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"