Photos: Jill Childers

I had the pleasure recently of getting to talk triathlon with Triathlon Club of San Diego member Jill Childers. Jill bounced back from a life threatening injury to finish her 1st Hawaiian Ironman in 2007.

Craig Zelent: What was your athletic background prior to triathlon? 

Jill Childers: Not very much, some softball in junior high school along with cheerleading from the 7th grade to my sophomore year in high school. Teenage girls in the Midwest (Chicago suburbs), where I was raised in the late 70's and early 80's didn't participate in sports too much.  Most of the girl "jocks" were built like amazons and participated in ball sports which I wasn't good at. I was skinny, but on the hyper side so cheerleading was good for me.

CZ: How did you get introduced to triathlon? 

JC: Let's back track a bit. I ran my first mile ever in 1999, just months prior to that I was overweight (a very snug size 12 and felt old for my age so I tried a diet of 10 grams of fat per day (fatty foods were my fav). The weight dropped fast. I couldn't buy new clothes fast enough but was getting light headed and I knew I had to eat more normal soon, so my husband, Chris, said go walk around the block. When it got easy, another block was added…etc. I learned about "race walking" and did that a bit, but got bored and decided to challenge myself with actually trying to "run." That was huge. I learned to jog very slow & entered my first 5k which was held in Poway on a very hilly course. I finished the race in just over 30 minutes and from that moment I became a runner and was hooked on races. From there I ran a few short races & then my first half marathon (AFC) in August 2000. I finished that one in 2:15 and was pretty stoked even though I did not eat breakfast that morning and drank only water on the course (so little I knew of nutrition), dry heaved at the finish but was happy.   

A few months later I watched the NBC coverage of Ironman Hawaii and said "oh that looks like fun! I've got to do that!" The next weekend was Mission Bay Triathlon so I drove down to watch the race for research and it was so exciting. I felt the athlete’s energy racing and decided I've gotta do this. Through the book Total Immersion, I learned how to swim freestyle, I bought a chromoly road bike and improved my running. By Christmas, I was ready for my first triathlon and decided the Tri Club Polar Bear race in January would work. Lovely, it was cold! I never open water swam before and as soon as my face hit the water, I panicked and hyper-ventilated; that water was so cold! I flipped over and backstroked 90% of the swim. I did a full costume change for the bike/run but was thrilled knowing I was doing my first triathlon. When I finished (probably in last place), I said "I'm a triathlete!" I felt like one of those Ironman Hawaii athletes. My first "official" paying triathlon was Spring Sprint that May, which I was better prepared for.

CZ: I recall you were preparing for your first Ironman a few years ago and had a serious bike accident. What happened and how did you overcome that? 

JC: It was August 2, 2003, just 5 weeks out from what was to be my first Ironman, Wisconsin.  That race never happened.  I was on a 60 mile training ride with my friend, Jon, and a person I just met that morning. We started heading out to Iron Mountain from the coast. At Black Mountain Road in from of Penasquitos Canyon, just 2 miles from my house, after a long fast descent about 30 mph, it happened. I was riding closest to the curb, Jon on my left side and the other guy behind me. I slowed down at the bottom of the hill past the traffic light because of some road construction, I put my hand behind my back to warn the rear rider I was slowing, and he was not paying attention, then boom! I felt a huge impact on my back end and was hit hard. I was told that I broke his and his bikes fall (about 200 pounds combined). The next thing I remember I was sitting on the curb crying in pain holding my shoulder, the EMT and police were already there. I don't remember much more other than the pounding going on in my head. As I laid in the ER all I thought about was my Ironman, knowing it was not going to happen. That was the least of my problems.  My friends Amanda and Eric were first on the scene, next Chris.  He showed the doctor my cracked helmet but they said I wasn't unconscious therefore they were not going to scan my head for brain or skull damage, in the meantime they scanned the rest of me. A nurse said because I was in such good shape, my body was spared a lot of injuries. They sent me home with a bottle of Vicodin and a sling for my broken collarbone.

The bike crash happened on a Saturday morning and my head pain never improved.  It just seemed to hurt more, so on Monday morning Chris took me back to the same ER and they took me in asking a few question such as "who is the President" …took me a long time to answer, but I got it right "Bush." Next "what year is it?" I guessed that one wrong. Time for a head scan. I was admitted when the result came back. The Neurologist showed the picture of my brain and indicated that my brain was bleeding on the right temporal lobe and he added "your jaw is broken too." More tears. What I learned afterwards that I could have had a seizure and died that weekend without the proper medication to stop my brain from bleeding/swelling more. I was at Sharp for two nights. The first night after hearing the bad news about my head, Chris was forced to leave at 9 pm as visitor hours were over. Aside from my roommate who kept complaining that I was crying too much (from pain) the hospital decided to do some construction across the hall from me; oh that hurt.  Chris was beside himself and he remembers driving home that night crying and praying, telling the Lord how mad and helpless he was and that God has to fix my room arrangement and my injuries. As that prayer went up, a wonderful male nurse whispered in my ear "I'm going to get you out of here"…oh he was Heaven sent! He wheeled me all the way down the hallway to room with Nellie a wonderful older ballerina who was struck by a truck walking across Friars Road. When I arrived crying, she said "I'm Nellie, don't worry, I'm going to pray for you." Her injuries were far greater than mine yet she was concerned about me.

My recovery for the shoulder took about 6 weeks, my ability to read, watch TV, remember family names took a couple weeks. I couldn't even read a license plate, I'd misname objects, called the hospital "a hotel," couldn't remember what that thing was (sling) holding my arm in place. It was a very difficult period. I was under 24/7 watch when I got home and my in laws watched me during the day. I went through a very emotional period about weeks 2 – 6 after the crash and cried at almost anything and everything especially when I first saw people I knew post crash. Thinking how fortunate I was to see them again, I could have died. Weeks later I was still determined to get back into triathlon I pressed Chris about getting back on the bike. The answer was a firm "no more biking." Not being allowed to ride made me so mad and sad in that something I loved so much (triathlon) was taken away from me. I was a wreck and our marriage suffered because of my inability to see how the crash impacted Chris. So by no coincidence a new women's bible study was starting at my church, Horizon Christian Fellowship, and the ladies there were most instrumental in my return to spiritual, mental and emotional wellness. It was a long healing process but with God's love and their understanding and lots of love, prayer and hugs I got better. I moved on and ran my first marathon and then from there a whole new world opened for me (Ultra marathons).  Over the 2 year "no bike" period I stayed in with multi sports by racing aquathons and relaying Ironmans as the swimmer/runner.  I wasn't willing to leave the tri scene; that is where my friends were but missed being able to do swim-bike-run. Then 2 years after the date of the crash, I got some good news, Chris let me get back on the bike just to do the Ironman. I signed up for Vineman Full since I had great experiences with my relays there. I finished well there - 9th place in my age group with a 14:05 finish.

CZ: How did you learn you won the lottery for a Kona slot? 

JC: I got a call from Don Norcross of the San Diego Union Tribune. He said he was calling all the San Diegan's who entered the lottery and ask them a few questions about why they entered. O.K. right there I should have known something was up, with 6,500 lottery entrants worldwide (150 chosen domestically = .02% chance of getting selected), can you imagine how many San Diegan's entered? No way Don was going to call that many.  I told him I knew who he was because I loved his Friday Fitness Fanatics article. I mentioned that my 2007 was kicking off right with getting on the Aquaphor Active team and PR'ing at the 50 mile distance at Avalon with a 9:52 finish and that I decided to enter the lottery while I was on a roll. I had never entered it before. Then I told Don off the record about the bike crash because I was hit by someone he did an article on just weeks after it happened and how much it hurt to see that article. You see that person won an Ironman lottery too in 2003. He was taken back and didn't know about it. I told him also about my physical transformation from chubby to fit and he had his story. He said he'd call me back if won a slot. 

I got that call a couple hours later…"Hi Jill this is Don Nor…'yeah Don!'….well I have some good news and bad news for you what do you want first? I said "the bad." He said, "I lied to you earlier." And the good? "You are going to Kona!" Oh my God! I was so surprised how could something so amazing like this happen? Well the answer became clear, it was God's plan and what you would call "full circle". Don wrote an article on me for that Friday's Fitness Fanatics (April 13, 2007 edition).   I woke up very early that Friday morning too excited to sleep, went for a run, then hit my Starbucks at 5 am, bought the paper and wept reading my life in print. He told the story so beautifully.  Later that morning, I bought 16 newspapers!  The week later Don got to elaborate on his story for www.ironman.com and that article was titled "Childers Goes To Kona!"

CZ: NBC selected you as a possible featured athlete in this year's telecast.  What was that experience like?

JC: I was interviewed in Kona next to the Pier and it started off funny. They gave me a men's large Ironman blue t-shirt to put over what I was wearing which was my Nytro race outfit (Skip McDowell had Nytro sponsor me for Hawaii because of the potential NBC coverage) so I commented that I was wearing my sponsor's clothes and the gal said, "yeah I understand you all have sponsors but we want you to represent Ironman." OK, I'll roll with it. I put on the huge shirt and the interview began. A minute into the interview, the cameraman said "Cut. I can't see her! The shirt has to come off." I had to laugh. Wearing that thing made me look anorexic, not exactly the image Ironman wants portray. The interview was quick; talked about my impressions of what the Ironman is all about, my bike crash, and race expectations. Next they took some film of me running and on race day I got filmed up close on the bike at mile 30 for a few miles, I blew past an aid station so not to stop the filming and rode a little harder than normal. Heck, it’s not every day I can feel like a pro athlete at the World Championship!

CZ: How did Ironman Hawaii go for you? 

JC: AWESOME!!! I loved the whole experience.  Aside from the media attention, it was the coolest race I've ever done. The wonderful folks at Ironman treat you like royalty. There was something to do each day like swimming out to the catamaran that served coffee and the classic underpants run, which was silly fun. I got a chance to talk and get photographed with my new best friend, Natasha Badmann. I told her she was the world's coolest triathlete and I got that famous Natasha smile out of her.  

My race went great. I finished and enjoyed the day.  The water was perfect: calm and balmy. I seeded myself in the right spot and did not have physical contact with anyone. I got out of the water in 1:31 (slower than predicted) but my body was feeling great, I didn't swallow any air - this usually happens to me resulting in a distended stomach. So with a good stomach intact, I was ready for a good bike and run. The bike went smooth for the first 40 miles, then going uphill the winds were head on..ugh! After the turnaround the push from the wind was mighty! That was fun for about 10 miles, then back in the open with trade winds slanting cyclists to the side.  The Kona winds were back this year. I was told it was hot, but I was heat trained so it did not bother me at all.  Once I turned right back on the Queen K back into Kona, it was all headwinds. I suffered from some very hot feet on the bike and had to stop, take off my shoes & socks umpteen times to rub them but my nutrition was dead on so I was looking forward to my favorite leg…the run. I got to T2 with a bike time of 7:59 (about 30 minutes slower than planned). I got to the changing tent, put on my run gear and I flew out of there! My feet were at home in running shoes. My first mile was an 8.3 pace and I was giddy. The Alii Drive section (about 10 miles) was fast and fun. When I got to the Queen K it was getting dark and it gets butt dark on that road.  The roads there are in perfect condition so I had no trouble running in the dark with only a glow stick around my wrist. I ran the entire course with ease and finished it in 4:54, passing 117 runners along the way. The finish in Kona is amazing… the cheering fans, hearing Mike Reilly calling my name out. I crossed the line in 14:41:03. While my story did not make the NBC show, my finish did.  NBC showed a very short 2 seconds of me with my finishers lei on my neck in the last 5 minutes of the telecast.  So in the end, I got on the show!

CZ: What advice would you pass along to a person entered in their first Ironman?

JC: Train and race your own way. Be patient and diligent but don't let the training overtake your life. You'll be training 15-25 hours a week, you will get tired, be crabby, have an insatiable appetite and never think that race day will arrive, but it does. Enjoy watching your level of fitness improve and be amazed by how your body transforms (it happens to all of us). Don't forget to eat and sleep more than normal. Don't push the pace too hard. Ironman is about endurance and strength and is more mental than you think. If you don't usually get massages, think about getting one twice a month. On race day, enjoy every minute. It goes by faster than you think. 

CZ: One of your 2008 goals is to run your first 100-mile ultra marathon.  What event(s) are you doing and what has that preparation been like?

JC: Since March 2005 when I ran my first Ultra marathon, a 50K, I've run 13 Ultras: a handful of 50K's, 50 milers and one 100K. To prepare for the 100-miler I plan on running many Ultras (50K's, 50-milers, and 100K's), most on tough, mountain trails. One is a 100K in the Oregon Cascade Mountains that has a 22,000' elevation change. Training wise I'll do what has been working so far which is, stay to the plan laid out by my running coach, Gordy Haskett, keep the weekly miles up and up (70–90). In 2007 I ran 3,000 miles and I would like that to go up.  I’ll continue my run commutes (28 miles round trip), run more in the Laguna's and swim/bike ride to cross train. The swimming is very important for recovery and builds upper body strength which comes in handy in later miles in an Ultra.  

CZ: Your belief in God is what seems to make you tick and it is my favorite part of knowing you.  How did you come to discover God?

JC: I became a born again Christian at 26 while living on my own in San Diego. I was a suitcase away from moving back to Chicago. I was so lonely and didn't understand why I felt that way.   A friend invited me to her church, Horizon Christian Fellowship, and I really heard the Gospel for the first time and went forward with an altar call without hesitation. I studied my Bible every day, listened to study tapes, prayed, just became hungry for more knowledge and understanding of God's word and will. That is when I decided to attend a home fellowship bible study where I met Chris. We married 9 months after we met. My relationship with the Lord does make me tick as you say. He gives me purpose, direction and a future. When I get to do crazy 50 mile mountain runs and finish without getting hurt or eaten by a bear or mountain lion and make some friends along the way, it's because God allows me to do things and enjoy Him and His creation in the process.

CZ: What are your future triathlon and running goals? 

JC: Long term goals, run the Western States 100 Endurance run. I qualified and entered their lottery in 2008 but was not selected, the field limit is small, 357; so I'll qualify again in 2008 and try again for 2009. Run one of the "Slams" four 100 milers over a single summer. Triathlon wise: I have a weird attraction to Korea and would love to do that Ironman. I've got a big heart for Vineman Full so going back there is like going to Grandmas at Christmas. And of course another trip to Kona in my lifetime would be wonderful.

CZ: What do you do for a living and what is your family life like?  Do you have any kids or pets? 

JC: To fund my running habit, I'm a Business Manager at an engineering firm in Solana Beach (we are one of many offices in a large company). My boss, Randy, is very generous, understanding and puts up with my pre-work, lunch time training, and leaving work at 4 p.m. so I can run home by 6:30. Chris is a Saint in disguise and a volunteer chaplain. He is the most loving and giving man I've ever met. He puts up with my training and lets me go away for a night or two for races. I love him lots. We have a 14-year old Australian Terrier named Mel and a 10 year old Cockatoo named Danny.

CZ: Jill, thanks for sharing your story.  I think God still has big plans for you on Earth.  I know you will touch many more hearts and cover many more miles!

Craig Zelent is a 12x Ironman finisher, including 5x at Kona. Craig is available for personal triathlon coaching and can be reached at 760-214-0055 or tricraigz@yahoo.com.