Kathy Armstrong is something of a competition beast.
One might never get that impression from crossing paths with her at her day job as an occupational therapist.
She has a strong background in athletics, and for some 31 years Armstrong has been participating in triathlons — endurance races that consist of swimming, cycling and running over various distances.
“I have done hundreds of them and I love it,” Armstrong recently told The Grenada Star.
She has taken part in multiple area races, including June’s second annual Southern Firecracker Ironman Triathlon, which saw 66 athletes compete across portions of Grenada and Tallahatchie counties. Armstrong finished eighth overall and placed second among females in the event.
Grenadian Kathy Armstrong completes the bike portion of last year's Southern Firecracker Triathlon at Grenada Lake. (The Grenada Star/Chuck Hathcock)
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The 59-year-old Armstrong, a Grenada resident, commutes to Charleston each day to work in Tallahatchie General Hospital’s Outpatient Therapy Department, housed in the James C. Kennedy Wellness Center.
It was there on Friday that some of her coworkers threw a celebratory send-off to wish her good luck as she prepares to embark on a new adventure.
In October 2021, Armstrong participated in the St. Jude Ironman 70.3 Memphis triathlon, earning a qualifying spot in the 2022 Intermountain Healthcare Ironman 70.3 World Championship, set for Oct. 28-29 in St. George, Utah. The competition is presented by the Utah Sports Commission.
This will be her first world championship appearance, and she will compete in the 55-59 age group.
The 70.3-mile race will begin with a 1.2-mile swim in Sand Hollow Reservoir, followed by a 56-mile bike course. The third and final leg is a 13.1-mile marathon.
The run course, according to an online analysis by PJAMM Cycling, is “one of the hilliest runs you will ever race on — one of the main reasons the pros consider this the hardest 70.3 course out there. It will feel like there are no flat sections, you’re either going uphill or downhill!”
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Armstrong said she has been training intensely for the championships since Jan. 10. She trains up to 17 hours per week, including running during her lunch break at the Wellness Center.
A pair of coaches assist Armstrong with her physical and mental endurance training regimen.
Kathy Armstrong holds a vase of flowers given to her by coworkers last week. The card reads, "Wishing you good luck! ~The Rehab Dept."
One is Lesley Paterson, a Scottish triathlete and triathlon coach who was the 2011, 2012 and 2018 XTERRA Triathlon World Champion as well as the 2012 and 2018 ITU Cross Triathlon World Champion.
Paterson and her husband, Simon Marshall, operate Braveheart Coaching in San Diego, and Armstrong has benefited from their advice both virtually and via email.
Speaking of husband and wife teams, Armstrong shares her love for the sport of triathlon racing with her husband, Rafe, and they have competed at events around the United States, as well as in Canada and Puerto Rico.
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The Florida-based Ironman Foundation calls this week’s world championship “the pinnacle event in the global Ironman 70.3 calendar,” saying that more than 7,000 athletes from over 100 global qualifying events in locations such as Australia, China, Spain, South Africa and the Americas are expected to compete.
Heather Pounds, one of Armstrong’s coworkers, said everyone at Tallahatchie General Hospital and the Wellness Center is rooting for Armstrong.
“We would like to congratulate her and wish her the best,” Pounds noted.
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A live broadcast of the Ironman 70.3 World Championship races will be available for free streaming on Outside TV's website, or find the Outside channel on Apple TV, Dish, Fire TV, Fubo, Redbox, Roku, Samsung TV Plus, Sling TV, YouTubeTV and more.
