If not for bad luck…

Anyone with a heart would have thought that Dede Griesbauer had already made the comeback of her life. In the summer of 2011, she crashed on a rain slick road at Ironman Frankfurt and broke an elbow, 2 ribs, her pelvis in 2 places and her hip - and was told she’d never run again. By 2012, she had recovered enough to make the podium at one Ironman 70.3 and qualified for the Ironman 70.3 Worlds. Even better in 2013 she finished top 10 at four long course Ironman races and then made the podium at five Ironman races in 2014 and early 2015. Going into Ironman Coeur d’Alene, she stood 31st in the women's KPR standings with 4500 points and dreamed of adding to her top 10 finishes at Kona in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

After a women’s 3rd-fastest swim, Griesbauer was riding the Coeur d’Alene bike course when she was hit by a truck which charged into the contestants’ lane. She suffered a multitude of non-life threatening but quite painful and potentially season-ending injuries. And now she has to gather her spirits and muster her remarkable healing energy once again to keep that Kona dream intact at age 45.

Slowtwitch: If you are up to it, can you please tell us what happened?

Dede Griesbauer: I was traveling in the designated race lane at approximately mile 17 of the bike course in Coeur d’Alene. A truck entered the lane from my right, driving straight across my path, presumably intending to turn left into the lane I was riding in. I reached for my brakes, but hit the broad side of the driver’s side of the truck. Then I hit the ground.

ST: What were your injuries?

Dede: I have a deep puncture wound on my hand that required stitches. There’s some damage to the tendon sheath. I’ve been cleared of broken bones, but have several deep contusions to my right leg, the right side of my back and my elbow. I have some soft tissue damage in my right shoulder. We’re sort of day-to-day at this point because it’s difficult to differentiate between what will be a lingering injury and what is just soreness from the impact. So rather than MRI my entire body, we’re sort of waiting to see what sticks and what is going to need further medical attention. I'm still in quite a bit of pain.

ST: What is the prognosis for recovery – and when you can resume training and racing?

Dede: I do not yet know when I can return to training, and therefore, racing. I am still day-to-day as we're sorting through the extensiveness of my injuries.

ST: Looking back, what does this tell you about the relationship automobiles have to athletes?

Dede: Cars win every time. But I didn’t need this incident to tell me that. That’s simply a statement of fact.

ST: Looking at your social network postings, it seems that the driver had minor legal consequences.

Dede: I think the police cited him for the infraction he was guilty of. And the police have established fault in the incident.

ST: What are the emotional aftershocks?

Dede: I’m a little afraid of cars now. Even when driving in my own car. Just with the limited driving I did yesterday, I was very tentative behind the wheel. I imagine that will magnify when I am able to get back on a bike outside.

ST: How will this affect your Kona quest?

Dede: I’m also frustrated because this unfortunate turn of events puts me in quite a pickle with regards to my Kona qualification. My win at Ironman Taiwan and my 2nd at Ironman Mallorca and my win at Taiwan 70.3 and my 2nd at Puerto Rico 70.3 have me close to qualifying for Kona, but not likely close enough to make the cut as it stands. As I am uncertain of when I’ll be able to race, I am frustrated that the years I've battled to come back from my 2011 crash with the sole goal of getting back to Kona may now be for naught. That may be the biggest frustration and my greatest concern, aside from my overall health.

ST: Can you do it?

Dede: I know that if anyone is capable of coming back from a setback, it’s me. I have, unfortunately, plenty of experience at it. It just sucks to summon that emotional energy yet again.

ST: I am a fan and have been very happy to see the trend in your recent results. Can you tell us what your 3rd place at 2014 Pucon 70.3, and 2nd place finishes at 2014 Ironman Mallorca and 2015 Puerto Rico 70.3 have meant to you?

Dede: Of course, 2nd is never as good as 1st, but I was pleased to be turning in solid results with those races. Being at the pointy end of the race and giving myself the chance to win is all you can expect of yourself. Races are far too competitive to “expect” to win, so being in a position where I’m battling for the podium or the win is satisfying.

ST: It seems that Taiwan is your dreams-can-come-true venue with your wins at 2014 Ironman 70.3 Taiwan and 2015 Ironman Taiwan. Why is Taiwan a good fit with you personally and competitively?

Dede: Taiwan has been incredibly good to me!

I went to the 70.3 last November, selfishly, because it gave me the opportunity to meet some more of the Blue Bicycles team and to tour their factory. Blue's factory is just a couple of hours drive from the 70.3 and Ironman race venue, so going to race there gave me the opportunity to learn a lot about the manufacturing process of the bike I ride. My MBA brain geeks out on that stuff. The Blue team took such exquisite care of me over there. They are the experts in the manufacturing process, but had limited opportunity to interact with the athletes and learn about the training side, and the marketing side. We learned a lot from each other on that trip.

ST: And why do you like the people and culture there?

Dede: Triathlon is pretty new to the Taiwanese and it’s gaining in popularity. I had the chance to do a clinic when I returned for the Ironman event in April and the local athletes were like sponges. They were so keen to learn all I had to impart to them. Many of the athletes live in the larger cities of Tainan and Taipei, so training, especially on the bike, is difficult. We talked a lot about that. Swim training was also an area where they had lots of questions. I introduced one of my new Taiwanese friends to “band only” swimming. We got a lot of chuckles out of that, despite the fact that he didn’t speak English and my Chinese isn’t exactly extensive. It was remarkable how well we could communicate without knowing one another’s language. Their passion for the sport is so pure. The athletes I met were so humble and so eager. There is no ego. They have such a deep appreciation and fascination with the sport and I found it inspiring.

ST: What did your Ironman wins at UK in 2006 and Brazil in 2009 meant to you?
And what did your fast-for-40 9:20 winning time at Ironman Taiwan this year tell you about your ongoing career?

Dede: Each win has been really different. UK was my first and it came at a critical time. We were still on a slot qualification system then, and I’d raced Ironman Coeur d’Alene and DNF’d. Ironman UK had one slot for Pro Women, so I went into the race knowing that if I wanted to go to Kona, I’d have to win. I’d never won an Ironman, obviously, so it was a daunting task. I rose to the occasion and got the job done. That was satisfying. My win in Brazil was different in that I was somewhat of an established pro by then. I’d been top-10 in Kona 2 times by then, and had put up some decent results in my career. The field in Brazil was a stronger and deeper field than the one I’d faced in 2006 at UK, so it gave me confidence on a larger stage.

ST: What was different about Ironman Taiwan?

Dede: Taiwan was special because it was so unexpected. I knew I had some good racing left in me, otherwise, I wouldn’t be hanging around the sport. I have other skills and talents and could certainly make a living in another way [Griesbauer earned an MBA from the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania. She worked on Wall Street for eight years as an equity trader and her last role was a vice president at MFS Investment Management in Boston before she quit to pursue professional triathlon]. I know I have some still-untapped triathlon potential. But I didn’t really think I’d stand atop a podium again. To win, after all the setbacks I’ve endured. was truly special and is something I will cherish forever.

As for “fast-for-40,” I’d say that 9:20 on that course is fast, no matter how old you are. But the fact is, I am over 40.... quite a bit, in fact. I could say something corny like “age is just a number,” but that would be a lie. Age is a very real thing and as I’ve gotten older, I’ve had to work exponentially harder for smaller incremental improvements. My attention to detail in looking after the little things has to be impeccable. There is no margin for error. There are about 1000 more things I need to be aware of and monitor now than I had to 10 years ago. I’ve joked with some of the young’uns on the squad, begging them to put a note in their calendars for when they turn 45, to call me and tell me how they feel.

ST: How has Siri Lindley contributed to your career? How has she improved your bike and run - and your psychology?

Dede: I joined Siri in early 2012. After my 2011 crash, I’d rejoined Karen Smyers as my coach. Karen gave me the confidence to get back out there to try to race again. In early 2012, I had another setback with a stress fracture in my sacrum. I felt pretty rock bottom after the diagnosis. Karen was amazing and supportive, but I was lacking some motivation to scrape myself off the floor again. I’d done some swim training with Siri in early 2012 when I was training in Noosa in preparation for Ironman Melbourne before I’d pulled up with the stress fracture. I was drawn to Siri’s energy and to the nature of the squad. Karen and I had always been a squad of two, occasionally batting it around with some of our Team Psycho teammates. But a full squad training environment seemed like a fresh start, and with Siri’s positivity and sometimes unbelievable belief in me and all I could still achieve in the sport, I decided to make the change.

ST: How did Siri’s training align with what you had done with Karen?

Dede: Siri’s training has been an extension of what Karen and I did together. I have a pretty robust aerobic engine, developed over 20-plus years of competitive swimming [Griesbauer led the Stanford women’s team to an NCAA championship in 1992] and now 10 years as a pro triathlete. We continue to stoke the aerobic engine but also do some high intensity (for an Ironman athlete!) work that makes me faster. Siri has gotten me to push harder on the bike by occasionally hiding my power numbers from me. I tend to sometimes limit what I think I’m capable of because I see a power number that my brain thinks is too big. She's gotten me stronger as a runner, and has improved my form. I still run like a swimmer, but I’m making improvements even still.

ST: Seems as if you gave been quite unlucky, if not singularly so, in an at-times dangerous sport. While you have suffered a lot after being hit by a truck, your toughest comeback came after Ironman Germany in 2011 where you had a near career-ending crash and was told you’d never run again. How did you manage to put yourself together after that?

Dede: I had a lot of help from Karen there. It’s no secret that Karen has faced more than her fair share of obstacles in her career. We were riding in Massachusetts one day with a few other women after my crash, and suddenly, it started to rain. I’d crashed on wet, rain soaked roads in Germany, and out of nowhere, I just pulled over on the side of the road and started to cry. It was the first time I’d ridden in the rain since my Germany crash. Karen stopped, came back and didn’t even have to ask what was the matter. She's had similar phobias after being run of the road by an 18-wheeler. Ultimately, you just have to come to the decision that your passion for the sport and your desire to compete are stronger than your fear and that it’s worth it.

ST: After three top 10 Kona finishes, I bet you really want to get back. So why would you race a low-points event in Taiwan?

Dede: I knew I’d have to race more than one Ironman to accumulate the points required. Taiwan was important because of my relationship with Blue. And let’s be honest, I am a professional and have to earn a living. Winning Taiwan gave me a far greater pay-day [$5,000] than coming in 6th at Melbourne [$3,500]. I had intended to race Ironman Brazil after Taiwan to hit one of the big points races. But Taiwan took more out of me than I anticipated, and I didn’t feel fully recovered by the time Brazil rolled around. By that point too, it was clear that I didn’t need a boat-load of points to put me over the top for Kona. I needed a 5th [720] or even a 6th place finish [540] at a 2000-point race. That was very achievable at Coeur d’Alene... until mile 17 of the bike.

ST: Why is triathlon worth it?

Dede: Some days, I’m not so sure it is. But I love my job. I think it’s normal with any job to have days where you aspire to do something else with your life. But at the end of the day I come back to the fact that I love what I get to do. I won’t do it forever. And I look forward to what comes next. But for now, I have goals, and I am painfully close to achieving them. Motivations and goals are so personal. There’s a lot of talk about “why do you even race as a pro” and “why, if you aren't going to be top-10 would you even want to go and race Kona?” To that end, why does anyone do anything? Why be a teacher when you can make more money doing something else? Why be a nurse when you can be a doctor? Why work inside in an office when you could work outside? There’s always something else. Something better. Something that pays more.

Everyone’s answers to those questions of why are different and as far as I am concerned, not really any of anyone’s business but their own. The fact is that I still find value in it. The why’s are my decision and my decision alone. There are heaps of other things I could do with my life. For now? I choose this.

ST: Any last thoughts?

Dede: Thanks for the opportunity and the support. And thank you to my husband Dave, my coach, Siri, and all my sponsors: Saucony, Blue Bicycles, ROKA, INFINIT Nutrition, Zone, Norma Tec, Rudy Project, CompuTrainer, Rally Sport, John Cobb and Red Ace Organics.

ST: Thank you Dede. We will be looking for you on the Kona start line.