-year-old Corbin was hit by a truck while biking. Not only did the Toyota 4-Runner mangle her road bike, it also snapped her collarbone in four places and imprinted permanent scars on the left side of her body. And it was less than two months before the world championships.
Corbin -- whose first words weren't the typical "mama" or "dada" but rather "I do it, I do it" -- didn't let a pesky broken bone get in the way of her training. While most doctors recommend immobilizing broken bones for six to eight weeks, Corbin pushed the limits. She threw out the clavicle brace early, and got right back on a bike.
And in the pool. And on her favorite running trails near her home in Missoula, Montana.
"I was going to do the Ironman regardless, even if I had to swim with one arm," she said.
Was her steely determination the result of a lifelong dream to compete in the Ironman? Nope.
Until three years ago, Corbin never swam competitively, hadn't run a race outside of high school, and only biked during family vacations with her parents.
Now, she's training up to 30 hours per week and one of the top 30 professional triathletes in the world. Actually, Corbin only decided to "go pro" a mere two months before her wedding (and accident) in order to take a shot at qualifying for the world championships.
Although she ran track and cross-country in high school, Corbin didn't enter her first competitive race until the summer of 2003, at the request of friends. She easily beat all contestants during her first triathalon (on a borrowed bike, no less), and began training with Team Stampede, Missoula's "tri-community."
After a few years with Team Stampede, Corbin was ready to go bigger.
"I learned everything from Team Stampede, but now I want to see if I can make these competitions my career," said Corbin.
What spurred this decision?
In May of 2006, Corbin placed first in the amateur division of the Wildflower race in central California, the largest triathalon in the world. Her time would have given her third place among the professionals and paid off financially -- amateurs can't win the cash prizes, only professionals can.
So, she went pro.
One month later, during her first race as a professional, Corbin came in first place at a half-Ironman in Canada, beating a former world champion and setting a new course record. Corbin competed in her first-ever full Ironman a couple of weeks later during the USA Women's Championships in Cour de Alene, Idaho.
"I had no idea what to expect, so I prepared for the worst," said Corbin.
Not only did she not do "the worst," she nailed her first attempt at the 140.6-mile course, coming in 7th place and qualifying for the world championships in Hawai'i on October 21st.
The Ironman website revealed this tidbit about Corbin (still using her maiden name of Pickell in July): "Pickell, who recently finished seventh overall at Ironman Coeur d'Alene, is touted by many to be the next female American triathlon star."
Then, in late July, Corbin had an "average" showing at a half-Ironman in California.
"I don't do anything half-assed, and that race had me really disappointed," she said.
The solution: Corbin decided to find a coach. In typical non-"half-assed" fashion, she signed up with one of the best in the world, Canadian Lance Watson. Corbin also solidified her endorsement with Timex Multi-Sports Team, a coalition that includes Gatorade, Power Bar and Timex, and found an agent to represent her.
Meanwhile, remember, she also planned a wedding, got married, and got hit by a truck.
Coach Lance Watson commented on Corbin's accident before the World Championship: "This [broken collarbone] has jeopardized her chances in Kona -- swimming will be a major challenge.
Seeing how she is tackling this setback shows me she has the guts and determination to be successful in the long-term."
Guts and determination, indeed. Regardless of broken bones and delayed honeymoons, on October 21st Corbin completed the swim-bike-run journey through Hawaiian lava fields in a mere 10 hours, 6 minutes and 58 seconds. This time placed her 30th among the 1,700 international athletes competing in the world's most challenging endurance event, and 23rd among the professional women.
And the good news? Women triathletes tend to peak during their late 30s. Corbin was one of the youngest athletes in Kona at 25-years-old. The new women's world champion, Michellie Jones, whose time in the Ford Ironman World Championship was 9:18:31, is 37-years-old.
Corbin is an exceptional athlete not just because of her ability to push phenomenal physical limits, but also because of her mental control.
"I think it's really cool to see how far you can push your body. But in the end, it's all upstairs," she explains. Corbin says that her switch to professional races, and especially the endurance required in the Ironman races, changed her outlook on competing.
"I used to want to win the race or beat that person," said Corbin. "Now, I realize you can't control other people, weather, flat tires. My focus has changed to what I can control -- my mental performance."
Corbin and her husband, Chris, who works in sales and marketing at Big Sky Brewing, are looking to buy a house in Missoula. When not "pushing her body" to new limits, Corbin enjoys baking everything from zucchini bread and pizza dough to dog biscuits for her golden retriever, Madison. When asked why she chose Montana as her homebase, Corbin laughed a little.
"Yeah -- most of the girls live in San Diego where it's warm all year. But Montana makes me tough, and Missoula's a hotbed for good athletes. Plus, I love biking up hills," she says, gesturing out the window to the Rocky Mountain ridges all around.
Though the Montana mountains and extreme weather seem to have paid off, Corbin will get a dose of southern sun this January, when she goes to Arizona for two weeks to begin training for the spring races.
"I want to give it a year to prove myself as a professional triathlete. I want to survive, have fun, and get good results," says Corbin.
The results look good so far, including her healing collarbone. Everything seems right on track for a high-octane, Hawaiian-bound first-anniversary celebration -- of her marriage and her professional Ironman career.
Like this story? Get more! Sign up for our free newsletters.
Comments