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Sidol took steady road to good health After competing in several half and full Ironman triathlons, Debbie Sidol said she was ready for doubles. Not drinks, mind you, but the Virginia Double Iron Triathlon. The 45-year-old North Olmsted resident swam 4.8-miles, biked 224 miles and ran/walked 52.4 miles over 36 hours at Lake Anna State Park in Spotsylvania, Va., last weekend.
It was quite a feat for Sidol, who weighed 230 pounds six years ago and couldn't walk 10 minutes on a treadmill. Sidol, 5-2, currently weighs 150 pounds. "The only doubles in my life back then were cheeseburgers and French fries," said Sidol, who finished last in Virginia in her first Double Iron triathlon. "My life was miserable. It affected my family, my work. I kept saying, tomorrow, I'll do something about it tomorrow." Sidol, a staff accountant for Medical Mutual, belonged to a fitness center, but attended sporadically while she worked, raised her daughter, Hannah, now 9, and attended Tiffin University, where she earned her bachelor's degree in business in 2001. Sidol's lifestyle changed that same year when a gym opened downtown that was a five-minute walk from her office. "I finally ran out of excuses," Sidol said. "I was tired of being tired." Sidol cut out fast food, ate sensibly and began working with a personal trainer. She lost about 65 pounds within a year. Bored with the treadmill, Sidol joined a running club and began jogging outdoors, gradually increasing her speed and distance. "Running is fun, especially with others," she said. "That was key. I found something I liked doing. It changed my life. It saved my life."
That led Sidol toward her first competition in May 2002, a 5K run at Magnificat High School. "I'd come home from training, and Hannah was waiting for me outside, where she'd drawn a finish line in chalk on the driveway," Sidol recalled. "She said, 'Mommy, let's go for a run.' " (Hannah, who ran her first children's triathlon in 2005 at age 7, has run in four altogether.) Sidol began cycling in 2002 and entered her first biathlon, a 5K run and an 18-mile bike, that October. In 2003, she met endurance and training coach Angela Forster, who helped prepare Sidol for her first triathlon. "Training is not my life, it's what I do for fun," said Sidol, who also leads two Girl Scout troops. "My family is important, and Angela helped me set realistic goals." Sidol participated in her first Half Ironman in 2004 near Columbus, and has also competed in two Full Ironman events in Florida. She said she competes in at least two Half Ironman events each summer. Sidol volunteered at last year's Virginia Double Iron Triathlon before she decided to enter the event in 2007. "I saw what I was in for, but went ahead with it anyway," she said, laughing. For the next year, Sidol trained several hours each day, including weekends. She also used the event to raise money for her friend, Mark Radford, who was paralyzed from the chest down after a cycling accident in September 2006. "Mark struggles and fights every day," said Sidol, who raised $3,000 for Radford. "I thought a lot about that while I was training."
Sidol said she could not have finished the double without her husband, John, their daughter, Hannah, and friends Amy Hooton and Missy Kingery. "They worked harder than I did, especially Amy, who did portions of all three events with me and filled the others in about my condition," Sidol said. The group crossed the finish line together. "The temperature was at least 90 degrees. I was exhausted, numb, but we were all smiling, hugging, crying," she said. Sidol hopes that other people struggling with their weight will be encouraged. "Challenge yourself, set some realistic goals, know your limitations and understand that you won't always finish what you start," she said. To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: cmatzelle@plaind.com
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