For her 50th birthday, Lori McCarney of East Oahu decided to do a triathlon. Since then, the senior vice president at Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties and mother of three, who is now 58, has not slowed down one bit.
In 2009, she qualified for the Ironman World Championship in Kona, but as she crawled toward the finish line during the final marathon portion of the event, time ran out at midnight with just half-a-mile more to the finish.
Not one to give up, McCarney hopes to give it another try and needs the public’s help. She’s competing against 14 others from around the world in an online contest where the two with the most votes receive an invitation to compete in the Ironman World Championship in Kona in October. Vote at konainspired.com through July 18.
The grueling Ironman competition consists of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run. McCarney tried to qualify for the 2012 event through a few Ironman events but came up short, finishing third in her age group in one race and second in two others (she needed to finish first). “I got into triathlons because I was an older mom and I wanted to do something to stay active so I could continue to be part of my kids’ life,” recalls McCarney. “Now, my motivation is that it feels good to be fit at my age. I feel better now than I did when I was 30. Also, the support network and friends, the community that you do it with, I really enjoy participating in this with other people.
“I’m also very goal-oriented. And I just feel vital. I can relate to my (twin) boys who are 23. I can do things with my son who is 17. I just feel capable and able. That’s nice, and that goes back to my original goal.”
