THE ACCIDENTAL IRONWOMAN Gina Maddox (B.A. ’99) took on the Kona before ever competing in a triathlon BY ASHTON BRASHER (B.A. ’15) PHOTO BY ANDREW THOMAS LEE The Kona Ironman Triathlon attracts tens of thousands of hopeful participants every year. The grueling event is so popular a lottery system is required. Out of this lottery, only 100 are chosen. Gina Maddox was one of those selected for the 2014 race. There was just one thing — she wasn’t a triathlete yet. “I am a stay-at-home mom of three young children — certainly not the picture of an athlete,” she said. “But every year I would watch the Ironman World Championship and I would be so amazed and inspired. I knew I had to try it myself one day.” And try it she did. On April 15, she found out she was selected for the Kona — the sport’s most iconic event — without ever competing in a triathlon. Most people don’t start at square one before a race like this, but Maddox balanced all the challenges she faced like an expert. “The biggest challenges were my lack of experience and synching my training schedules with the demands of being a mom. I had roughly 26 weeks to prepare for the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2mile run. I was on the ‘fake it until I make it’ plan,” she said. When Maddox crossed the finish line, there was no faking it. “I most vividly remember making the final turn for the final quarter mile. People are yelling and screaming, music is blaring, but at hour 15:24, above it all, I could hear the announcer’s voice as he says ‘Gina Maddox, you are an Ironman!’ It was one of the coolest moments of my life.”
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