By Ryan Yuenger
ryany@wsjm.com
When St. Joseph resident Lisa Altman’s body started fighting back during mile 21 of the marathon run at the Ironman World Championships, her mind was focused on strength.
Not just strength for herself, but strength for her daughter – and for all women.
“One of my favorite mottos is about strong women,” said Altman, referring to a quote attributed to Maya Angelou. “‘Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.’ That’s what I was thinking of throughout this race – to be strong for my daughter and to surround myself with strong women.”
Altman finished the race – 2.4 miles swimming in the Pacific Ocean, 112 miles of bicycling over steaming-hot lava rocks and a full marathon in the dark – in just over 14 hours.
“It was the most surreal race I’ve ever participated in,” said Altman, who has run hundreds of races, including ultramarathons. “It’s just a matter of survival. The feeling was to never quit, but your body is just broken down.”
When Altman left the workforce to raise her children, she devoted herself to being a strong role model for her family.
“That’s always on my mind, to show my daughter you can do things – and my son, too,” Altman said. “But, you know, female empowerment is really important to me. Especially in her generation, which is a little different than mine.”
One with the land
Prior to race day, the competitors were treated to a week of activities in Kona, and Altman said there was one moment that stuck with her.
“There was a lot of talk on the Polynesian culture,” she said. “One speaker at the banquet said ‘the island is breathing’ after this long pandemic, and it kind of shifted my perspective from just racing to embracing the culture and the beauty of the land. It was just really remarkable.”
Even as she struggled through the heat, humidity and the intense struggle of the competition, Altman said she was able to take moments to appreciate the scenery and feel like she was one with the land.
“On the bike ride, you have these beautiful views,” Altman said. “The roads are closed, so you’re not dealing with a lot of traffic and you’re just racing with the athletes and enjoying the atmosphere and the surroundings.”
‘Start small’
Along with her desire for female empowerment, Altman also wants to encourage everyone to get moving. She was a Girls on the Run coach for two years and chaired the Mileage Club program at E.P. Clarke Elementary School, among other things.
“And what I’ve always told the girls, and anybody, is start small,” Altman said. “So many people see these big events like marathons and Ironman events, and while a lot of times that is the goal, people day ‘I can’t’ or ‘that’s too much.’ So we just start small.”
Altman said starting small can be as simple as going out for a walk and building on that.
“I just think we need to shift in our mind that fitness doesn’t always have to be running a 5K,” Altman said. “It can just be moving your body, staying active. That’s what I always told Girls on the Run. … Do what you can.”
When she was at E.P. Clarke, some students would just walk a lap at recess, Altman said.
“Then next time, they’ll do another lap,” she said. “Then another lap. Then, oh! You just did a mile. It may have taken a couple recesses to get that, but it is still an accomplishment. … I just feel any type of movement is good. That can be the goal.”
