On Sept. 23, 56-year-old Taylor native Stephanie Escobar began competition at the World’s Triathlon Championship Finals in Pontevedra, Spain.
While at Worlds, she will participate in two events. The first will be on Sept. 24 and is a sprint race, consisting of a 750m swim, 20k bike and 5k run. After, on Sept. 26, comes the standard race, consisting of a 1500m swim, 40k bike and a 10k run.
Stephanie will represent Taylor alongside 5,400 athletes from 100 countries, with ages ranging from 16 to 89. There are 18 US women the 55-59 age group.
Escobar began her triathlon journey in her 20s, but halted training and competing seriously until five years ago.
She has gained recent traction in the community after placing in the top 20 standard distance runners at the US Nationals in August in Wisconsin.
Prior to her success in Nationals, she raced in the Austin CapTex Triathlon over Memorial Day weekend and made an appearance in the sprint race at the Marble Falls Triathlon in July.
“The amount of blood, sweat and tears Stephanie has put in makes us so incredibly proud to cheer her on from our town,” said The Quack Pack run club member Ann Fengfish. “She is the epitome of grit, strength and determination.”
Her coach, Sharon Boon, explains the road to Worlds was extensive and began well over a year ago.
“She’s an endurance athlete, so training began with technique work then strength work, and finally, speed,” said Boon. “It was a long-term plan to get her here.”
Over the course of the year, Stephanie completed 1,275 miles of running, 4,593 miles of biking, 154 miles of swimming and 82 hours of strength training. She completes training daily, alternating between the four categories.
Through her training journey, Escobar has discovered a sense of accomplishment and a newfound appreciation for what she is capable of.
“I’m doing something good for my health, and I enjoy it. I enjoy having a goal,” said Escobar.
