University of Minnesota Athletics
Alumna Powers Proves Anything Is Possible
9/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
"Anything is possible."
Gopher softball alumna Colleen Powers recently proved that when she pushed herself to the limit after a year of training to endure a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile-bike ride and a marathon (26.2 mile run) with no breaks at Ironman Wisconsin (IMWI).
"It is pretty rare you can foresee a day that you will remember for the rest of your life." Powers said.
The first ever Ironman took place on February 18, 1978 after John Collins, a Naval Officer stationed in Hawai`i, and his wife Judy, began playing with the idea of combining the three toughest endurance races on the island into one race. They decided to issue a challenge to see who the toughest athletes were: swimmers, bikers, or runners, according to ironman.com.
The Ironman has continued to grow every year and is now a global phenomenon with hundreds of thousands of triathletes trying to prove that, "anything is possible." One of the most popular quotes associated with the event is, "You can quit if you want, and no one will care. But you will know for the rest of your life."
One thing Powers used for motivation throughout the Ironman to make sure she would not quit may surprise you.
"For the record, in an "ipodless" race, I spent the better part of the marathon course singing the Minnesota fight song (out loud) throughout the entire UW-Madison campus," Powers said.
Gopher fans know all about Powers' determination from her time as a player from 2004-08 when she was a team captain, earned the team's Most Valuable Player award and twice received the Severson Coaches Award for showing outstanding dedication to the program. During her senior season she helped lead Minnesota to a Big Ten Tournament appearance and finished her career with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage and 122 career appearances.
Powers had to take what she learned about strategy and mental toughness as a Gopher to a whole new level in preparing for the IMWI.
"I signed up for IMWI last year on September 8th, and started training September 9th, 2014. I bought an upgraded bike and hired a coach (Leah Prudhomme) to guide me through all aspects of training- especially swim and bike technique," Powers said.
Powers was on the course for 15 hours and 58 seconds so she also had to learn about race day nutrition and hydration which said was a battle in and of itself.
Powers said while the Ironman is a huge commitment to those around her with the training schedule she has to take on she could still see herself doing an Ironman every 3-5 five years. Another thing Powers balances while in between training and her personal life is coaching softball at St. Catherine University. In just two seasons she has helped build the program up with the team going 28-10 a season ago.
"I will always remember what it means to take such pride in representing my university all over the United States, and being a part of something a lot greater than one individual," Powers said. "I hope to instill the same confidence, heart and hustle in my own players that I had the opportunity to feel as a University of Minnesota student athlete."
Below check out a video of Powers crossing the finish line. Photos attributed with this story are courtsey of Stacie Johnson.