Petaluma ironwoman Wick is world bound

Petaluma’s Holly Wick earned a trip to South Africa and World Championship competition by winning her age group in the Oceanside 70.3.|

Petaluman Holly Wick swam, biked and ran all the way to South Africa in the Oceanside 70.3. The event is a half-ironman and consists of a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride and 13.1-mile run. Each distance is one-half that of a full ironman triathlon and all adds up to 70.3 miles.

By winning her age group (60-64), the 61-year-old Wick qualified for the World Championships to be held in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa on Sept. 1-2. Only the winner in each age group qualifies for Worlds. “It was first or go home,” Wick said.

In what Wick described as a “very competitive” race, Wick finished 215th out of the 770 women finishers. Overall, there were 2,571 finishers, with 70 percent of them men.

“I am thrilled beyond words to go to South Africa,” Wick said. “After a difficult season last year with a broken bone in my foot, I am really looking forward to giving this my very best.”

For Wick, her success was indicative of what she can do when healthy. Throughout her running career she has endured injuries from a bicycle wreck, a separated shoulder and a multitude of other hurts, including the broken foot that required surgery last October.

Then there is the fact that Wick is a cancer survivor, overcoming the biggest challenge of her life to continue pushing herself beyond what many would perceive as their limits.

“You have to keep on believing,” she said. “Don’t do what people tell you to do. Do what your body tells you to do. It is not about what you can’t do. It is about what you can do.”

Wick’s body told her that she was going to have a great day at Oceanside.

“I felt really good,” she said. “Last year (when she finished second), I limped across the finish line. This year there was no pain in my foot.”

She said the swim “went great,” but there were some distractions in the bicycle ride. “It was through Camp Pendleton (where Marines train), and as we were racing you could hear gunfire and explosions.”

No one was hit by friendly fire, but at the finish she had no idea where she stood in her age group.

“I felt so much pressure that when I finished I just kept on walking, picked up my stuff and went right to the hotel room,” she said. “I just needed some time by myself.”

It wasn’t until later that she learned that she had achieved her goal of winning her age group and qualifying for the trip to the World Championships.

“I’m looking forward to going to South Africa, and I want a medal in the World championships so badly,” she said.

Medals are awarded to the top five finishers in each age group.

Wick felt so good after the Oceanside 70.3 that she competed in the Napa Hits triathlon the following weekend - an event that includes a 1,500-meter swim, a 24-mile bike ride and a 10K run. She won her age group, but the significance for her was that it helped her keep focused.

“It was important to do it when you’re tired to keep you from becoming mentally lazy,” she said.

Nobody in her world, which for her extends from Petaluma to South Africa, will ever accuse Holly Wick of being mentally or physically lazy.

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