Triathlete preparing for greatest challenge of outstanding career
Published Saturday January 22nd, 2011
SAINT JOHN - Gina Spear-Burrows' energy level appears limitless.
Answers to questions often veer in new directions as if she's revising and adjusting on the fly.
It's fitting for an athlete who has spent much of her life on the run.
For the next eight months, Spear-Burrows, a resident of Grand Bay-Westfield, intends to direct much of that energy toward training for the race of her life.
On Oct. 8, she'll join more than 1,700 others in Hawaii for the Ironman World Championships.
There in the shadows of the barren lava fields of Kona on Hawaii's big island she'll test her mettle against the world's best Ironman athletes.
"I just want to finish," she says in a self-effacing manner that belies a fierce competitive spirit. "Well, I want to finish feeling good. I mean there is always some pain along the way. But I want to feel good when I finish."
Spear-Burrows qualified for the 2011 World Ironman by finishing second in the 45-49 age class at Ironman Florida in November.
"That was my goal," said Spear-Burrows, who finished fourth in Florida the year before in the 40-44 age group. "I went there to qualify for Hawaii. I wasn't there just to finish."
Her Florida Ironman finish time of 10 hours, 20 minutes and 57 seconds has presented Spear-Burrows with a challenge like no other triathlon she's ever faced.
The Hawaiian heat can be oppressive. The cross and head winds push bikers and runners to the limit. Rules for the swim prohibit the use of a wet suit, meaning racers making the 3.86-kilometre trek in Kailua Bay can't rely on the extra buoyancy they provide.
"Without the wet suit she'll have to use her legs more to push her through the swim," said Rothesay's Daryl Steeves, who will help coach Spear-Burrows as she prepares for the world championship.
"That has an impact when you get on the bike where the winds can be brutal."
Steeves describes Spear-Burrows as one of the most gifted and driven athletes he's ever worked with.
Nowhere was that more evident than in Florida, where she had to slam back mounds of pretzels at aid stations along the 42.2-km marathon route trying to replace the sodium she'd lost during the first two legs of the triathlon, including a 180.2-km cycle.
"Something just wasn't right. I felt dizzy, light-headed every time I looked down," Spear-Burrows said of her run.
"But I kept eating the pretzels at the water stations and pushing on."
Spear-Burrows has been racing competitively since she was 12. She ran track and cross-country through elementary, high school and university.
She found success early when she made the jump to triathlon, winning the 2005 Ironman Canada 40-45 age group in her first attempt in a time of 11:01.
That result actually qualified her for Hawaii. However, with the races being little more than a month apart, she decided against making the trip.
Spear-Burrows will be joined in Hawaii this year by her training partner and husband of more than 20 years, Earle Burrows.
He has applied for a lottery spot in the championship and will know in February whether he'll race.
In the meantime, the couple will continue to train to take on the Kailua surf and the black lava rocks along the Kona Coast.
"I think a top-10 finish in my age group would really be great. But really, I'm just looking forward to competing in Hawaii," Spear-Burrows said.
Good luck and we'll be watching for news!!
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