Going the Distance.
Intentional. Inspired. Intrepid.
From Ironman.com
In 2007, Rachel Brenke was diagnosed with throat cancer, after ignoring a lump she discovered while pregnant with her first child in 2005. In 2012, in an interview with thelawtog.com she said, “I’m just happy to be alive and well. I’m just happy to be my kid’s mom still. I’m just happy to be here writing this.”
Fast forward to 2018: Rachel is now a mother of five, a wife, a lawyer, entrepreneur …and an Ironman triathlete.
Excerpt: “Three years ago, a friend invited Rachel Brenke to give tri a try. Thinking it would be a good way to lose weight after giving birth to her fifth child, she agreed to join a few workouts. What Brenke didn’t know was that triathlon would change her life forever.
‘Triathlon makes me a better parent,” says Brenke, 34. “I’m not only setting an example for my kids, but it provides me the self-care I need, so that when I’m with my kids I’m with my kids.
‘….It’s all about scheduling,’ says Brenke. ‘Training goes on my calendar just like a business meeting.’
Her philosophy of making every minute count is the result of a years-long fight with cancer. In 2005, while pregnant with her first son, Brenke found a lump in her throat – a cancerous tumor. It would be two years, two surgeries, and a round of radiation treatments before she would finally be declared cancer free.
The experience taught her to squeeze every last drop out of each experience in life, be it a moment with her children or standing on the start line of a race.”
For more on Rachel, click here.
