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Feature - Mae Palm

An Ironwoman of iron will

Marathons and triathlons keep Mae Palm on the straight and narrow

Don’t believe that old adage, says local triathlete Mae Palm: You can, indeed, teach an old dog new tricks.

Palm, 61, has completed 98 marathons in the past 19 years and just recently passed a major milestone in her life when she not only competed in, but finished first place in her age category in the 2001 Ironman Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii on Oct. 6. Battling wind gusts of up to 50 mph and temperatures in the high 80s, Palm conquered the 2.4-mile ocean swim, 112-mile bike race and 26.2-mile run with voracious determination.

For Palm, her most recent victory is a dream come true.

"I didn’t expect to win (the Ironman)," she said. "I was so happy just to get there… winning was the icing on the cake. It was a very long day and anything could have happened."

Palm, who finished the Ironman Championship course in a time of 14:46.55 – an hour ahead of her closest contender – was the only Canadian in her age category at this year’s championships, beating out the four Americans also vying for top spot in the women’s 60-64 age group. Her win was even more meaningful in that this year’s race should have been her second run at the championships.

"I qualified last year for the championships in Hawaii, but I had just spent a lot of money to compete in the Penticton Ironman and afterwards, there was no money left, so I couldn’t go to Hawaii."

After the 2000 situation, word quickly got out in Whistler, where Palm works, and a couple of stalwarts in the local business community pitched in to make sure that Palm would realize her dream in 2001. With financial support in the bank, Palm was able to take her dream to Hawaii. She hasn’t looked back since.

Palm started her amazing journey nearly 25 years ago. At the age of 37 she was somewhat of a late bloomer on the running scene. She started small, building endurance over the years.

"I started running when I was 37," she recalls. "I did it mainly for health reasons… I’m only 4’11" and I had just started driving a car… I didn’t want to become as wide as I am tall," she laughs. "It’s truly amazing how important exercise is to your health."

Palm was living in Squamish when she began her new voyage. With her sneakers laced up and her feet firmly in place, she conquered her first running venture – a quarter-mile spurt around the field at Mamquam Elementary School. It was almost enough of a grind to have her hang up her running shoes… almost.

"I can’t remember how long it took… all I know is that I came home huffing and puffing and I thought ‘wow, that’s a long way to run’."

Over the next year or two, Palm and her family relocated from a trailer court in Squamish to a house in neighbouring Brackendale and along the way, she increased her running distance to two miles.

"I ran two miles almost every day," she says.

The most important factor in continuing her success, she says, was determining which time of day was best to run.

"For me, the early morning worked best… I ran when my husband was still home and the kids were still in bed."

Several years and many marathons later, that routine still works best for Palm. "Early to bed and early to rise works best for me," she says. " I go to bed at 9 p.m. and I’m up at 5 a.m."

When Palm was 39 she competed in her first race. "A lady in Squamish told me about a five-mile race that was coming up… She said ‘you have to do it.’ I said ‘five miles… I don’t think I can do it’."

Upon further persuasion, Palm competed in and won the five-mile race and took home her first medal. The rest, as they say, is history.

"The medal did it for me," she says. "I was hooked."

In 1982, Whistler was about to hold its first marathon. A fellow Squamish runner gave Palm a second hand copy of The Complete Marathoner and a registration form for the Whistler event. Three months later, Palm had completed her first marathon — a grueling 26.2 miles. It took her three hours and 52 minutes to complete. The following year, it was two marathons – the Whistler event and the Vancouver Marathon. The next year there were a few more. Over the years there have been Knee-Knacker events (Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove), 50-milers, Boston Marathons, Victoria Marathons and many more in between. In 1994, Palm competed in the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run. It took her 29 hours to complete. The best was yet to come.

Years later, Palm added a new love to her running life – the triathlon. She purchased a bike for $500 and began training.

"I couldn’t even swim," she says. "I didn’t know how to do the front crawl."

In 1998 tragedy struck the community of Squamish, where Palm lives. It shocked the community to its core and compounded Palm’s desire to pursue her goal of becoming a thriathlete. In the early morning hours of Jan. 1, Bob McIntosh was murdered when he went to check on a New Year’s Eve party at a neighbour’s house. Inspired by McIntosh’s accomplishments as a triathlete and saddened by his death, Palm made a commitment to learn to swim and to compete as a triathlete.

"I’d head out to Alice Lake in Squamish and my kids would stand on the wharf and watch me swimming… I held my head out of the water and they would laugh and laugh," she recalls.

In the beginning, Palm wasn’t sure she would ever master swimming. Not being one to quit, she persevered. Several swimming lessons later, and Palm was ready to tackle her first triathlon. The year was 1998 and the event was the first edition of what would become the annual Bob McIntosh Memorial Triathlon. To this day, the McIntosh murder remains unsolved, but Palm’s commitment to competing in his memory is steadfast.

Three years after competing in her first triathlon, Palm continues to run, has mastered her swimming and has gone from pedaling her $500 mountain bike along local trails to cruising on a custom-built $2,600 bike on the Ironman Course in Hawaii.

Over the years, Palm, who was born and raised near Johannesburg, South Africa, has achieved a level of fame in the small communities where she works and lives. A full-time reservations agent with Tourism Whistler, Palm enjoys support from her colleagues and friends and admits that she would not be able to compete if it weren’t for the financial support she has received from the local business community.

"Sponsorship is so important," she says. "It can start at a very early age with parents even sponsoring their own children."

Competing in triathlons is an expensive pastime, with each event costing hundreds of dollars just in registration fees. Add to that the cost of travel and accommodation and the financial commitment can become an insurmountable obstacle. It’s not enough to maintain optimum health, strength and fitness levels, a competitive athlete needs to maintain an optimum bank account as well.

"There’s no question that I wouldn’t be able to do this without the support I have received," says Palm.

Along with sponsorship and community support, Palm attributes a great deal of her success to her own personal character traits, such as dedication and commitment.

"I’ve never been one to give up on anything," she says. "I’ve never been a quitter."

Her background as a colored South African has also helped develop her strong character. "I think my background helps keep me motivated," she says. "It’s my personality."

Palm, who is of a mixed racial background, attended Caucasian schools in South Africa, but with a birth certificate stamped "mixed," found it difficult to secure employment.

Discouraged, Palm left South Africa in 1956 and immigrated to England, where she lived for about 10 years. When a friend decided to immigrate to Australia, Palm thought she would too, but quickly discovered that would not be an option for her.

"I tried to immigrate to Australia, but they wouldn’t have me," she says. "But I had the travel bug and a co-worker was moving to Canada."

Palm moved to Vancouver in 1966 and relocated with her two children, a son who is now 33 and a daughter who is now 26, to Squamish in 1977. She says she runs in memory of her parents, who, despite the challenges they faced, always supported her efforts.

"My dad always said ‘you’re Palm and you’re number one’," she says. "One time the Whistler Citizen newspaper (now defunct) ran a headline that read ‘Palm #1’," she says. "I hope that somehow, he saw that."

With an Ironman championship medal to add to her collection, Palm has proven, yet again, that she is, indeed, number one.

What’s next for this Ironwoman? Her first-place finish at this year’s Ironman Championships has secured a spot in next year’s event and because this year’s course was a new one, she will hold the record in her age category until it is broken.

There’s no question Palm will keep on competing – on Nov. 25 she will run the Seattle Marathon.

"It’s a way of life for me… it keeps me on the straight and narrow."



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