The Student News Site of Walt Whitman High School

The Black and White

The Student News Site of Walt Whitman High School

The Black and White

The Student News Site of Walt Whitman High School

The Black and White

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March 21, 2024

Professional triathlete speaks to cross country team

Professional triathlete and Whitman alum Desiree Ficker (’94) met with the cross country team Nov. 1 to train with members of the team and offer advice.

Ficker is now nationally recognized as one of the best triathletes in the country.  In 2006, she finished second in the women’s Hawaii Iron Man and recently finished tenth in the women’s New York Marathon.  Ficker hopes to return to Hawaii to capture first place.

Ficker started running competitively at a very early age.  She enrolled at Whitman in 1992 at the beginning of her junior year and immediately joined the cross country team.  She won states that year and was later recruited to run at the University of Alabama.

When Ficker was 22 she decided to compete in her first triathlon, which consists of running, biking and swimming.

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Ficker told the cross country team that the most challenging aspect of triathlons was the muscle pain after hours of competition.

“When racing, it’s really all about how you deal with the pain,” she said.  “To deal with it, I focused on things that I could control.  For example, running form.”

Ficker also struggled to resist the temptation to eat unhealthy foods and ditch out on training sessions.

“Any job gets tedious,” she says, “but you have to think ‘the person who I’m racing against next week is probably not eating a doughnut and probably getting their rest.”

In addition to being a professional triathlete, Ficker is a former assistant coach for the Whitman cross country team.

Heach Coach Stephen Hays has known Desiree for ten years and always tries to follow her professional career. Hays views Desiree as a symbol for the cross country team’s history and success.  Hays saw Desiree’s speech as a way to support the runners and show them how to achieve their goals.

“It’s good to have someone who has experienced what the current team is going through [a run to the State Championship].”

Ficker emphasizes the importance of hard work ot the runners in order for them to accomplish their goals.

“There are no shortcuts.  If you want to get better at something, you have to practice and practice.”

In her closing words, Ficker urged the team to always enjoy what they do.

Ficker’s final words to the team were not reminiscent of her rise to triathlon dominance, but instead offered advice to the runners, urging them to always enjoy what they do.

“The more joy you can put behind your running, the faster you’ll go and the better memories you’ll have later on.”

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