Recreation
Gaining the mental edge

By Katherine Nichols
Advertiser Staff Writer

When Brigitte Egbert's triathlon coach wants to tease her, he calls her "Sally." He needles her about "hanging back to run with Sally." But the fierce competitor — who never lets her ego get in the way of her workouts — just laughs.

"You learn how to battle what you can't fight, what you just have to deal with," Brigitte Egbert says. "That's when it becomes a mental race." Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

And race she did.

The 30-year-old Iolani graduate was the third Hawai'i resident in the race's history to break into the top 15 women at the World Championships, giving her an automatic qualifying slot for the 2002 event. She was also the first female amateur to finish. Egbert completed the race in 10 hours and 25 minutes — a full 32 minutes slower than her best time for the distance — in some of the harshest conditions ever.

Cross winds forced people to "bike diagonally to stay upright," said Egbert, who works 45-50 hours each week as a relationship manager at Aon Risk Services, an insurance brokerage. "I saw some girl crash right in front of me because of gusts. One girl crashed so bad she had to be taken to the hospital."

Egbert said she was blown across the road into the far lane five times. "You spend a lot of time with white knuckles," she said. "The more you try to fight it and get unnerved about it, the more it zaps you."

She finished the 112-mile bike portion in 5 hours, 43 minutes before setting out on what she described as the "hardest marathon I've ever run." By mile eight, her body was covered with goosebumps, indicating severe dehydration. Though disappointed with her time of 3 hours, 37 minutes for the 26.2-mile run, she understood it was just one of those experiences that adds to life's lessons.

Brigitte Egbert was the first female amateur to finish the 2001 Ironman. She finished the race in 10 hours, 25 minutes. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

Part of that struggle arises from the unique atmosphere in Kona.

"I just love that race," she said. "It's definitely the Big Island. There's a mystical, spiritual feel about the race. You never know what kind of element you're going to enter into. You're dealing with Mother Nature out there."

Her success in the four Ironman-distance races she has completed since 1999 is because of her tremendous ability to accept the challenges that are beyond her control. And to focus.

"Mentally and physically I feel very equipped to handle the endurance sports," she said. "It's more of a journey to me when I do the longer stuff."

Boca, himself a veteran of a decade of Ironman races, added "Part of her mental toughness comes from a good, solid training regimen. She's really on it. If she works late at night, she'll just go ride her bicycle until 9:30 or 10 at night. She doesn't whine."

The majority of her training is done with other people, including fellow endurance triathlete and husband Bob Egbert, whom she credits with supporting her through demanding weeks that require 25-30 hours of training.

Egbert has also invested time in the weight room to add strength to her petite, lean frame, and follows her training program as best she can, working around frequent professional conflicts.

"I really had to adjust my attitude," said Egbert of her hectic schedule, "and be happy with what I did get done as opposed to being upset with what was on my schedule and I couldn't do."

One of the keys to Egbert's prowess is that she doesn't allow workouts that are supposed to be easy become too competitive as she bicycles with some of the top male athletes in Hawai'i. "She just knows herself so well," said Boca. "She's confident about what she's doing, and she understands her limits." Consequently, she's the kind of person who "can race much better than she ever trains."

So when she wins her age group every time she competes, the inevitable question follows: Will she turn professional? But Egbert waves off the possibility in favor of a "balanced life."

Turning pro, she said, "is not something that I've ever considered seriously. (Competing) is a stress release and a way to channel my energy positively. When it becomes something that I'm supposed to do, it would take away some of the passion and energy.

"As long as I have fun doing what I'm doing, I'm going to continue to do it," she said. "And right now, I'm having a lot of fun."