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48 JULY 2012
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NI L S
NI L S E N
Following a fierce 2011 seasonhighlighted by two Ironmanwins, multiple podiumplacings and a top 10 in Kona,Heather Wurtele was eagerto kick off 2012 on a highnote. Unfortunately, illnessderailed her race in Abu Dhabi,and she struggled in theexcessive heat and humidityat Ironman 70.3 Galveston. Butthe ever-optimistic Wurtele isembracing the months aheadwith a “nowhere to go but up”attitude in hopes of improvingon her 2011 eighth-place finishin Kona.e four-time Ironmanchampion (St. George 2011 and2010, Lake Placid 2011, Coeurd’Alene 2008) lives, travels andtrains out of a tiny RV (lessthan 100 square feet of livingspace) with her husband,fellow pro Trevor Wurtele, andtheir cat, Manah.e couple isheading into their fourth yearof calling the RV, where theyspend all but a combined fourweeks annually, home.By Holly Bennett
TIGHT QUARTERS: We started
living in the RV to save money when
we were still working full-time. Trevor
worked from 3 p.m. until midnight for
a currency exchange, and I worked
normal hours as a researcher. He’d
get home in the middle of the night
and try to quietly change 2 feet from
where I was sleeping. I’d get up at 5
a.m. and try to tiptoe around and eat
breakfast. That was pretty horrible.
Since we’ve been living out of it and
just training and racing it’s been
much better. We love our home!
SNUG AS BUGS IN A RUG: We feel
really cozy and secure in our bed.
It’s surrounded by windows and
walls on three sides. When we do
stay in a normal bed we feel like
we’re going to fall off. It’s like we
need an adult crib!
KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES:
Some people at the Galveston race
had one of those deluxe RVs with
four pop-outs. We were admiring it
and they saw us and said, “Hey, are
you the Wurteles? We feel so guilty
that our little weekend getaway RV is
so much nicer than your home!”
CALL ME MA’AM: Being mistaken
for a dude gets kind of irritating.
People don’t actually look at you
sometimes, they just sort of glance
and get a sense of your height
[Wurtele is 6-foot-2] and assume
that you’re a guy. They’re like, “How
can I help you, sir?” And I’m like, “Um,
actually …” And then they realize my
voice is higher pitched.
LOFTY ACHIEVEMENT: When
I started triathlon there was this
perception that the fast women
were these tiny things. If you were
tall and you didn’t look like that, you
couldn’t possibly be a successful
pro. But that’s really not true. The
long-lever swimming is a benefit,
and height definitely helps with
power on the bike. And if you look at
the top men there are some tall and
really fast guys. So it’s something
that I perceive as an advantage and
always try to stay positive about. I
like being a role model for tall girls.
When you’re in high school and
you’re a foot taller than all the guys,
you can really get insecure. I get all
sorts of e-mails about that. It’s been
motivating for me to have a lot of tall
women say, “Wow! It’s so awesome
to see you winning Ironmans!” Yes,
tall chicks can be fast!
HEATHERWURTELE
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