Will Chavez
Cherokee Phoenix
Stilwell native and Cherokee Nation citizen Sydney Lawrence took part in a XTERRA triathlon on Sept. 28 held in the small Italian village of Molveno.
“The experience was surreal. I am still thinking back on it and trying to comprehend the whole thing actually happening,” Lawrence said. “Even though it was a tough race, I feel extremely blessed to have been a part of it in such a beautiful part of the world.”
The triathlon included a 1,500-meter swim, a 10k trail run and 32 kilometers of trail cycling. It was only Lawrence’s second triathlon. She placed 18th out of 22 competitors in her age group and 141st out of 206 females overall. It took her 4:52 to complete the race.
“Oh, it seems like everything about this race was so new. I think I should have expected it all to be new since it was only my second race. For my first race, I had the luxury of training on the actual course for months beforehand,” she said. “The biggest stand out was the choppy waters. Definitely was not something I considered as a possible factor.”
She said she met several fellow triathletes from different parts of the world during the race.
“I especially remember the first person I met. Her name is Louise and she was from Great Britain. She has been doing XTERRA triathlons for 10 years and raced 30 plus times. She was very sweet and encouraging to me and helped me more than she will know,” Lawrence said.
The race was held in a small village called Molveno in the Dolomites of Torentino, Italy.
“It’s the most beautiful place I have ever been to. Very nice people, quiet, scenic, good food and the crisp mountain air. I want to go back!”
Lawrence added as she gets older taking on new challenges is a “ton of fun.”
“It reminds me to not take life so seriously and also to not take health for granted. Through the process of preparing for this race and all the way through the race I was constantly reminded of how on my own I am powerless, but Christ gives me everything I need to face any challenge whether it’s a big event like this or taking care of patients every day at work,” she said.
She thanked her parents, Larry and Pam for making the trip with her and helping her with everything.
“I have the best parents in the world. I could not and would not have done this without them,” she said.
