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Clark Memorial YMCA Inspires New Triathlete!
One year ago, Darlene Rossi first stepped foot into the Clark Memorial YMCA and a whole new adventure began.
Initially, it was Darlene's daughters' interest in the Clark Sharks swim team that brought the whole family into the facility.
After seeing a newsletter and bulletin board about the Clark Memorial YMCA's Triathlon Club, Darlene sat down with
Fitness & Wellness Director, Veronika Patty to learn more about the club for her seventeen year-old daughter Alejandra.
After their conversation, Darlene decided that she too, would pursue the Triathlon Club. Having never participated in a
race or triathlon, Darlene had no idea what a 5K was or that she would need to know her 5K time to have an appropriate
training program created for her. Initially, Darlene could not complete the full 3.2 miles without walking and began her
training with a 5K time of 46 minutes. Now, after one year, she has lowered her time to 27 minutes! As for swimming, she
started off only able to swim one lap at a time, but after 4-5 months of training, was up to a mile.
She completed her first competition — a duathlon, consisting of 3.1 miles of running, followed by 13 miles of biking
and then another 3.1 miles of running — on Mother's Day 2009. Not long after, Darlene participated in her first triathlon,
consisting of swimming .93 miles, biking 27 miles and running 6.2 miles. Since then, she has also completed a marathon,
which she says helped her learn to do things one step at a time instead of multi-tasking.
Darlene attributes her success to the atmosphere at
the Clark Memorial YMCA and her involvement with the
triathlon club. The friendly and personal atmosphere, the
staff and the accessibility of a "gym for regular people who
can do amazing things" has allowed her to see other people
go through similar transformations. The triathlon club and
Veronika helped her get started and made the workouts fun.
The group training fit Darlene's personality, combinining
the physical, mental and emotional aspects into training
along with the comeraderie of individuals who are all
working to achieve their goals. By just signing up for what
she terms "scary events" and getting ready for them, it was
easy to stay motivated.
Darlene's involvement with the Clark Memorial
YMCA and the triathlon club opened the door for a lot of
things and has made a huge impact on her life. She has
learned new skills and how to see "me time" in a positive
way. The increased exercise has increased her energy and
has helped her set an example for her three daughters by
showing them that taking time to live healthy is beneficial
in all areas of life. By exceeding her own expectation,
Darlene gained a new sense of self-awareness and
developed the courage to start her own business. She says,
"2009 was an amazing year!"
Her advice to others: "If I can do it, anyone can
do it. Commit yourself and the details will take care of
themselves. The Clark offers an excellent support system.
Once you get going, the transformation is amazing! The
event is the motivator and the Clark has the resources to
support those endeavors. Being told you can do things is a
major driver"
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