It’s not that Margaret Kalamaras was new to endurance athletics. She had several marathons behind her as well as a sprint triathlon, but a few years passed and her confidence had flagged. A divorce in 2017 took its toll, and then injury - plantar fasciitis and a stress fracture - sidelined her. 2019 was going to be different.
Margaret teamed up with OutRival Racing coach Jackie Miller and got ambitious: the NYRR half-marathon, Ironman 70.3 triathlons in Connecticut and Maine, and the Hartford Marathon. It was a full schedule for any athlete, but particularly for this single mother of four, including her 12-year-old daughter, Lexi, who has Down syndrome. Transition training sometimes started with a 90-minute stationary bike ride at 5:30 a.m., followed by waking her kids, making breakfast, and getting them out the door to school, and then literally running out the door herself.
Getting going wasn’t easy. Running alone with her thoughts used to be enough for Margaret, but in January and February, she resorted to headphones to literally drown out the sound of her labored breathing and heavy steps. Under Jackie’s guidance, her heart rate came down and her pace ticked up.
Margaret marked her successes with her kids: at the finish line in New York, and in the water in Connecticut - her eldest son, Gavin, is a lifeguard, and served as a volunteer in a kayak during the race (Gavin now aspires to complete an Ironman).
By late summer, Margaret was putting in long miles without headphones. “Running has always been therapy for me mentally,” she said. “It’s my happy place.” The runs glided by: 13 miles, 15 miles, 17 miles. Then it was race day, with a goal of beating 4:30. She slowed as she approached the finish to pick up Lexi, and the two of them crossed the line together in 4:28:55, where they were joined by Gavin, twin sons Colin and Zachary, boyfriend Jeff, and Jeff’s son Vinny. “I could not have done this without the love and support of them,” Margaret marveled.
Coach Jackie comes in for special praise as well: “I could not have done any of this without you,” Margaret said. “I can’t wait for what’s in store for 2020!”