Athletics
Athletics
My athletic journey
“Maryline grew up amongst boys, so she often competed with them in sports. She started with gymnastics, then hand-ball, at a national level. Skiing entered the mix in the winter when not playing soccer on French summer beaches, again with the boys. Her love for running started as soon as she could balance on two feet; she probably ran before she knew how to walk. She helped her best childhood friend in France anchoring relays when needed, but she never competed in high school or college.” At 37 years old, nine months after giving birth to her third son, Donovan, and still breastfeeding, Maryline embarked in this new dream of completing her first triathlon. With 20 extra pounds remaining from the pregnancy, she taught herself how to swim free style and experienced her first bricks (bike/run or swim/bike). After shredding lots of pounds, she managed the training demand. Her first local sprint triathlon in North Carolina ended up in the medical tent where she suffered serious dehydration. But she got hooked, nevertheless, and hired a coach. With consistent training, Maryline made podiums and won a challenging sprint triathlon in the mountains, in Valdese, NC. Her thirst for challenges continued and she traveled with the USA triathlon team to the World Age Group Championships in Honolulu, in Hawaii. She ended her triathlon’s pursuit by completing a half Iron Man, where she ran her best long-distance run (half-marathon).
Master Women’s (Age 40 – 49) 400 x 4 World Record Relay
When Maryline turned 40 years old, she came back to her first love: running. In her first meet, at the 37th annual Southeastern U.S Masters Track & Field, she received the Phil Rashker award for outstanding performance after winning the 200 and 400 meters and placing 2nd in the 100 m. Later in 2007, she placed third at the national championships in Maine, in the 400m and the 200m. The Athena women Track Club noticed her and after meeting one of the club’s owners, Lorraine jasper, at the World Masters Championships in Italy, they recruited her to be part of the team.
During the next ten years, Maryline and her Athena teammates broke two world records in the relay 4x400m (in 2009). In 2010, Maryline became Indoor bronze medalist in Kamloops, Canada, at the indoor World Championships. Few years later, she won her first 400m race indoor and became a national champion. Her favorite race is the relays. She represented the USA Master team many times and through the years accumulated podiums in the 4x100m, 4x200m and the 4x400m. After experiencing the 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m, she reached a plateau while she lived in Barcelona with her son. At age 50, she decided to try the pentathlon and the heptathlon. Maryline had to learn to hurdle, high jump, long jump and throw the javelin. She placed second in her first indoor pentathlon and won a silver medal in New Zealand, at the Aukland World Games, in her first heptathlon, behind the European champion”
