One of the fun things I’ve wanted to do on this blog is to introduce other everyday athletes who do amazing things and have amazing stories. Today, I finally get to do that. I get to introduce Tonya Dove.
Last year (almost to the day), Tonya and I were training for IM Chatty 70.3. We traveled to Raleigh for the North Carolina Bicycle Club’s spring rally. I think we did a metric half century on the hills to prepare for our upcoming race. On the way home, I interviewed Tonya about her triathlon adventures.
Here is our conversation:
Tonya, tell me a little bit about how you got into triathlon. What sparked that?
I had a family member that did triathlon. And he would bike and run. He was an older gentleman, and he would always do the Wrightsville Beach Sprint. And, I was like, that sounds like fun. I'll try that. And I did it with little to no training except running. And it was horrible. [Laughing ensues.]
I didn't know how to swim. I doggie-paddled the whole swim, and I was like, I really want to learn how to swim properly, because that was really exhausting, swimming like that. So, I looked up how to do swim lessons. I was, like, googling different places around Wilmington that maybe could do swim lessons. And then I found the YWCA tri club. That's how I came to you.
So you joined the YDUBTRICLUB! I think that was the beginning of 2017. You did learn how to swim from Coach Lance and Coach Alan and I was the bike and run coach. And then you did another sprint or two, right?
Yeah, I did the Azalea. Then, I did White Lake. White Lake International. And that's the first time I did open swimming in a lake like that.
Yes. And was your swim better after you had gone through the YDUBTRICLUB? [This is a loaded question, of course.]
It was better, but I was very scared and freaked out and drank a lot of water. It was very choppy! They had the safety boats out on the water so it smelled like gasoline - but I survived. I made it. I did it.
And then what sparked you to do an IRONMAN?
All my friends were doing it. So peer pressure! [More laughing!] Come on, you could do it. And one of my training buddies, we were on the fence about it. But, I said that if I could complete a marathon, if can run marathon, then I would do the iron distance, because for me, there was something mentally where I was like, if I can finish a 26.2, I could definitely finish an IRONMAN.
I don't even know how that makes sense! I mean 26.2…….140.6. Yeah, sure! Same! But, I think we had already done some very far rides. I think I had gone 50 or maybe 40. And in August of 2017 we did the 50 miles for Sami’s 50th. So, I knew I could do the bike.
I remember being at the holiday dinner for the local women in triathlon and you and Maria started asking questions about a full.
Yes, we had already signed up for IMNC 70.3 – -our first half -- in October and we wanted to know if we could do a half and a full back-to-back. We were thinking of doing North Carolina and Florida within several weeks of each other.
I said: absolutely you can! You’re young, you’ll live. Let's go!
In the end, Ironman North Carolina was canceled due to a hurricane and so we went straight to IRONMAN!
What were you most nervous about that first year?
I was scared of all that training. We did so much training for that. But you need to….you need to.
What was your favorite part of training that first year?
Honestly, I think it was just training with Maria. Having that partner to push me. We were kind of on the same level fitness-wise. We were able to bike and run together. That was the best part for me …..having accountability with somebody else.
You had a very good training, buddy. Yes.
Tell me a little bit about the IRONMAN FOUNDATION that year.
The first year I did IRONMAN for Florida, I was an IRONMAN FOUNDATION athlete. I did it because IRONMAN is expensive – and I needed help with the race. Even with the IM Foundation, it’s a big commitment. I had to fundraise for a slot. I had to meet a fundraising goal.
You can’t dictate where your money goes, but after we had Hurricane Matthew that year, I emailed them to request the money raised go to our community. I think they had a good enough amount of people who responded: I'd really like Ironman Foundation help my community because we were just hit by a hurricane. They responded that all the money that I raised would go to our community!
Tell me a little bit about your first race in Haines City. How did you go into race day?
I was very excited. I think I was ready, and I was excited, and I was scared. I do remember being at the start, the swim start, and lined up. We had to line up at our projected time and I didn't recognize anybody that I knew, so I was having a freak-out moment.
I was hoping to see my mom and sister before I started. And then Haley (my sister) picked me our from the crowd, and I saw her, and she hugged me, and I was bawling before the start. I was already bawling. Dehydrating. Right there on the spot!
And, then I found Angela. We were about the same pace so we started in the same corral. So, that was nice just to see somebody that I knew. And that swim was pretty crazy.
Yes, tell me about your swim.
I just remember getting in and feeling all the stuff all over me! The seagrass. Lake grass. And then thinking: is there an alligator in here? The course shape of that swim was a giant M - like a pair of pants shape. It was very weird. Like nothing we'd ever practiced. Turn here. Turn there. Go through this little tiny chute with thousands of other people that are, like, battle-ramming their way through. I try to be cautious when I swim because I'm on the slower side. So, I wanted to be slow and steady and not freak myself out.
Getting out was so exciting because I was like, you're done!
You have a funny story about the wetsuit peelers? Yes! The wetsuit strippers. My wetsuit was really tight around the wrist, so it got caught there, and they were just, like, pulling and pulling, and I thought they might pull my arms off!
You had a great bike ride in Haines City. The bike was fun. I actually had fun on the bike. And that was rolling hills. Up and down, up and down. I don't train for that here on the coast of NC. I hadn't trained for it at all. But I was passing people. I don't know if it was just first time adrenaline, I guess I was pretty strong back then. I was doing AXIS fitness, too, like strength training and all the good things. All the things.
Tell me about that crazy run.
So……I really enjoyed the bike. The run, not so much. Mainly because it started pouring, and on the run you are sooooo tired, and then the rain starts, and you're just going through puddles and you've got all these negative thoughts, and you have to push them away. And I just kept saying: you can do this, but, this is dumb. I got angry because it was raining. Dumb. What the heck? I saw Haley, and all I said to her, this is so stupid. Why am I doing this? And, she told me: you got this. You got this.
You finished in pouring down rain. How did that feel?
Pouring down rain. I felt great. It was just like, I'm done. I'm glad. I just felt very relieved and really happy. I was ready to party. But then, I was like, no one wants to have champagne right now.
How did you feel afterwards? So that's fun. And then that just must have been like, just carry that around. You're like, man, I did that. I did a really hard thing.
So how long after that one did you decide to do your next one? I knew I was going to do a 70.3 the next year. Because IMNC was cancelled, I deferred to the following year - 2019. So, then I think I also was like, yeah, let's do another one. I was thinking, that's going to be my last one ever. Plus, when we were faced with the possibility that Florida might be canceled, we had thought about signing up for Cozumel….so it was on the radar. I thought, let’s do it somewhere very cool. Somewhere beautiful. And I think Cozumel was my favorite one.
Why do you say that?
The swim was just…… I'm not very ever peaceful in water like that. But it was so clear, it was so beautiful. And it was just a nice day. And the current was kicking. Yeah, there were these little tiny jellyfish or something stinging me, but it wasn't that bad. And the swim was done faster than I thought I could do. I was like, oh, it's over. All of a sudden! It was so fast.
Tell me a little about the bike. The bike was hard. The bike was hot and windy. And at, ah, some point I was out there by myself, just chugging along.
The thing I remember about the bike was there was this older lady that kept passing me. We played leap frog the whole bike. I kept thinking: I have to beat this little old lady! I would pass her and then stop at the aid stations. I would ride again and pass her again. I don’t think she stopped at aid stations because she kept getting ahead of me. Turns out - that “little old lady” was Dexter. She was with our travel group with Ken Glah. In the end, I may have passed her, but she got a slot to Kona!
Let’s talk about that run!
The run was fun. But, this is the race I split my pants! I think it happened even before the race started, but I didn't know because I had on my swim skin. The split happened on the inseam – on the inseams of my thighs. When I got out of the swim, I was like: uh oh! My pants are a little torn on both sides. As I was riding the bike, it got progressively worse. And I was thinking, I don't even have extra shorts in my run bag or anything. I don't know what I'm going to do if this keeps getting higher! Fortunately, it didn't get any higher.
But once I got off the bike and started running, I saw your husband, and I was like, I split my pants! And he was like, what? And I'm, like, pointing at the inseam, in between my legs, and he's just like, okaaaay?! [So much laughter here!]
Eventually, I saw Jen. That's the first thing I said to her. I split my pants! She was in a grumpy moment at that time, but it made her laugh and made her feel better. I was looking for Vaseline the whole run, like something to put in between my legs. It was not okay, but, I finished. My legs were so chafed and so I kept walk running, but, I think that was the key.
Did either of those time matter to you? Did you have a time goal?
I just want to finish before the time is over, but I would wanted to be under by time for Florida. I think I wanted to be under 16, but I think I was just over that. And same when I did Maryland because it was like 15:45 or 15:50 or something when I did Florida. But then it's like, you can't really compare races. The courses are so different. You can't compare at all. Even when you’re on the same course, you can’t compare. IMNC has changed every year it’s been a race. I wanted to be under 16, but I also know that you can't go too hard in the swim or the bike because you got to do the run. By the time I get to the run, I'm done. I'm done. I'm just wanting to get through it.
Yeah, this is a chafe leg. That's the worst thing. Chafing is the worst. The shower afterwards……after Cozumel was the worst.
What did you do after Cozumel?
I signed up for Maryland…..but got deferred. I took a year off. Well, for Covid, everyone took a year off. Right? Everybody took a year off. Everybody took a year off. But, I signed up for Maryland and then got moved
And so, how did that happen?
My friends were doing it. Look, there we go again. Peer pressure. And it was a close race. I was thinking, okay, well, it's drivable race. I don't have to pack my bike in a case. Fly anywhere. It's drivable.
How was Ironman Maryland?
I will never do it again, and I will never recommend it for anybody else because I only think the jellyfish problem is going to get worse. There were so many jellyfish. I'm traumatized. And I thought I got stung in Mexico, but that was brutal. Baby things compared to the things we saw at Marland. There were gobs of jellyfish. It was a river, right. But it's like an intracoastal river.
Very marshy. It was still salt watery. Kind of a bay, kind of a tributary. When you walk in, you get stung. Every stroke…you are getting stung. And, first off, I made a mistake of having a sleeveless wetsuit. The water was warm and my “real” wetsuit was long sleeved and too small. So, I borrowed a sleeveless.
Once we got there, they made it wetsuit optional. Basically, they were like: please wear your wetsuit. That 2.4 miles was the longest swim of my life.
Which was worse, the chafing in Cozumel or the jellyfish at Maryland? Well, that race I had both! So I feel like my underarms chafe so bad. (laughing) The stings were the worst, I think.
You must have been worried because you knew because you're allergic. Yeah. I was very worried that I was going to have not going to finish or get overheated. I was already hot because of all the stings and the bike was hot on top of it. I just kept stopping at every stop to get ice, any ice I could find. I would dump it down my helmet, down my shirt. The ice help me stay hydrated.
Tell me about your bike leech?
That ride was hot and also windy. This guy was drafting off me for miles and miles. And suddenly, 10 miles form the finish – or from transition – they pass me! I’m like: Jackass! Are you kidding me? I did all this work and you’re taking all the benefit and now you’re speeding past me? You’re a jerk!
How was the run on that race? The run wasn't too bad. I was not a fan of running on the cobblestones in town on tired legs. And, I definitely don't like going by the finish a million times. And when you go by the finish in this race, you could hear everybody finishing. We passed the finish chute four time before you actually finish. It was bad.
The run is hard. The later parts of the run are always hard. You’re just done and you're out there kind of alone. You're tired and you're grumpy. Everything hurts.
But, it was great to see all the supporters. There were a lot of bystanders and great crowds.
The best part was that I had my brother was there.
You said Cozumel was probably your favorite. Yeah, Cozumel is definitely my favorite.
Do you have a moment where you're most proud of overcoming something in any of those races?
The chafing?!! My legs were in pain. Yeah, I think that was definitely it. I was like, I get to take these pants off. These shorts off now. I did that whole race with split shorts.
And I think just overcoming the jellyfish thing because I was like, I did the whole race and I got stung so many times. I will have to share that photo. It just shows, like, how bad those things were. It is so indicative of how bad those jellyfish are.
Will you do another?
I think I'm done. I think three full length is good. I mean, I'm not going to say no because I never thought I would do the first one…….any of them at all! But, right now I feel like shorter races are fun.
More fun. Less training. I want to have a social life. Um, it's just less commitment. I will miss training with my training buddies, but I will not miss getting up early. I like seeing being part of the community. That's what brought me back from not doing.
Taking a break in 2021 – I could have stopped then, but I was still biking with everyone. We had our biker gang – Maria was there for a part of the summer and that’s when Lance started riding with us. And it was like every Saturday we had a good group of people going out for long bike rides.
What have you learned most from IRONMAN? What's one big lesson?
That anything is possible, really, is not cliche. I mean, really, you overcome so much to get to the finish. Mentally and physically. In the race and what we put in the training. Like I said, I never thought I would do anything like that. It sounds crazy, and it is crazy, really, to put yourself through all of that in one day.
Were you sporty before you started triathlon? For the record, I would say yes, but I wasn't like, a long distance runner. I did workout classes and things like that, and I guess I just wanted to see if I could challenge myself more. Be outside.
Were you sporty when you were younger? Yes, I've learned taekwondo. That was in middle school and high school. I earned my black belt. I used some of what I learned to get through Ironman. Breathing. Trying to breathe. And, just with taekwondo, you also try to calm your mind, and at the end of class, you meditate a little bit.
Every once in a while, I’ll be doing something completely unrelated to triathlon and think: OH SH*T, I’m an Ironman. Do you have those moments?
I think I did more when I did my first one and I did my second one. I was like, damn, I did that! And, then I get all shy when people are like, you did that?! And I was like, I did. But anybody could do it. It is special, but anyone can do it. When you think of a triathlete or you think of even “an athlete” sometime you go right to the pros. In Ironman races, the majority of people aren't pro athletes. I'm not a pro athlete. There is every size of every body type, just out there killing it, that's very inspiring.
I mean, it goes back to: anything is possible.
What do you think it takes to make it?
You can't go out there and do it if you haven't trained. If you work towards it, you'll be able to achieve it. You just have to be able to be disciplined enough to work towards your goal. And that's the thing, is you set those goals and you do it. There are days you don't want to do it, there are days when you don’t do it! But, eventually, you wake up and you're like, okay, today, we got to do it today. Got to make up for yesterday.
What tip would you give to an aspiring IRONMAN? What’s your favorite tip?
Just keep swimming. That's what I tell myself when I'm in the water and I have a freak-out and think, what am I doing? It's just: keep swimming. Especially if it's open water. And I'm thinking, are there sharks in here? Is something going to get me if I die today? I've lived a good life. [Lots of laughing from both of us.]
Also, just keep moving one foot in front of the other. It doesn’t matter if it’s slow. Just keep moving. If you're able to keep moving, keep doing it.
Overcome, overcome. Breathe, breathe, keep breathing, keep breathing. You will make it through.
What do you think is the best part of triathlon?
I feel like the triathlon community in general - even like the Iron man community - everyone there is so supportive and, um, willing. People just chat you up as you're walking around before the race and after the race, everyone is so friendly. I say everyone's friendly, but there are a lot of people that, they're just very supportive. I like the community of triathlon.
