About Pam

Pam Culver

Background

• 

  The Gang waiting for the start at Door County - Paul, Angie, Me and Mike - 4 of my Ironman training partners!

  I am a marketing consultant and own my own Marketing and Graphic Design business, Gathering Waters Design, Inc. (www.gatheringwaters.com)

• Live in La Crosse, Wisconsin but am originally from the New Orleans, LA area and others (long story…)
• I will be 45 when I attempt my first Ironman on Sep 11, 2011
• Single, no children, just a foster dog or two living with me
• Raising money for the Chesapeake Retriever Rescue of Wisconsin through Ironman WI and Janus Charity Challenge

Athletic Background

• Nope I didn’t swim or run in high school or college. Not on a team nor for fun or exercise. I rode horses. I competed English-style, Eventing in particular throughout the southeastern U.S.
• I started running and triathlons in 2000 as part of a program through the YMCA called WAC-Y (Women’s Athletic Club at the YMCA) with the goal to compete in the 2000 Danskin Women’s Triathlon in Naperville, IL. I obviously completed that goal and continue to set more.
• Swimming – In addition to taking swimming lessons from local notables such as Tod Ondell and Joan Kapellas, I have participated in some swimming clinics with Lauren Jensen (early 2000’s) and others at the La Crosse YMCA. The funny things about my swimming – it is a mess,
  • I can kick until I am blue in the face and I barely move,
  • I breathe at the wrong time in my stroke
  • I am okay speed wise but not fast, I can swim forever at my speed
  • I LOVE open water swimming and only swim in a pool because I have to!
  • I learned to swim in Lagos, Nigeria in the pool at the home of the American Embassador and no I don’t think he/she (but I am pretty sure it was a he in the late 60’s) taught me!
• Biking – Prior to June of 2000, my bike was an orange and purple steel Marin Mountain Bike I bought when I graduated from college in 1988. I still have that bike and ride it around town. After my first tri when EVERYONE was zooming past me up hills even people twice my size, I decided I needed a road bike. I rode my Giant OCR until 2006 and then bought a used Trek tri bike from a fellow triathlete. Interesting facts about my biking
  

  Angie and Me at the finish of Green Bay Tri 2010

  • August 2006 I was in a serious mountain bike accident in the woods alone and knocked unconscious. After coming to, I hiked out of the woods with blurred vision and a very split upper lip. I found help and they drove me to the Bloomer Medical Center where they did CAT scans and put over 200 or so stitches in my upper lip and sent me home. I suffered moving vertigo for almost year.
  • July 2007 I was out biking with my training partner, Angie (who is also on this crazy Ironman adventure with me – I think it is her fault I am on it!) and we crashed when her tire slipped off the white paint on the edge of the road and her tire went into the gravel. I was about 10 feet behind her and unable to avoid her, rode my bike right into her. Only broken bone was my finger, LOTS of bruises and the BONUS of the DAY was that I hit my head on the opposite side as I had in my mountain bike accident and after the soreness and bruising healed, I realized my vertigo was gone! So Angie and road biking cured my vertigo!
  • I no longer Mountain Bike! and I have a nice but very faint upside down you shaped scar on my upper lip – the PA, Ron, in Bloomer did an EXCELLENT job piecing my lip back together! Well done and Thank You Ron!
  • Due to the above, I am a bit of a “head” case on the bike! I don’t like biking with people I am not used to! Hmmm do you see a problem here with IM???? Just me and 2000+ of my cycling friends on two loops of WI county highways! Yikes, gives me butterflies just thinking about it. And I am very nervous about being on my trusty bike for 112 miles – Love My Bike and Bicycling – but I am not sure I love it that much!
• Running – Thank God for running! This is the one segment I am not too afraid of? Probably will be my worst since I am not too worried. I have run 8 marathons, many of them not pretty, I am not very fast but I can keep going. I get in a zone and put one foot in front of the other and while I may not talk (rarely occurs in any other facet of my life) and I may develop very foul language, I will just keep going. That is what I am counting on! Again there have to be interesting running facts:
  • 

    2010 Door County Half Iron - the flat part!

    Angie, above mentioned training partner, coach and reason for this insanity, has been working on my running form and efficiency for the last 2 years and WOW what I never learned by watching in high school (I was a manager for the men’s cross country and distance track athletes) Angie has taught me. I have been consistently setting new PR’s (personal records) in all distances since the summer of 2009.

  • This is the one place where the head injury and vertigo do come into play. For some reason I have issues with my vision and dizziness in tunnels or trails in wooded areas – of course this run course has a trail in a wooded area. The other issue I have is looking side to side, so if you happen to be spectating and yell at me and I don’t turn and acknowledge you  I apologize now and Thank You in advance for your encouragement and support. My plan is to not move my gaze from straight ahead, wear a visor similar to horse blinders and dark glasses and pray for the best! I will probably try and give a Thumbs Up and continue to move on!

Relevant Racing Background

• 4 Half Ironmans – PR: 6:06 Door County Half Iron 2010 – Excellent race if you are looking for a Half! Excellent organization, beautiful setting, killer hill on the run (walk the hill)
• 7 Marathons – PR: 4:25 Mardi Gras Marathon 2010 – My hometown, my favorite marathon, what more can I say, always have a beer at Mile 21!
• 8 or so Firehouse 50’s as a member of usually a 4 Person Time Trial Team

So that is about all the boredom I can take. On to the training and prep work to complete this adventure!