Diane Groff competed in 20 triathlons and road races last year, but when she jumps into the chilly water at Aurora Reservoir on Sunday morning, she’ll be starting more than just another race.
Sunday is her 50th birthday and for the two-time breast cancer survivor, hitting the half-century mark as a strong, healthy woman is an occasion to celebrate.
This is the fifth Danskin Triathlon Groff has competed in since May, and she is planning to do all eight in the 2007 series as part of Team Survivor, a fitness and support group for women with cancer. By the time she does the last one, Sept. 16 in the New York metro area, she will have competed with 23,000 women in Florida, California, Texas, Wisconsin, Colorado, Massachusetts, Washington and New Jersey.
The Longmont woman, who works as an advocate at the Center for People With Disabilities, says her favorite part of each Danskin event isn’t crossing the finish line but sharing her story at the Saturday breakfast that kicks off the weekend’s worth of activities, including a two-day expo and party after the competition.
“You meet survivors from all over the country, and it’s a very powerful experience,” Groff says over a cup of organic tea in Boulder. “It’s not a team anyone wants to join, but once you are there, the sense of community is extraordinary. When you line up at the start of the race with each other, you feel so alive. It’s a new journey.”
Groff, who did her first Danskin triathlon in 2003, hatched the idea of doing all eight races this year as a way to share her story and encourage other women to take charge of their lives. Danskin waived her race fees; she got grants for travel, coaching and equipment needs; Trek is providing her a bicycle at each race; and she’s taking pledges to raise money for the Rocky Mountain affiliate of Team Survivor,.
“She has been an inspiration, particularly to the new survivors,” says Maggie Sullivan, director of the Danskin Triathlon series. “Here is someone who has weathered the storms and come out triumphant.”
Groff’s intent is certainly to inspire, but she’s also a fierce competitor who sets out to win her races.
She’s racked up an impressive number of first-place finishes for her age group in everything from the Cherry Creek Sneak to the Air Force 800-meter run, and is already anticipating how she’ll rank in her new 50-plus age group.
Groff approaches her training in the same determined, methodical way she dealt with her 1998 and 2001 bouts with breast cancer.
During her 25 radiation treatments for the first cancer, Groff rode her bicycle to each session. “Strapping on my helmet and getting on the bike was like putting armor on before going into battle,” says Groff, whose brown shoulders are a testament to the many hours she spends outdoors. “It strengthened me.”
The second breast cancer, detected in 2001, was invasive and called for a mastectomy, chemotherapy and breast reconstruction. She endured six months of surgeries and treatments. Again, Groff cycled to her oncology appointments, and on the days when she got a red blood cell booster shot, she went for 20-mile rides.
Three weeks after her final chemotherapy session, she ran the most important race up to that point – the qualifier for a competitive spot in the 10K Bolder Boulder. Securing that spot, she says, gave her the “hope, courage and validation” that she was going to land on her feet after cancer and take off running.
While she had done many summer bike trips across Iowa with her husband, Don, and two children, Groff next got serious about running and swimming so she could compete in triathlons. Despite developing osteoporosis and negative side effects from such medicines as Tamoxifen, she continued training.
Two years ago, Groff began working with Ric Rojas, a Boulder running coach.
“She’s the real deal,” Rojas says. “Despite what she’s been through with her health, she holds her own against women her age in any competition.”
He helped Groff set goals, train smart and be disciplined. Instead of having her run 5Ks, she’ll have sessions that include 2-mile sprints or 150-yard sprints that she repeats eight times, recording her time on each. She’ll practice hill climbing on the bike and work on her bilateral breathing during reservoir swims.
Groff keeps a chart detailing what exercises to do on what days and develops a written race plan for each course; she pores over race results to estimate how long it will take to transition from one part of the race to the next; she likes to visit a triathlon site before competing just to visualize the course.
She watches her diet, focuses on eating a lot of fruits and vegetables, loves cold soups, hummus and dark chocolate. “I’m a master at hiding zucchini in everything,” she laughs.
Training and competing is time-consuming, but it hasn’t kept Groff from other interests including taking up Irish dance, which she says has helped her improve as a a triathlete because it requires core strength, balance and coordination.
And she serves as vice president of Rocky Mountain Team Survivor. Through her Danskin efforts she’s trying to raise money for program development so fitness activities and events can be arranged for survivors. “We want to be able to offer free or low-cost events so that more women can participate,” she says.
Groff says the entire experience has been “a lesson in asking for help,” and she knows she wouldn’t be a success if she didn’t have family support and an employer who agreed to let her miss 22 days of work this year. Then there were the 17 people at the YMCA where she swims who donned bandannas like hers when her hair fell out during chemotherapy; and the many people at her church who have donated to the cause.
Finally, there’s Clancey, a tiny gnome who reminds her to have fun along the way. At the Los Angeles triathlon, he rode on the bike with her; there are photographs of him on her blog at dianegroff
. Those silly images of Groff kissing Clancey or posing with him at a finish line are in stark contrast to the self-portrait she made in 2002. Titled “Bald and Beautiful,” the watercolor features an unsmiling woman, deep in thought.
As the interview winds down, Groff shares one more token of her Danskin experience, pulling out a medal strung on a blue ribbon. Its simple but apt inscription sums up her journey: “The woman who starts the race is not the same woman who finishes the race.”
More on the Danskin Triathlon series:
This article has been corrected in this online archive. Originally, due to a reporting error, a role of cancer survivor and triathlete Diane Groff was misidentified. She is vice president of Rocky Mountain Team Survivor.
