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11/23/2016 11:00 PMJeanne-Yvonne Tucker has always been active. Jeanne was a swimmer growing up, but as she grew into her young adult years, Jeanne started working more and swimming less and so she took up running. Then after she suffered an injury, Jeanne got into biking. Eventually, Jeanne combined all three sports by doing triathlons and she’s since competed in hundreds of them.
“Triathlons came along and I thought, ‘I can do all three of those things,’ and now I’ve been doing them for about 30 years,” says Jeanne, 68. “Sometimes I’m on a roll and I’m competing every single weekend, but as I get older, I have to rest more in between, so now it’s more like every two weeks. It depends on what distance.”
Jeanne does both sprint triathlons, which involve a 400- to 500-yard swim, 10-mile bike ride, and a three-mile run; as well as Ironman triathlons, which feature a 2¼-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and a marathon. Jeanne doesn’t have to travel far to compete in sprint triathlons as the Cedar Lake Triathlon Series is held every other week from May to August in her hometown of Chester.
“There are all kinds of people there and it’s fun because you know everybody,” says Jeanne.
Jeanne’s husband Ed founded the series in 1984 and it’s now run by JD Ingalls, who says Jeanne represents everything that a tri-athlete should be.
“Jeanne brings a wealth of experience, knowledge, and passion to the grassroots Cedar Lake Tri Series,” says Ingalls. “Whether she is there participating or spectating, she gives it her all. She’s the epitome of the multi-sport event we come to love—triathlons.”
Jeanne and her husband aren’t the only ones in their family who are involved in triathlons. Their son did his first triathlon at age four, while aided by a swim bubble and training wheels on his bike. The Tucker family prioritizes their training and it’s paid off for Jeanne, who’s ranked No. 1 by USA Triathlon for her age group that includes about 500 women. Jeanne wakes up at 5 a.m. to get in a few hours of training each day before working at her husband’s medical office.
“It becomes a lifestyle,” says Jeanne. “I’ll do intervals on the bike, then run some intervals, then ride my bike to the Y and do some intervals there in the pool. After that, I’ll race back and go to the track. I train a lot when I’m racing.”
Jeanne remains active even when she isn’t training for competitions. She likes running in the woods while enjoying the fall foliage, as well as swimming laps in the pool and riding her stationary bike when it gets too cold to ride outside. Jeanne also does strength training two to three days a week.
Jeanne has competed in triathlons both nationally and internationally. She’s flown to New Zealand for a world championship and has twice qualified for the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii. In order to compete in the 2,000-athlete field in Hawaii, athletes must first win their division.
“Our son was born in 1990 and, for three years, he heard everyone ask his father about Ironman,” Jeanne says. “Well, there was no way that I could allow my son to think that only his dad could do Ironman. Off to Hawaii we all went.”
Jeanne took second place in a competition earlier this year. Racers’ ages are marked on their bibs and Jeanne remembers the applause when she took her place on the podium.
“The other women were saying to me, ‘I never thought we’d be able to do what we do at that age and you just inspire me that we can do this for so long,’” says Jeanne. “Just the thought of being able to inspire someone is such a gift. This sport has really given me a gift that I can inspire people. I’m overwhelmed sometimes.”
In addition to training for and competing in triathlons, Jeanne and her husband keep busy with many other activities throughout the year, including cross-country skiing and ice skating in the winter at their home in Stowe, Vermont. Jeanne has done cross-country ski races in the past, too. Jeanne’s son was raised in France, where she skied a lot when she lived near the French Alps. She started to ski competitively and placed sixth in her age group at a competition. Jeanne’s son was also a cross-country skier and was recruited to the University of Vermont’s program.
“As I get older, I think I have to take a little more time off in winter—maybe just back-country ski for fun,” says Jeanne. “It’s very intense when you race, physically and mentally, and sometimes you need a bigger break than you thought.”
While Jeanne has competed all around the world and collected a host of accolades, she says the most important thing is staying healthy. Jeanne also loves that she can enjoy her passion close to Essex, where she and her husband live.
“We have a beautiful area to train in—Hammonasset to swim in, beautiful rural roads to ride bikes and access to the woods, and a little cinder track right here in Essex,” says Jeanne. “It’s just a beautiful place here to train and the people are very respectful and I’m so grateful to have this opportunity.”