The Real Ironman is a Librarian
Ironman competitor Lorraine Gersitz is a librarian who is living a not-so-quiet life.
She began running at the age of 25, inspired by her husband. Lorraine ran her first
marathon in the 1980 New York City Marathon, and in less than a year, she earned a
coveted spot in the Boston Marathon. Since then, Lorraine has been competing in the
prestigious event for nearly 40 years. When Lorraine and her husband moved to California
in 1992, they began ultra-running, or what is known as footraces longer than the distance
of a marathon. Additionally, the pair participated in ultra-distance and trail races
until Lorraine ruptured her Achilles tendon in 1995. As part of physical therapy,
she began cross training on a bike and in the water – the rest was history.
In 2010, Lorraine entered her first Ironman race in Arizona. Since then, she has competed in 16 Ironman races. At the Ironman Santa Rosa in May this year, she qualified for her fourth Kona Ironman World Championship, the annual culmination of a series of Ironman triathlon qualification races held throughout the world. Lorraine also competes in the Ironman 70.3, or the Half Ironman. She qualified for the World Championship at her last race in Oceanside.
This year’s World Championship will be held in Nice, France. “I cannot wait to compete in both World Championships this year,” said Lorraine. “To me, the World Championship races are a reward to myself. My goal there is to enjoy and finish the race.”
Lorraine has never had a coach. She created her own training plan, and finds her techniques
useful as she coaches the student Triathlon Club. “It’s great to see young people
enjoy the sport I love and the camaraderie, and learn how to work as a team and run
a club. Triathlon is a great lifetime sport that you get to know what your body can
do. You can’t beat the feeling you get when you cross the finish line.”
Despite having a torn Achilles that never properly healed, Ironman Lorraine continues to compete and inspire others. “You will get older and slower, and you may get aches and pains, but you can keep going forward as long as you live.”
On any given day at Cerritos College, amongst the books and periodicals, you’ll find an Ironman quietly helping students and planning to defeat the competition at the next big race.
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