76-year-old triathlete just getting started

When Joanne Rooney of Arlington Heights heads up to Pleasant Prairie, Wis. Sunday to compete in her fifth triathlon, she'll know better than to take herself too seriously.

Last year, the 75-year old mother of five and grandmother of 15 was feeling pretty proud of herself for having completed the 1/2 mile swim, 12-mile bike and 5K run, when she was passed up by an 86-year old woman, no less.

"She beat me by 14 minutes," Rooney exclaims, "and she was 86!"

This year, at 76, Rooney says she has never had more fun in her life, despite the challenging daily training regimen.

"I've never felt more fit, I feel great," says Rooney, a retired principal with Palatine Township Elementary District 15.

Rooney will be among more than 1,800 women in the Trek Women Triathlon Series. While she will be competing in the oldest age group - 75-80 year olds - she won't be the oldest. There are at least two 90-year old women registered, officials confirmed.

It was five years ago when Rooney was first introduced to triathlons, described as the fastest growing sport in the world by USA Triathlons, the sport's governing body.

Rooney already had returned to her roots as a competitive swimmer, when she joined a Master's Club swim team 20 years ago based at the Northwest Community Hospital's Wellness Center in Arlington Heights.

However, after watching her daughter compete in a triathlon, and then participating in one herself as the swim leg of an intergenerational relay with her daughter-in-law and granddaughter, she was hooked.

"I love the challenge of it," Rooney says, "of having specific training workouts each day to complete."

Rooney grew up in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood. Her father was a schoolteacher who taught swimming on Chicago's lakefront during the summers. As a result, she and her siblings all learned to swim, and competed on swim teams.

She also knew how to ride a bike, and jokes that when she retired, her children gave her a pink mountain bike as a gift. Little did they know how seriously she would take up cycling.

Rooney credits a personal trainer at the Wellness Center, Lori Lindahl, with empowering her to complete a triathlon.

"She didn't treat me like an old lady," Rooney quips.

Lindahl says they started out slowly, working on weight training to build up her body strength, as well as her balance to help her with the bike and run portions of the event. Finally, Lindahl says, they worked to build her endurance.

"She did all the hard work," Lindahl says. "She has a strong will and determination, which everyone has, but not everyone taps into."