Triathlon a life challenge for Lake Zurich mother, daughter

Losing her husband in 2009 was devastating for Lake Zurich resident Lesley Teichman and her two young daughters.

David Teichman was healthy in October 2008 when he completed the Chicago Marathon. A few months later, he woke up with a bad case of strep throat. The swelling from the infection closed his windpipe and he could not breath. He was placed on life support in February and died on Valentine's Day at the age of 47.

"Our life went to hell in a handbag when he died," said Lesley Teichman, 54. "It was just awful. We went through hell to keep our heads above water."

Lesley and David's daughters, Gillian and Arianna, were consumed by a heavy grief. Now eight years later, Lesley and Arriana, 14, will compete in Sunday's Chicago Triathlon, a grueling gauntlet they say is bringing them peace.

The first time Lesley felt like she regained control of her life was when she crossed the finish line of her first triathlon in 2015. David completed three marathons in his life, and Lesley thought about him as she ran.

"To do a triathlon, you have to have grit and inner strength," she said. "For me, it was like reclaiming my life. It was a way for me to feel strong and good."

Watching on the sidelines was Arianna, who was 12 at the time. After seeing how strong and happy finishing the race had made her mom, she decided to join her for the next one.

The mother and daughter team have trained together ever since, waking up before the sun most days to swim, bike or run.

On Sunday, they will face their biggest challenge yet along the Chicago lakeshore. The Chicago Triathlon will be their first Olympic-length triathlon, meaning they'll swim 1.5 kilometers, bike for 40 kilometers and run for 10 kilometers.

In May, they completed their first sprint-length triathlon, half the Olympic distance. Even though they had come so far in just under a year of training, Lesley told Arianna she didn't need to go through with it.

"I said to her this is really, really tough, you don't have to do this if you don't want to," Lesley said. "And she looks at me and says, 'Are you kidding me?'" The two held hands as they jumped into the water but then didn't see each other until the finish line.

Soon after they split up, a woman swimming near Arianna began having a panic attack in the water. Arianna stopped to help her.

"I let her grab on to my arm, and we floated to shore," Arianna said. "The woman did calm down and finished the race."

Arianna finished the race too, the youngest person to do so that day.

"Triathlon training has been life changing for my daughter," Lesley said. "To be successful in anything in life, you have to suck it up, buttercup, and keep going. My daughter has gone from someone completely unfit to an amazing athlete and is beginning at Lake Zurich High School with all honors classes."

Lesley said Friday there was a mix nerves and excitement about the Chicago Triathlon. They both hope just to finish the competition, although Arianna said she has a secondary goal.

"My goal is just to cross the finish line and eat pizza," Arianna said.