Samantha Warriner: Olympian Triathlete Returns to Triathlon After Heart Surgery in New Zealand

You thought your last triathlon was a rough one?  Samantha Warriner has just recovered from her life-saving heart surgery.  This Beijing Olympian from New Zealand has just confirmed her entry into the Ironman New Zealand at Taupo.  For those of you that are keeping track at home, that’s a mere 14 weeks after surgery.  Wow.  Honestly, I can’t imagine doing much of anything 14 weeks after heart surgery.  Maybe I could do some light walking or something, but entering New Zealand triathlon in Taupo and planning on completing at the highest level in triathlon sounds like a monumental task.  We here at Triathlon Training Series (home of the most popular triathlon DVD) salute you, Sam.

Many of you may have heard of her because she is racing the Ironman triathlon circuit in the USA.  She’s 39 and was formerly #1 in the world.  It wasn’t until a few races where she felt “off” that she was diagnosed with super ventricular tachycardia.  For lack of a better way to describe it, it simply means a heart that beats really quickly.

During a few triathlon training sessions, she’d sometimes just have to stop and end her workout early.  She said (and understandably so) that she was perplexed by the feeling of not being able to go any further.  Though that is not so worrisome for the average age grouper beginning triathlon, but for a former #1 and Beijing Olympian, this was a major issue.

The good news is that she’s feeling better and getting back in the saddle and we can expect to see more and more of her in the coming months.  All of us at Triathlon Training Series wish her the best and all the success in the 2011 triathlon season.  Keep your eyes peeled, you Americans out there may see her training on the road at some point.