AGE GROUP PROFILE
Laurelee Nelson
SIXTY-FIVE-YEAR-OLD LAURELEE Nelson came in first in her age group at the Ironman World Championship last year. She calls it her most memorable race since she began competing in 2006. Then in her early 50s, she had postponed trying the sport for over 10 years, but once she got going, Nelson was completely hooked.
Through the 1990s, she wanted to do triathlon, but was too busy working and raising four kids in Kelowna, B.C. She had started running for wellness and, especially after a day of taking care of young children, getting out for a quick run was a great release. Short runs of five to 10 kilometres led to weekend running groups and then to races.
Her interest in triathlon came from triathletes she met in several areas of her life. While working at a sport retail shop, a lot of older women came in to gear up and, as a fitness instructor, she met more in training. She also volunteered at a race and enjoyed chatting with the triathletes.
Then, in 2005, she decided to sign up for her first triathlon. And she didn’t start off with a try-a-tri – no, she signed up for the 2006 Ironman Canada race. She camped out the night before registration, one year in advance, to be sure she’d get a spot.
“I hadn’t ever thought about winning,” she says, “I just wanted to do triathlon and finish.”
She finished third, then was surprised to find that a 2007 Kona qualification rolled down to her. Her good friend, Mark Shorter, told her that she better take it.
Nelson had asked Shorter to “coach her along” for Ironman Canada because she didn’t know how to prepare. He thought Nelson should do a short triathlon first, so she found a standard-distance race, which opened her eyes to details like setting up her transitions.
For Nelson’s first time in Kona, most of her family came along.
“I told them, ‘I don’t know if this will ever happen again, so come see me if you can,’” she says. Little did they know that Nelson would return to Kona at least seven more times.
Running is so important to her that possibly having to stop became a big concern after a major injury in 2014.
“I was really worried I wouldn’t be able to run anymore,” she recalls. “If I couldn’t do triathlons anymore, I wanted to run, at least, because that’s when I’m in my ‘happy place.’”
The injury was a tibial tendon tear sustained during a half-distance race in Hawaii. After surgery, the doctors told her no swimming, no running, no biking. It was a year before she was able to race again.
“But you keep moving forward, make yourself drink, and think it through. Those doubts can creep in if you let them, but experience helps, because you know it’s going to pass if you just keep going.”
But she was even more thrilled with last year’s Ironman World Championship performance. Nelson came first in her 65 to 69 age group with a time of 12:47:52.
“I still think it’s a dream sometimes,” she says, “Everything went perfectly, like a dream. When you have that kind of perfect day, you just hope for more.”
When asked about the endurance required for 12-plus hours of racing, she says, “Coming off the bike, it’s really hot and you don’t feel like running. And, after walking, it is hard to get running again. But you keep moving forward, make yourself drink, and try and think it through. Those doubts can creep in if you let them, but experience helps because you know it’s going to pass if you just keep going.”
Nelson’s swim was slower than expected last year, but she was challenged with a bad cough leading up to the race.
“It forced me to rest the week before. I just
had a short run and short ride, no swims at all,” she explains.
Before every Ironman race she trains for several weeks with her inspirational Ironman friend Cullen Goodyear who is 72. Nelson swims three times a week in a local pool during winter and in the lake during summer. She has a really good running group for weekends and sometimes runs weekdays with her sister, Cindy Rhodes, who is known for her fast races.
Triathlon also introduced Nelson to her husband, Don Debienne, who is her biggest supporter.
“He’s just there for me, watching times and splits and encouraging me,” she says. His knees give him too much trouble to run anymore, but he does all the long bike rides and swims with her.
Nelson met him just before the 2006 Ironman, which seems so long ago to her now.
“Signing up for that first race, I made so many long-term friends,” Nelson says, “and I’ve made so many other good friends since.”
Shorter, her first coach, is one of those long-term friends and he speaks highly of Nelson.
“She is a talented and hardworking athlete who manages to balance high-level training for Ironman with her many children and grandchildren and a quality lifestyle,” he says. “She is humble, forthright and very generous in the giving of her time to other athletes.”
Some of those other athletes may turn out to be her grandchildren. Nelson takes care of nine grandchildren, aged two to 12, and they keep her very busy. She has run a few races with her sister’s grandkids, and that’s been a fun family activity.
Nelson hopes they will take up running or triathlon, too. Keeping up with grandma doesn’t look like it’ll be easy, though.