Crawl of Fame

JULIE MOSS UNINTENTIONALLY found a place in triathlon history when she placed second in the 1982 Ironman in Kona. Her extremely difficult finish sparked inspiration in many people and helped grow the new sport dramatically. Moss was surprised to find a deep determination that day and she would find much more of it as triathlon became a central core of her life.

In high school Moss was quite happy to warm a team bench but, at 23, a kinesiology research project in college gave her the wild idea to try an Ironman. She had seen it on television the year before and although she had strong swim skills from surfing, she wasn’t a runner or cyclist.

“I didn’t come to win, or even to compete,” she writes. “I just wanted to ensure my graduation. With only two marathons and two triathlons, that added up to less than Ironman distance under my belt, plus furious last-minute training on the Big Island, I didn’t exactly have the background of a serious contender. I didn’t care either.”

After doing well in the swim and bike, remarkably, Moss found herself the lead runner. But close to the end, she hit a huge wall and started to fall apart big-time. People around the world saw her excruciating struggle to stay upright, but she fell multiple times in the last mile. Then, while Moss lay on the ground only 15 feet from the finish line, another runner passed and won.

“I had nothing left to give, nothing to offer this race, nothing inside,” says Moss. “Still, my inner voice said, less urgently now that the imminent threat was gone: Crawl. Crawl to the finish. So I did.” She crawled not only across the line, “but into the power to uncap all limitations of what I thought possible. A face-to-face encounter with the Wonder Woman buried deep inside.”

Going in to Kona, Moss had little interest in triathlon, but the Ironman experience changed her. She continued to race and had a number of sponsors, but it wasn’t until 1989 that she fully committed to becoming the very best triathlete she could be. As she came in first at the World Cup Gold Coast Triathlon that year, she thought, “So THIS is what it’s like to win a really big race on merit. WOW!”

Despite her many accomplishments, in-complete Kona races from 1984, 1989 and 1990 didn’t sit well with Moss. “My Ironman resume did not square with my place in the Ironman Hall of Fame,” she writes. So, she returned to Kona in 1997 and not only did she finish but she shaved half an hour off of her 1982 time while placing second in her age group. Moss would be back to Kona yet again in 2012, 2017 and in 2018 when son Mats was also competing.

Moss shares many stories about triathlon history from the perspective of her front row seat. She also reflects on the struggles of personal life crises – the divorce from Mark Allen, her father’s abandonment, her mother’s death, an addiction to clove cigarettes and periods of depression. At the age of 50, she had bottomed out and was so unhealthy that it was difficult to walk 200 yards.

But Moss crawled back to good health with the help of friends, family and that persistent flame of determination. She found new purpose as an inspirational speaker and it is easy to see how this dynamic woman can propel people to conquer their difficult circumstances.—HELEN POWERS