FARMINGTON – This week, local athlete Anne Charles completed an Ironman 70.3 mile triathlon in Farmington.
She was supposed to compete in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada this past weekend, but when the race was canceled due to poor air quality, she had to find an alternative and her community was there to support her.
Charles was met by balloons and water bottles placed by friends on her route around Farmington as she swam 1.2 miles, biked 56 miles and ran 13.1 miles on Monday, June 26. People ran alongside her and cheered her on from the sidelines.
“I’m still smiling and get tears of gratitude when I think of it!” Charles said.
Charles has met lots of challenges in her running journey over the past few years. While training for her first 70.3 mile race in 2019, Charles was in a car accident three weeks before she was supposed to race. She broke her foot and was unable to run.
“I spent the entire year training for that event,” Charles said. “I was heartbroken.”
Once she had recovered, she signed up for another race in early 2020, but it was canceled thanks to the COVID-19 lockdown.
Charles successfully completed her first 70.3 mile race in 2021 at Old Orchard Beach, which she described as one of the best days of her life. After that, she raced the Mont-Tremblant 70.3 in June, 2022. She was supposed to race again a few months later, but was forced to drop out after a hamstring injury. She was unable to run for eight months.
“It took so long to recover from that injury, I questioned if I’d be able to run again,” she said. She took the winter to heal her hamstring, and thankfully, in February she began to see results. “I made a turn for the better at the end of February and was ready to race this weekend.”
This past weekend’s race was supposed to be in Mont-Tremblant again, where Charles planned to race with her husband and daughter cheering her on. Unfortunately, the race was canceled on the day of, due to the wildfires throughout Quebec and the poor air quality.
Charles was disappointed: “I was so excited to take in the beautiful scenery, enjoy the positive vibe of the Mont-Tremblant community and soak in the enthusiasm that Ken and Emma were showing.”
Her daughter Emma was the one who came up with the idea of running the race at home and Charles liked the thought. “Why not? I’ve trained. It will be more chill but I’ve put in all this work,” she said to herself. She posted on Facebook to invite people to join her for parts of the day. Her friend Sarah Reynolds saw the post and took action, organizing support from Charles’ friends throughout the day.
“She has overcome so many adversities as an athlete and she continues to keep her head up and smile,” Reynolds said, explaining that she wanted to do something special to support and celebrate her friend.
Charles had no idea what was waiting for her as she began the triathlon on Monday morning with the swimming portion. “This was all a surprise to me,” Charles said. “So I was shocked to see people at the lake when I started.”
Reynolds planned a gathering to celebrate the last five miles of the race at the Whistle Stop Trail, where Charles’ friends cheered her on as she crossed the finish line.
“Yesterday was far better than any traditional race could have been,” Charles said. “I felt the love from so many people. That is a feeling I never want to forget!”
