Worth the Wait

Lauren Binder likes to take her time.

It took her 30 years to discover running and another 10 years to ascend to the elite level and qualify for the Olympic Trials in the marathon. It took her half a century to discover her affinity for triathlon, a sport she probably never would have discovered had it not been for a devastating injury that ended her competitive running career.

When the 61-year-old Portland, Ore., resident defends her grand masters title at the USA Triathlon Age Group National Championship on Saturday at Hagg Lake, she’ll be in competition mode – in other words – full speed ahead.

Binder accepts the fact that she’s not as fast as she once was. But unlike most grand masters, Father Time is not adding precious seconds to her 10k every year. Binder’s slowdown (albeit minor compared to the average triathlete) is a result of a ruptured Achilles tendon, an injury that hobbles professional football players and runners alike – and necessitates an abrupt end to years of training and competition. Even with surgery and extensive rehabilitation, the injury has ended the careers of many promising athletes.

The injury ended Binder’s running career and an impressive list of accomplishments – qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the marathon four times and setting American masters records in the marathon (2:35:08), half-marathon (1:13:50), 15k (52:10).

But the injury that ended her running career started her triathlon career.

“When I ruptured my Achilles at mile 23 in the 1992 Olympic Trials, my running career was over,” Binder said. “A year after my surgery, I started to run again, but I wasn’t fast anymore. I still loved running, and after all of the rehab, I had learned to enjoy biking and swimming, as many runners end up doing.”

Soon Binder had caught multisport fever and supplemented her runs with biking and swimming. Disciplines that once had been cross training had become her main sources of fitness.

She enjoyed training for and competing in triathlons but never really got into the sport seriously. Then she signed up for nationals in 2007 – only because the event was in Portland. And things changed.

With a win in the grand masters division, Binder had the opportunity to race for Team USA at the World Championship.

“Everyone asked if I was going to do the World Championship, and I thought, ‘well, why not?’ Binder said. “I went to Hamburg (last September) and won the silver in my age group, just getting passed for the gold before the finish line.”

Binder continued to train and raced at the World Championship in Vancouver this summer. She won bronze in a race that was converted to a duathlon because of the weather conditions. Her experience in Vancouver has driven her to compete for another trip with Team USA.

“In Vancouver, I was very ready to do the triathlon and not the duathlon, as were many of the athletes,” Binder said. “Even though the medal reads ‘triathlon,’ it was a du. That’s the reason I want to go back to Worlds.”

Despite her hectic schedule – in addition to training every day, sometimes twice per day – Binder works as a full-time registered nurse in surgery at a trauma hospital in Portland.

Binder does not hide the fact that she plays favorites with the three disciplines of triathlon.

“I will always love running the most because it can be any time, any where and all I need are my shoes. Running is a time for solitude, thinking and getting a good workout in a relatively short amount of time.”

And while she has taken her time finding the sport of triathlon and learning the finer points of cycling and swimming, she has no intention of taking her time this weekend in pursuit of another grand masters title.

“The speed is what I like the most about triathlon, but you have to work for it.”