What Motivates Older Triathletes? – Sarah Gordon’s Story
In September 2023, I had the amazing opportunity to visit Cozumel, Mexico, with a group of close triathlete friends and my husband by my side in support. The picture above is of our group that went to Cozumel. I am the third from the left. We all competed in the Ironman 70.3 race, and it was truly an amazing adventure!
The entire experience embodied the spirit of the triathlon community: hard work in training, comradeship in wanting the best for each other, and lots of sweat, smiles, hugs, and love. Perhaps what impacted me the most was the incredible moments shared in friendship when accomplishing new and challenging goals.
And, along the journey through 6 to 8 months of training, there were plenty of setbacks for us as a group: illnesses, job changes, injuries, surgeries…all the different ways life tries to derail a goal. But we made it with resilience, friendship, and enthusiasm and had an incredible time!
I share this as an introduction about this one particular adventure to explain the “why” behind my purpose and passion. What motivates older triathletes?
A Bit More About Sarah Gordon
I am currently a student at Concordia University, Chicago. I am a doctoral candidate in the Leadership program for Health and Human Performance.
Training and competing with my friends over the years has impacted me greatly in returning to school to obtain this degree and, most certainly, my dissertation topic. Watching people overcome obstacles and seeing the joy and excitement on friends’ faces as they finish strong with a podium win has made an impact on me. As a friend recently stated, the triathlon community “embodies the best of humanity.”
It only seemed natural to focus my dissertation topic on being a triathlete and the triathlon community. The number of older triathletes competing in triathlon intrigued me. I wanted to learn more about what motivates older triathletes, those age 65 and over. I was also curious if this group has a unique perspective on aging.
With these questions, I decided to devote my dissertation research to answering these questions.
Are You A Triathlete Aged 65 Or Over? If So, Here’s Your Chance To Be Heard
The “Survey Link” below will take you to a page where you can learn more about my study. You can, if you wish, participate in my research through a survey. The first page contains more details of the study. After reading this page, you will have the option to continue with the survey or exit the page.
Want to Contact Sarah Directly? Here’s How
Have questions or thoughts for Sarah? You are welcome to contact her directly at slgordon48.sg@gmail.com.
Sarah: I completed the survey. Looking forward to the results. Should be great insight.
Hi Doug, I genuinely appreciate your support! Thank you for participating and for the resources you emailed me. I will be in touch through email. 🙂 Sarah