- by Louise Hodgson – Jones*
at Ironman Hawaii and then a few days later getting married in one of the most idyllic settings in the world. However, 36 hours before the event in October 2005 she suffered abdominal pain, and chronic appendicitis was the possible diagnosis. With a strong dose of antibiotics Bentley started the event, but when the pain and cramps became considerably worse she knew she had to pull out. Looking back she is very philosophical: “I believe that everything happens for a reason. I was very disappointed that I wasn’t able to race when I was in the best shape of my life. But at the moment that my coach and fiance pulled me off the course, I thought about the fact that despite not finishing the race, I was still going to get to marry the man of my dreams on the Wednesday after the race.”
The Wednesday after the race Bentley was still in hospital-the diagnosis had proved to be true and her appendix had ruptured. Surgery followed, but happy endings were in sight when on October 21 Bentley had her fairytale wedding to David Cracknell. Thoughts of the future hadn’t crossed her mind: “I was too busy from bouncing back from the appendectomy.” But how does someone come
back from a disappointment like this? “I realized that despite not finishing my race, I was still the same person. I bounced back with the love of my husband, family, and friends. And I realized that I had given it my all and the ruptured appendix was beyond my control.”
With a new year brings new goals-and Hawaii is definitely at the top-along with Ironman Australia and Subaru Ironman Canada. The Half-Ironman distance (recently renamed Ironman 70.3) will also be on her schedule for 2006: “They allow me to test my fitness.” Already she has one victory this year; in January for the fifth straight year she won the Half-Ironman Pucon (Chile), and will also be competing in the Florida 70.3 in May.
Bentley won her first Ironman in New Zealand in 2000, a memorable moment in
her career. Two years earlier she took on a new coach, Lance Watson, coach to many national and international athletes. Bentley has nothing but praise for Watson: “Lance is an amazing coach. His strength is his mental coaching. He has changed the way I think for the better, and I attribute my evolution as a
mental athlete to him.”
Watson similarly says that Bentley’s work ethic is why she is so successful. “Lisa is the hardest working athlete I have ever coached. This, coupled with her passion and the raw emotion she brings in training and racing, is her greatest asset. She never shows up to practice with a ‘B’-level effort. She badly
wants to win.”
Bentley lives and trains in Caledon, Ontario, primarily, but travels to Florida for six weeks every year and to Hawaii four weeks before the Ironman. With Watson based in Victoria a lot of their training is done remotely. “I give her detailed training programs and we talk on the phone at least once a week, and daily leading up to events,” he explains. He also attends the training camps and manages the support network of physiotherapists, massage therapists, and organizes training partners. “She is very self-motivated but sometimes needs the support.”
Bentley wasn’t particularly athletic as a child; her sporting activities extended to being in her high school track team and then running for her university. “But I would get injured quite often, and so I would swim and cycle to keep in shape.” She competed in her first triathlon in 1989 and in 1995 qualified for the Pan American Games, coming seventh. “My goal was to go to the Olympics, but the sport changed in 1996, putting more emphasis on the swim, which was my weakness. I worked hard to improve my swim, but my strengths were minimized by the Olympic distance. At the same time, I was enjoying longer training days, and so I tried an Ironman and just loved the fact that I could exercise all day long!”
A little-known fact about Bentley is that she has Cystic Fibrosis, which often causes her to catch colds and chest infections easily. “I am very healthy, but my lungs are like the Hilton for bacteria. When I get a cold, it is always a month-long process getting rid of it and the sleepless nights spent coughing. And
then I will be on a huge dose of antibiotics, which will knock me out.”
She calls CF “work in progress.” Maintaining a healthy diet is paramount to her, eating a lot of fruit and vegetables and taking vitamins. “I have had many tough racing and training days because of chest infections, but I battle through them because I love what I do and I am determined not to let CF stand in my way.”
Her incredible determination not to let CF impede her life is an inspiration to many who have the condition, and she often spends her spare time helping to raise research funds, and talking to youths about the importance of sport and health.
At 35, Bentley isn’t ready to settle down. While she loves her home, husband, and dogs, she has no plans to retire. But when she does, she hopes to inspire, motivate, and coach others about their life and sporting goals. In the meantime she is enjoying her career and “living in the moment.”