The Long Haul

Janet Howard didn't start racing until her mid-30s. Now she wins races and qualifies for championships.

By Ellen Spitaleri

The Clackamas Review, Oct 20, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009

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“I did my first triathlon in Harare, Zimbabwe, in 1996, when I was working as a physician there. Then I was hooked. I came back to the states and joined a group of athletes in 1999, and realized this is a lifestyle I can do for life,” she said.

A man named Bryant Howard was in that group of triathletes; later the two married and now he is her coach.

“He is a brilliant coach and my training partner. [Because of him] I started to win [races in] my age group, and by 2001 I was racing professionally,” she said.

Family affair

Howard has three children, ages 23, 19 and 14; the youngest attends Clackamas High School and often bikes with his mother from their Clackamas home to Sauvie Island and the Estacada area, among other places.

“My husband is the cross country coach at Warner Pacific and I’m his assistant — so we run with the students,” Howard said, adding that she also runs on the CHS track and trains on the trails at nearby Mt. Talbert.

It takes a lot of time to train, she noted, and added that she is lucky to have the support of her family.

For those considering entering the world of triathlon competitions, Howard cited an example of a nun from Spokane who started racing in her 50s and is now 79.

She was competing in Hawaii, along with “lots of older people.”

Howard described herself as a “huge fan of promoting healthy lifestyles, both as a pediatrician and as an athlete,” and added, “My message is, it’s never too late to start.”

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