Elizabeth Model wasn鈥檛 always an endurance athlete 鈥� far from it, in fact.

鈥淚 was very overweight in university, and I stopped weighing myself at 268 pounds, and I know I got up to about 280,鈥� recalled Model, the CEO of Downtown 性视界传媒 Business Improvement Association.

鈥淎s a child I was very, very active,鈥� she continued, 鈥渁nd between boarding school and university, I just packed on pounds, not being active enough. And when I graduated it was a case of, 鈥楪osh, I鈥檝e never weighed so much,鈥� and I just started being active again and eating right and not slumming around dormitories, and all the rest of it, and the weight just came off.鈥�

Years later, around the time she hit age 40, and long after she entered the business world, Model found the energy to run a marathon, and 鈥済ot hooked鈥� on endurance racing.

Model (pronounced mo-DEL) recently spoke to the Now-Leader after arriving home from Haines City, Florida, where she completed her 92nd Ironman race.

Over the past 13 years, the Burnaby resident has travelled the world doing long-distance triathlons.

鈥淚 started in 2005 in Penticton, in August of that year,鈥� Model said. 鈥淚 was 46 at the time, and I鈥檓 turning 60 next year.鈥�

Elizabeth Model rides a bike during a recent Ironman race. (submitted photo)

Even more impressively, she鈥檚 a member of an exclusive club of just five athletes who have done every single Ironman race on the calendar.

鈥淭he Club,鈥� as it鈥檚 known, includes Model and her partner, John Wragg, along with Mexican athlete Luis Alvarez, American Jeff Jonas and German Holger Muller.

鈥淲e鈥檝e all done every Ironman on the books,鈥� Model said proudly, 鈥渁nd I鈥檓 the only female who鈥檚 done them all around the world.

鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty cool,鈥� she added. 鈥淟uis Alvarez, the fellow from Mexico, has done up T-shirts with a map of the world and flags of all of our countries, including Canada, and all the Ironmans are listed on the back, with check-marks next to the ones we鈥檝e done. At every race, we get together on the Saturday night before the race, or on the Friday, and we all have dinner together. It鈥檚 a great tradition to have, and we usually invite the race announcer too, because our names are really well known in the Ironman world. If you Google my name, there鈥檚 a ton of stuff that comes up.鈥�

For the uninitiated, an involves a 3.86-kilometre swim, a 180.25-kilometre bike ride and full 42.20-kilometre marathon run, completed in that order and without a break.

Model completed the recent race in Florida in 15 hours and two minutes 鈥� a good time for her.

鈥淢y swim is the most consistent for me,鈥� she said of her performance, 鈥渂ut I usually kind of roll it in in the marathon, because that鈥檚 kind of my baby. I鈥檓 an endurance athlete, and I can haul it out in the marathon, grind it out, stay happy, eat lots, drink lots and make sure the nutrition doesn鈥檛 falter, because that鈥檚 when you go into nutrition deficit and it鈥檚 over.鈥�

Until you have experienced it...you can't imagine it!!!

鈥� Elizabeth Model (@Elizabeth_Model)

Model got her first taste of the Ironman experience by joining friends at the Penticton event, which no longer exists, as a spectator.

鈥淚 had started marathoning some years earlier, and I met a couple ladies in the gym,鈥� she recalled. 鈥淭hey said to me, 鈥榊ou are such an Ironman,鈥� and they鈥檇 already done Ironman, and they told me I had that same mindset.鈥�

A year later, she was in.

鈥淎fter I did my first one (in Penticton), I鈥檇 already signed up for my second, in Arizona,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 loved the training, I loved the multi-discipline. I only run three times a week, I swim a couple of times and the rest is cycling and core and weights, and I am just very dedicated to it.鈥�

The loss of the Penticton event in 2012 stung Model.

鈥淧enticton was amazing, and it鈥檚 still one of my favourite races in the world,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was such a great course鈥� Unfortunately, the city and Ironman couldn鈥檛 come to an agreement, and I hope one day it鈥檒l go back there. That one hurt really badly.鈥�

鈥� RELATED STORY: A 性视界传媒 marathon first, from September 2012.

Early this decade, Model was among backers of 性视界传媒 International World Music Marathon, first held in 2012. The race lasted just two years before logistical concerns shut it down.

鈥� COLUMN: 性视界传媒 International World Music Marathon much better suited for Cloverdale, from March 2014.

鈥淚t was really too bad we couldn鈥檛 continue that, and it was a huge disappointment,鈥� Model said. 鈥淏ut as you can well imagine, the road closures just got so expensive. The logistics, we just had to cut back on the event and we recognized it just wasn鈥檛 going to work, from a standpoint of the policing costs, too, which were over $100,000 at that time, and you need a lot of registrations for that, and 性视界传媒 just wasn鈥檛 at that stage.鈥�

As for Ironman, Model believes it wouldn鈥檛 work in the Metro Vancouver area.

鈥淚ronman is only in, I think, one large city, and it鈥檚 more in remote locations that have the lakes, the cycling, a supportive community,鈥� she noted. 鈥淭he only one that has worked in a city is Frankfurt, Germany. and Hamburg, but not as big there. Germany just shuts down everything though, and they just do it.鈥�

With other members of 鈥淭he Club,鈥� Model has seen the world.

鈥淪ome of the (Ironman races) don鈥檛 exist anymore 鈥� 12 or 15 them, like in Lake Tahoe, and Utah and Penticton, all of those are gone,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut whenever it pops up in a new place, we all go and do it now, as members of this club.鈥�

Doing the math, Model has completed an average of seven Ironman races a year since 2005.

鈥淪ometimes I do more, sometimes less, because of injuries,鈥� she said.

鈥淗opefully, if all things go well, next year I鈥檒l hit my 100th one, and where that鈥檚 going to be is really interesting,鈥� Model added. 鈥淭wo new ones are planned, and obviously we鈥檙e going to do those, including one in Cork, Ireland and also in Victoria, Spain, and I registered for both.

Ironman is far more than a sporting event, she insists.

鈥淚t鈥檚 about a lifestyle, a huge community, and it doesn鈥檛 matter where you are in the world, when you meet somebody who is an Ironman, on business travels or in an airport or if they see your tattoo, you know what they鈥檙e all about, and it鈥檚 just automatically a bonding with that person.鈥�

tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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