7/12/05

Holly Springs Personal Trainer to Compete in World Triathlon Championship

Residents wanting to use the services of Holly Springs Parks & Recreation Department Personal Trainer Jackie Miller will have to be patient during the month of August. Miller, a member of the USA Triathlon Team, will be traveling overseas to compete in the International Triathlon Union Long Distance Triathlon World Championship in Denmark.

Miller has been a personal trainer for 11 years; her services have been available through the Holly Springs Parks & Recreation Department since 2003. Owner of BritFit Personal Training and an affiliated coach with TRImyCOACH.com, an online coaching service, Miller also organizes the Town's annual 5k race, to correspond with the late-October HollyFest this year. She qualified for the world triathlon championship at the national meet last year, finishing second in her event. The Aug. 6 world championship triathlon includes a 2.5-mile swim in the North Sea, a 75-mile biking portion and an 18-mile run. Miller said she has not set a time goal for the international event.

“My goal is to finish and just do the best I can,” she said. “I'm not setting a time. I'm always competitive, but I'm going to be racing the rest of the world, and the Europeans are fast.”

Miller's ultimate racing goal is to one day compete in the Ironman world championships in Hawaii. Miller began racing triathlons seriously about nine years ago, but she says that she has been interested in the sport since childhood.

“I can remember being 10 years of age, watching the Ironman on television,” she said. “I can just remember the impact of seeing these people crossing the line.”

To compete in the Hawaii Ironman, athletes must qualify by winning a slot at an Ironman-sanctioned event or through a random lottery. Miller says she wants to qualify by earning a place in a race, but competition is fierce. This year, she finished seventh in an Ironman-sanctioned race, but only the first-place finisher won a slot at the Hawaii event. She said she does not plan to enter her name in the lottery.

“If I make it I want to go because I've achieved it by being placed, by winning the way you should win,” she said.

Her next Ironman competition is in October in Durham and is comprised of a 2.4-mile swim, an 112-mile bike and a 26.2-mile run. The event is not a qualifying event for the Hawaii Ironman.

“I'm the person I am now because of the triathlon,” Miller said. “It's taught me a lot about life – dedication, tenacity, seeing things through, being not as fearsome about facing things, being more self confident, being more proud of who I am, learning to love myself more. You love your body because it's brought you th r ough this distance.

“I want to inspire people to get out and move,” she said. “You don't have to do an Ironman to achieve something.”

While training for competitions is ongoing year round for Miller, she said she is looking forward to the Denmark event and taking time to visit family while overseas after the competition. Sponsors funding her Denmark race include Crescent State Bank, Moe's Southwest Grill, Mama Fu's Noodle House and Carolina Business Interiors. She continues to search for additional sponsors to cover room and board, registration fees and uniform costs for the competition.

Town of Holly Springs - PO Box 8 - 128 South Main Street - Holly Springs, NC 27540 - (919) 552-6221 - Holly.Springs@hollyspringsnc.us