Swimming 2.8 miles. Biking 101 miles. Running 26.2 miles. All within two weeks. Do you know if you’re capable of completing that amount of mileage in that amount of time? A challenge like this seems a little overwhelming to most of us, at least at first. That feeling is especially true for those of us who have attempted to get fit as a lone wolf with little to no accountability or encouragement.
You don’t even know how strong you are yet. Whether you assemble a team of friends and family or you choose to go it alone, you’ll never actually be alone on your fitness journey with the countless others in the 130 Strong program. Plus, you’ll gain access to essential resources, such as a virtual trainer and nutritionist, our trainer hotline, not to mention a community of 130 Strong folks ready to motivate you and each other.
You’ve finally found your fitness people with 130 Strong. Discover what you’re really capable of within a safe, fun community of people just like you to help you along. This group takes a two-week challenge and stretches it into a fun-filled year-long event. It’s more of an incredibly inspiring and fulfilling lifestyle than a one-off experience. We know how to celebrate our victories, even (and especially) the small ones. With our kickoff party, run/bike/swim challenge and post-challenge party, we know how to turn physical fitness into a memorable celebration.
About the Founder
WELCOME TO THE TEAM!
I’m Camille: proud momma, happy wife, Blackbelt martial artist, Sudoku lover, and thrill-seeking fitness grandma with an iron grip on my fountain of youth! Lace up your shoes, tune up your bike, and get ready for a swim because your journey has just begun. Thank you for visiting the official 130Strong website and WELCOME TO THE TEAM!
Five years ago I turned 50 years old. “WOW!” I remember thinking to myself, “that one snuck up on me quick!” I’m not sure exactly what it is about reaching that particular milestone in life but I do know that it sure felt different than the previous 49. Never one to let age slow me down, I wanted to celebrate my big “5-0” by doing something totally out of the ordinary ... so, I dyed my brown hair platinum blonde and bought myself a shiny red Corvette. Kidding! What I chose to do instead was recruit my oldest son to join me for a grueling 100-mile bike ride, known as the “Century.”
That Century ride turned out to be the beginning of a brand new chapter in my life and laid the groundwork for my newfound love for triathlons. It opened the door to new challenges and has been continuously rewarding in the absolute best of ways. I’ll share the details of that Century ride with you here shortly, but I’d like to first provide some quick back-story about me and my journey.
Athletics and competition have always been a big part of my life. For the past 25 years I have traveled around the world, from South Korea to Ireland, competing in martial arts tournaments at the highest levels. I trained with and traveled alongside world-class athletes, many of which were world-title holders in their respective weight classes, and some even Olympic medalists. I, myself, was fortunate enough to experience the rewards of my training as I won 9 world-titles during my tenure competing at that level.
25 years of competition, intense training and daily dedication towards one sport allowed me to experience it all: blood, sweat, tears, victory, defeat, 3 major knee surgeries, a shoulder surgery, a few teeth knocked out, concussions and dozens of broken ribs, toes, fingers, nose, and black eyes. Was it all worth it? ABSOLUTELY! What an incredible journey it was and I truly loved every second of it! I gave every ounce of my heart, might, mind and body to that sport and can proudly look back now at my martial arts career and finally see that I was able to accomplish each goal I had set for myself from the very beginning.
When you devote yourself wholeheartedly to something over a long period of time, the way I did with martial arts, it consumes you in a sense and you grow very accustomed to certain things. For me, all of the injuries that came with the competition were just a part of the game and I grew all too used to them. After a tournament, I would head back home, or the hotel if I was on the road, and ice up, patch up, or sometimes even have my wounds stitched up. I would then rest my body for a day or two and get right back to my training regimen to prepare myself for the next tournament. I knew that in order to be great and achieve my goals I had to be just as tough mentally as I was physically. No matter the circumstance, I would always force myself to stick to my training schedule and press on. The older I got the better I became at tuning out the pain from the wear and tear of my injuries. The real problem, however, no matter how hard I tried to tune it out, was that I just wasn’t getting any younger. My will to succeed was still there, as strong as it ever was, but my body just couldn’t keep up anymore with that level of combat and training. I had no choice but to face the reality of the situation and not give up, but rather direct my will to succeed towards a new adventure.
The will to succeed is fueled by your mental toughness. Your heart. It’s that burning desire for a new adventure or achievement. It’s an unquenchable thirst that never leaves you, unless you choose to give up and quit. Quitting was never an option for me. It was never the trophies or medals that drove me in martial arts. What drove me was the feeling of improvement that I felt after a hard day of training, knowing that I was better that day than the day before.
So there I was, 70 miles into my new adventure on that Century ride with the hot sun beating down on me and completely out of water. My legs were cramping up like I had never felt before and I was severely dehydrated when the support truck made its way to me. My husband was the one driving the support truck and knew that if I tried to gut out the remaining 30 miles that I wouldn’t make it. He helped me into the truck and loaded my bike up as I drank all the water in sight and laid down in the back seat. I was devastated. I had come too far not to finish what I started.
We caught up to my son, who was nearly finished at this point, and my husband told him the news. My son knows me better than anyone when it comes to an endeavor like this and saw the frustration on my face. He knew exactly how much this Century ride meant to me so he talked my husband into driving us back to where I was picked up and riding with me through the finish line.
We filled our CamelBaks and water bottles up and prepared ourselves to tackle that last 30 miles. I will never forget my son’s simple words of encouragement as he helped me get back on my bike and rode by my side until we reached the end of that last mile. I couldn’t have done it without him, and will be forever grateful to him for carrying me through that last 30 miles so I could reach my finish line. I was the one to invite him to join me, and in the end I would not have been able to finish that ride without him. A memory that we will both cherish for a lifetime.
That experience had a giant impact on me as I thought about it over the next few days. I definitely didn’t set any speed records on that ride and it sure wasn’t the prettiest finish, but it was a brand new sense of accomplishment that I had never felt before. It was incredibly rewarding for me because it was an accomplishment that I was able to share with somebody else literally by my side, believing in me and guiding me to my finish line. This was very new to me because although I had coaches and trainers in martial arts, it was always just me in the ring with no one else but my opponent. Being able to create this type of lifelong memory with my son, someone very close to me, was a much more fulfilling accomplishment than any other I had ever experienced. 130Strong is my way of sharing that feeling with you!
130Strong is about desire, determination, and accomplishment. 130Strong is about opportunity, change, and lifestyle. 130Strong is about fun, friends, and fitness. I am so proud to join you on your journey towards 130Strong! Welcome to the team!
Camille DeLoach