A mother from Tucson, Arizona, has done the impossible while participation in a-mile 70.3 Ironman. Jaime Sloan, a mother of two, saw that her planned stop to pump breast milk during the triathlon could make her miss her personal record.
“I knew that I would PR because I had a really amazing bike ride and a pretty decent swim,” she commented after the race “I had brought my hand pump and I just decided to go for it. I was making good time and I just didn’t want to stop and lose the time on my race.
Jaime was determined not to make this little obstacle get in her way. The 34-year old mother had given birth to her second child in March. Just a few months later, in October, she was participating in the Ironman 70.3 in Tempe, Arizona. For this triathlon, athletes must swim for 1.2 miles, bike for 56 miles and run 13.1 miles.
The creative method of competing won Jaime big smiles from women and mother in the crowd. She had a bit of difficulty at first, but the milk started to flow. Jamie would later share that two men, thinking she was holding a patch against her chest, approached her for aid.
This impressive achievement was a struggle from beginning to end. Just two weeks before the triathlon, Jamie hurt her shoulder and had to take a two-week break from swimming.
Her family’s cheering was what kept her motivated. Despite the concerns, she wouldn’t be able to finish, Jamie did it with an outstanding personal record of 12 minutes and 44 seconds.
Jaime’s intense training not only granted her an impressive record but was also a way of helping her cope with postpartum anxiety. For her, it was important than women all over the world knew that if they can, they can find a way.
“There’s always a way that you can make it happen. You might have to get a little creative from time to time,” she said.