Tiffany Sorice is running for her life.
She is being chased by memories of an overactive appetite, a stressful time when her parents divorced and a bout with thyroid cancer that led to her weight rising to 198 pounds. Thirteen marathons later, including five in Boston, Sorice is almost 60 pounds lighter and looking for other challenges.
She is recently married, was just named an Adams County deputy district attorney and she’s training to compete in her third triathlon, at the Aug. 4-6 Rocky Mountain State Games in Colorado Springs.
“I needed something to help shed the weight, so I started running,” said Sorice, 32. “There were an accumulation of things, but I wasn’t happy with myself. I started to realize that when I shoved a bag of chocolate chips in my face, it really ended up on my body. If you’re not comfortable with being size 14 and want to look your best every day, you shouldn’t wait for some huge event in your life before doing something about it.”
Just as when she began running, Sorice is starting at the beginning in the swimming and cycling legs of the triathlon, having begun training on those just a year ago.
“I knew how to run; I’m addicted to that,” Sorice said. “I knew how to ride a bike, but not racing and messing with gears, and I had to learn how to swim. I needed help with the stroke and the breathing and just staying afloat.
“I’m not terribly comfortable in the water, but it’s getting better.”
In the State Games, Sorice faces a 750-meter open-water swim, a 13-mile bike ride and a 5K run. Her goal is to someday compete in the Hawaiian Ironman competition.
“I’ve watched how those competitors keep pushing, no matter what pain they’re going through,” she said. “You hear the crowd and feel the love they have for the athletes. Doing that would be the apex of my goals.”
Training for the triathlon is much different than for the marathon. Sorice said she would typically run 60 miles a week while training for a marathon but reduces the mileage to about 40 miles a week for the triathlon. She has added a lot more weight training, working both her upper and lower body, to prepare for the triathlon.
The training regimen isn’t meant to be fun, but having an event to focus on keeps her motivated.
Once into training, she finds it difficult to take a day off.
“I just function better when my plate is full,” Sorice said. “I don’t do it for pleasure, but for the competition.”
Memories of the past trigger her determination.
“I tried track when I was growing up, but couldn’t do it because I was too heavy,” Sorice said. “When I got to 198 pounds, I decided it was time to start coming down. I ran a 5K and saw the weight start to come off. I remember running 9 miles and thinking that no one had ever ran that far before.”
Grand Junction attorney David Eisner served as a mentor when both were in the city’s public defenders office.
“I had been running for several years and had collected detailed information on running marathons and specifically the Boston Marathon,” Eisner said. “We trained together for some of the runs. I know she was very motivated with a definite purpose.”
Sorice ran her first marathon at age 22 while a law student at the University of Tulsa. Her father, Steven Nickelsen of Akron, Ohio, keeps a trophy case that contains her 13 marathon medals as well as a wide assortment of plaques and trophies from other runs.
The Olympics were in her sights at one time, but she figures that window of opportunity has closed. Sorice is content to be considered a competitive runner and appreciates what it has done for her.
“I’d be living a different life now, not only because of my perception of myself but how others perceive me,” Sorice said. “There are millions of reasons why this is the best thing I do. I would have kept gaining weight – and my family’s health history is terrible.
“I know I wouldn’t want to be 55 and 198 pounds.”
Staff writer Irv Moss can be reached at 303-820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
Rocky Mountain State Games
When: Aug. 4-6
Where: Air Force Academy, Fort Carson, USOC Training Center, Colorado College, World Arena
Opening ceremony: World Arena, Aug. 4, 7 p.m.
